Welcome to this week's edition of the POB eNews ...

The grand-prize winner of POB's 2009 Highlights in Surveying contest is ... (insert drum roll) ... USKH survey department, of Anchorage, Alaska, for its survey of an airport and hovercraft landing sites on Akun Island, approximately 750 miles southwest of Anchorage in the Aleutian Islands. The new airport will service the City of Akutan on the neighboring island of Akutan.

The USKH survey crew had approximately three months to conduct detailed control and bathymetric surveys around the two islands as well as to perform an upland topographic survey of areas totaling approximately 1,100 acres. By using advanced technologies and a combination of surveying techniques, the crew was able to overcome substantial challenges in terrain and logistics to deliver the project on time and within budget.

"This was an extremely complex job handled by surveyors who understood the interconnections between the various aspects of the job and the various technologies applied," said Joseph V.R. Paiva, PhD, PLS, PE, a POB contributing editor and one of the judges for this year's contest. "The conditions under which they worked--both in the field and in the 'office'--were difficult by any way of measurement."

Jake Gerondale, USKH survey manager, accepted the award on behalf of the survey crew. "The extreme remoteness, weather, terrain, and wildlife made this one of the most difficult yet interesting places in the world to work," Gerondale said. "We wouldn't have been able to complete this job without the dedication of our field and office staff. We are thrilled to be recognized for our efforts with this year's Highlights in Surveying award."

The winning project will be featured in POB's print and digital October issues and POB online. As the grand-prize winner, the USKH survey department will be able to select one person to participate in the 2010 Land Surveyor's Workshops Continuing Education Cruise courtesy of Land Surveyor's Workshops.

"This year's contest proved difficult to judge because so many of the projects entered are worthy of recognition," said Christine L. Grahl, editor of POB. "They highlight how surveyors are expanding their capabilities and using technology in innovative ways to address complex design and redevelopment challenges. It's exciting to see the surveying and mapping professions involved in such cutting-edge applications."

Have a great week,

Wendy Lyons
eNews Editor 

P.S. Two projects received honorable mentions: Architectural Resource Consultants and D. Woolley & Associates Inc. for as-built surveys of a 1920s Landmark in South Gate, Calif.; and Frank D. Abell, RLS, for a survey of the San Ignacio De La Canoa Land Grant. CLICK HERE for the full news release.

NEWEST ADDITION: A Pocket Guide to Business for Engineers and Surveyors
by Edmund Bergeron
Retail Price: $71.95

Pulling from his 30+ years of experience running his own engineering and surveying services firm, Ed Bergeron gathers in concise, practical and often amusing writing all the information engineers or surveyors needs to know to grow their career, expand their business, manage staff and projects, understand the financial and legal aspects of their work, and conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner when dealing with clients and colleagues. Both the fields of surveying and engineering are making strides towards advancing their stature by increasingly requiring licensure, expanding continuing education offerings, and adding elements of professional practice into all levels of education. This book presents the skills that differentiate the technician from the professional, and will serve as a tool for the advancement of the profession. FOLLOW THIS LINK for a complete description and to view the table of contents. Place your order online or by phone.   

Web Exclusives!

Exclusive Video! Check out POB's video interview with TPS President and CEO Ray O'Connor in A Renewed Focus. Also, don't miss the footage from the industry leadership panel during the ESRI Survey & Engineering GIS Summit in Conference Recap: Mapping the Future.  

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.

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.  ...   

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.

Topcon's NET-G3A for High Performance Tracking
Featuring Topcon's Paradigm G3 chip, the NET-G3A delivers tracking of all currently available satellite signals. It is fully configurable through a new web user interface to allow configuration remotely.

Party Chief, California
Land surveying firm seeking an experienced Party Chief in the San Francisco Bay Area/Santa Clara County/Sacramento County. Must have experience with Trimble Robotics and GPS with TDS data collection.  Experience with AutoCAD or Carlson a plus. Position is temporary to start with strong potential for permanent employment.  E-mail resume to tfinke@millmansurveying.com. 

Joke of the Week: University Entrance Exam: Athlete Version
Time Limit: 3 Weeks

1. What language is spoken in France?
2. Give a dissertation on the ancient Babylonian empire with particular reference to architecture, literature, law and social conditions -OR-
   Give the first name of Pierre Trudeau.
3. Would you ask William Shakespeare to:
   (a) build a bridge
   (b) sail the ocean
   (c) lead an army
   (d) WRITE A PLAY
4. What religion is the pope? 
   (a) CLICK to read on

Problem of the Week: GIS Problems: Data Definitions
The term topology, as used in a geographic information system (GIS), is:
A) the complete coverage of a plane or volume by its division into contiguous spatial elements.
B) a means of organizing data into columns and rows.
C) the relationships, such as adjacency and connectivity, between points, lines, and polygons.
D) a commonly used raster file format.

Follow this link to access the rest of this week's Fun & Games.

Fugro Provides GeoSAR Mapping for Pipeline Corridor in Peru
Fugro was recently contracted by oil and gas exploration and development company Perenco to provide detailed topographic mapping of a proposed oil pipeline route in northern Peru. Airborne data acquisition for this critical project was completed using Fugro's airborne GeoSAR radar mapping system.

Central New Mexico Community College
The Central New Mexico Community College Alumni Association has selected the 2009 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, Tony Trujillo, President of Holman's Precision Surveying & Computing Products.

Intergraph Security Solutions Successfully Protect Delegates, Guests and Infrastructure at G8 Summit
Intergraph, as part of a team led by SELEX Sistemi Integrati (SSI), the systems integrator for the Finmeccanica Group, played a vital role in successfully ensuring the safety and security of world leaders, guests and infrastructure at the G8 Summit, held in L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy, from July 8-10, 2009.

CLICK for more Industry News.