The divide, in my view, has rarely been as well defined as it was in the November 2002 issue of POB in Milton Denny’s article “The Business Side: Planning Ahead.” Denny describes this divide as the implicit gulf between surveyors (location) and engineers (perception). But it’s more complicated than that. At times we seem to forget that first and foremost, surveying is a people-oriented business. Ergo, part of a surveyor’s training needs to incorporate interaction with people. It is important to our clients where we place their property lines and where and how we set out the improvements. Our clients tend to take those things very personally, and we need to understand that.

Another thing to understand is that we got here by following the footsteps of those before us in more ways than one. So, let us think about and consider the “footprints” we are leaving for others to follow. And to leave useful footprints, looking forward is a solid prerequisite. But a quick glance back often serves as an aid in planning that route ahead.