Chris Tomko, PE, PS and senior project manager for R.E. Warner & Associates Inc., didn’t set out to become a surveyor. His exposure to the profession came through his pursuit of a degree and career in civil engineering.

It’s not only amazing to watch as our tools change and evolve, it is thrilling to see what we are learning when we apply these new capabilities. With this issue, POB is setting in motion its own sequence of changes.

What safety features are incorporated in a structure beyond the usual designated tornado shelter and evacuation signage? How well documented is the final build, and what is available to first responders who might have to assist in an emergency?

Surveyors and geospatial professionals can help measure and quantify the impact we are having on our environment and the positive potential of steps to intervene and, as Esri Founder Jack Dangermond would say, "design our future."

The complexity of training and licensing and the lack of public awareness of the surveying profession combine to make it difficult to adopt some of the strategies employed by other professions to attract new talent.

A surveyor's seal stands for a long time, and the brand represented by that simple instrument will be firmly attached. Make sure your brand is solid.

Earl F. Burkholder, PS, PE, F.ASCE, admits to developing an early interest in some of the core topics and concepts that have served him well every day of his professional land surveying career.

Professional land surveyors have been steadily adopting unmanned aerial vehicles. But why should surveyors view Google's parent, Alphabet, obtaining certification for Wing Aviation, the first "drone" airline, as a boon for surveying?

POB has supported a number of efforts to address the immediate and long-term challenges of recruiting and retaining talent in the professional land surveying profession. One effort that has been underway in the United Kingdom and is spreading to the U.S. and other countries is Get Kids Into Survey (GKiS).

A discussion on social media on the subject of an easement demonstrated how little people understand property rights and the value of the services of a licensed surveyor.