When surveyors and engineers are working together on a transportation project, conflicts sometimes result due to differences in personalities and backgrounds. What the engineer says is often not what the surveyor hears, and vice versa. To avoid problems, project goals must be clearly communicated from the beginning.

Why is the project being done? What is expected from the data? What is the timeframe? These are questions that define the approach the surveyors will take, whether using traditional technologies or terrestrial mobile LiDAR scanning (TMLS). As the surveyor expands the tools of documentation that allow data to be mined from the survey at later time, upfront communication will allow for a seamless workflow of sustainable data. As the additional applications of data expand with technology, so must the communication.