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 Welcome to this week's edition of the POB eNews ...
This week marks a number of significant points in history: the death of Princess Diana on Aug. 31, 1997; the signing of the Treaty of Paris on Sept. 3, 1783, which formally ended the American Revolution; the end of the Indian Wars marked by the surrender of Chief Geronimo on Sept. 4, 1886; and the murder of Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympics on Sept. 5, 1972. It also marks the day that Atlanta, Georgia, fell to Union forces in 1864.
On Sept. 1, after months of fighting, Atlanta, a key Confederate railroad and military supply hub, finally fell to Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman and his Union Army. Later that year, on Nov. 15, Sherman's forces would begin their fiery march to the sea. But the general didn't march his troops and burn his way through hostile Confederate territory willy-nilly; he relied on detailed maps created by his surveyors and mappers.
According to historians, two-man survey crews, armed with a compass, tape and field book, conducted their reconnaissance missions by foot. They located factories, railroads, rivers, and other important features and targets. Back at camp, with a scale, protractor, ruling pen and other drafting tools, a map was created.
But, faced with the urgent need for multiple copies, mappers--both North and South--employed a newfangled method borrowed from photography. According the 1887 memoir of Capt. Albert H. Campbell, of the Confederate Engineer Corps:
"Traced copies were prepared on common tracing-paper in very black India ink, and from these sharp negative by sun-printing were obtained, and from these negatives copies were multiplied by exposure to the sun in frames made for the purpose. The several sections, properly toned, were pasted together in their order and formed the general map, or such portions of it as were desired; it being the policy, as a matter of prudence against capture, to furnish no one but the commanding general and corps commanders with the entire map of a given region."
To learn more of this fascinating history, click to Civil War Mapmaking, a 2:39-minute video featuring a Civil War reenactor, period surveying and drafting tools, and a map of "Sherman's March from Atlanta to the Sea." To read more of Campbell's memoirs, go to The
Virtual Museum of Surveying.
Have a great week,
Wendy Lyons
eNews Editor |
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FREE Webinar! 3D Laser Scanning: The Power to Discover. Sponsored by Riegl USA.
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LATEST BLOGS, LETTERS & OPINIONS |
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Sight Lines: Out of Bounds by Christine Grahl | September 2, 2009
It is the surveyor's job to find boundary discrepancies. But there is a human side of the equation that has to be considered along with all of the maps and monuments. Is it right to "follow the footsteps of the original surveyor" if it means disturbing subsequent surveys that have long been held as correct? What if doing so negatively affects an entire community?
Technology Benchmark: Business 101 by Harry O. Ward, PE | August 26, 2009
As I have traveled cross country in the past couple of weeks, from Los Angeles to New England, I have continued to hear doom and gloom about layoffs, cut paychecks, reduced benefits and cut hours. Although the effect of the recession is staggering in its depth, breadth and sadness, I want to proclaim that it is good news in the long run-not necessarily for those individuals affected, but for the economy and the companies involved.
The Data Czar: Socializing Data by Darron Pustam, MBA, GISP | September 2, 2009
Does the sharing of data come down to socialism? Is the stigma of technological egalitarianism preventing the growth of GIS by politically stifling the sharing of data on a federal, state and/or local plane?
Do you have a viewpoint on a topic of interest that you would like to see discussed in Opinion? E-mail your column (approx. 300-700 words) to pobeditor@bnpmedia.com. Columns will be posted at the editor's discretion. Follow this
link for the latest blog entries. |
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 The September Issue is Online.
This month, POB features ...
Electric Island by Carlos Hiraldo, PhD
Puerto Rico, a self-governing territory of the United States, has experienced rapid economic growth and dramatic social changes since its current political structure was established in 1952. Almost 75 percent of Puerto Rico's land mass consists of hills and mountains too steep for sustained commercial farming or substantial tourism--a traditional economic staple of Caribbean islands. ...
 A Renewed Focus by Kristi Grahl
In February 2008, Topcon Corp. and Sokkia Co. Ltd. joined forces to create the world's largest supplier of surveying instruments. Combined, the two firms had more than 160 years of experience in the surveying market--an impressive history. ...
The Speed of Integration by Ann Hovland
When the CH2M HILL survey crew set out to bid on a project to map 1,500 sewer manholes for Oregon's City of Woodburn, the challenge was to gather and organize a diverse group of data with a limited budget. The city's wastewater collection and transmission system had been under continual expansion since it first entered service. ...
Conference Recap: Mapping the Future
 The crowd of approximately 300 people at the 2009 ESRI Survey & Engineering GIS Summit was down about 17 percent from last year. However, according to Brent Jones, PE, PLS, survey/engineering industry manager for ESRI, 36 percent of the attendees were newcomers to the event. ...
Jumping the Technology Curve by John Stenmark, LS
Located along the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, the Republic of Benin has a land area of 42,500 square miles--slightly smaller than Pennsylvania. Since the early 1990s, Benin has been actively working to improve the standard of living for its citizens through sustainable economic development. ...
Capturing Time by Patrick Cunningham, Malcolm Fuller, MSSE, and Samuel Knight 
In North America, positions on Earth are commonly expressed in terms of 3D terrestrial reference systems. Three of the most popular of these include the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83), the World Geodetic System of 1984 (WGS 84) used by GPS and the International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS). ...
