Category Archives: Surveying

Source: Oklahoma Historical Society

Advice to Younger Surveyors

by Michael R. Johnson PLS xyHt editor’s note: The surveying profession is blessed to have gifted storytellers in our midst, though we need more. One, known as “Uncle Paden” on the RPLSToday.com surveying forum, is Michael R. Johnson. A surveyor in Oklahoma, Johnson regularly regales readers with tales past and present of surveying, observations of...

Singapore night skyline

Keith Bentley on Digital Twins

As digital twins advance beyond BIM and GIS, what do you need to know? Bentley Systems’ founder Keith Bentley offers insights and advice for engaging in this growing field of solutions. Image above: Singapore, recognized as a global leader in infrastructure design and development, was the venue for the Bentley Year in Infrastructure 2019 event....

Mentoring Teaches Questioning: What’s So Great About That?

xyHt has featured many articles about mentors and mentoring before now! But— Why do we need mentors? It is definitely not because some third party randomly mandates it. Mentors and mentoring are a practical need for companies and for employees. Most often when I hear the topic of mentoring come up, it’s from employers who...

Social Media and the Surveyor (That’s You!)

Why social media is important, and how to participate. One of my favorite parts of the day is opening up LinkedIn and Instagram (IG) where I can admire the lives of surveyors around the world. You work in some of the most beautiful places … and not-so-beautiful places. I get to see how deep the...

Contrasting Cadastral Systems: US Surveyors in Switzerland!

Key takeaways from a U.S. delegation’s examination of the Swiss cadastre. Editor’s note: Wisconsin surveyor Rich Leaver recently organized a delegation of U.S. surveyors to Switzerland on the first of what he hopes to be a series of fact-finding visits to countries with formal national cadastral systems. Leaver’s goal is to examine such systems and...

Digital Twins for Utilities

More and more cities are recognizing the tremendous benefits that a digital twin provides to: its planners, those responsible for operations and maintenance of city infrastructure including utilities, private architects and engineers striving for compliance with city ordinances and by-laws, and the public. Among the elements essential to developing successful digital twins is recognizing that...