And from our industry experts ...
Back to Basics: Fieldwork tips. by Wesley G. Crawford, RPLS
Is there a way to make measuring in the field easier and more accurate? Yes, numerous strategies are used by surveyors to simplify their fieldwork. This column describes a few successful procedures that I have used personally or have heard of others using.
GIAA Mailbag: September 2009
Q: What is the connection between solar sunspot activity and total electron content, and why should it concern me as a surveyor who uses GPS? ...
Surveying GIS: Using GIS as a business tool. by Michael L. Binge, LS, GISP
During these challenging economic times, many surveyors are apprehensive about the future.
 Web Exclusives!
Scanning A Fishy Business
by Douglas Denison and Brandon Walker, PE
The shores of the Great Lakes were once fringed with commercial fisheries that turned toward the bountiful resources of the lakes for food and a livelihood. ...
POB's 2009 Specialty Software Survey
The Specialty Software Survey covers a wide range of applications, including
 hydrography, mapping and graphing solutions, legal description software and coordinate conversion software.
Surveying Shots
POB features more international Surveying Shots by Orlando Isidoro Novoa Vásquez, of Puerto Montt, Chile, including video footage of his rare encounter with a pudú, the world's smallest deer. |
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What is the biggest hurdle your firm
faces in integrating GIS capabilities
into your services?
- Expense; it's too costly for us to invest in the required software/tools, personnel and marketing.
- Time; we've scaled back on staff and find it difficult to carve out the time needed to pursue new initiatives.
- Knowledge; we don't feel confident in our ability to offer GIS services.
- Public perception; it's difficult to find clients who are willing to pay for these services.
- Interest; we're just not interested in branching out beyond our current area of expertise.
Take a moment to vote at
www.pobonline.com. |
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 NEWEST ADDITION:
Civil Engineering All-In-One PE Exam Guide
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Ace the civil engineering PE exam on the first try!
Civil Engineering PE All-in-One Exam Guide covers all the material included on the Principles and Practice of Civil Engineering (PE-CIVIL) exam, given by the National Council of Examiners in Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). Presented in the Breadth and Depth format of the actual exam, this authoritative volume features equations, diagrams, exam preparation strategies, and practice questions with solutions. Detailed and comprehensive, this book serves as both a complete certification exam guide and an essential on-the-job reference.
FOLLOW THIS LINK for a complete description and to view the table of contents. Place your order online or by phone. To place your order by phone, 248/244-1275. |
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SURVEY CALCULATIONS TECHNICIAN
The LANE Construction Corporation, headquartered in Cheshire, CT, has a long history of providing both public and private owners with expertise in the construction of highways and bridges; locks and dams; mass transit systems; and airport runways, aprons, and taxiways and the production and placement of bituminous pavements.
An opening is currently available for a Survey Calculations Technician, who will work in a team environment at our project in Alexandria, Virginia. We are looking for a Survey Calculations Technician proficient with Microstation and well rounded experience with Land Development Desktop and Terramodel. The ideal candidate would have experience in calculations for support of survey layout work in Heavy Highway Construction. Please forward resumes to HR-VA@laneconstruct.com (attn: Survey Tech Position).
EOE M/F/D/V |
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Listening to clients gave REI Engineering early sense of economic meltdown
Each Monday, the Wausau Daily Herald features insights from top business leaders on their success and that of the region, as a companion to the newspaper's "Thrive" campaign. This week features Jeny Gustafson and Tom Radenz of REI Engineering, an environmental and safety consulting, land surveying and civil engineering firm.
Curiosity uncovers historic sundial
For the first time in more than 30 years, the previously hidden face of the 19th century Kennebec County Courthouse sundial and meridian marker was exposed to the light of day.
McFarlane original surveyor
To mark the 100th anniversary of the original survey of the area, the County of Grande Prairie has commissioned a series of articles focusing on the original pioneers of the region whose families still own or live on the original homesteads. This article features Walter McFarlane who came to the Peace Country in 1909 to survey what has now become the County of Grande Prairie No. 1.
To read the latest Surveying in the Headlines, click here. |
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 Joke of the Week: A Fishing Lesson
One day, a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish.
About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. ...
Problem of the Week: Project Management Problems: Client Relations
If a surveyor agrees to locate a particular property line for a client and the client assures the surveyor that an approximate location will be adequate, which of the following statements characterizes the surveyor's best course of action?
A. The surveyor should be certain the client understands that the monuments he establishes should not be relied upon to locate any improvements.
B. The surveyor should word the certification of his plat in such a way as to eliminate any liability for reliance on the location he establishes.
C. The surveyor should be mindful that people will rely on his monuments and either locate the boundary to the best of his ability of not accept the job.
D. The surveyor should mark the line well inside his client's property to allow for a margin of safety.
Follow this link to access the rest of this week's Fun & Games. |
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 The 2008 Surveying & Mapping Industry Software and Equipment CLEAReports indicate fewer plans to purchase CAD and data collector software, data collector controllers, tripods, and robotic total stations in 2009.
Learn more about future purchase intentions, highly desired brands, and software/equipment trends by contacting Sima Patel at patels@clearseasresearch.com or 248.786.1626. |
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