Category Archives: Surveying

The “Ah Ha” Moments, Part 2

Last month I wrote of two “Ah Ha” moments early in my career: situations where the “light came on” from a surveying experience, even if the value of the moment wasn’t fully understood at the time. In this issue, I share a couple more: where a practical application cemented abstract concepts and where a lack...

40 under 40

Outlook 2020: 40 under 40 Geospatial Leaders

Join xyHt in Celebrating Young Leadership in Geospatial Professions, Industries, and Sciences Who are the current young geo-leaders internationally? And where are they making a difference? Read the 2019 xyHt 40 under 40 profiles here. Send your nominations to 40under40@xyht.com before September 1, 2017. A maxim goes, “We teach children their future, and not our...

The “Ah Ha” Moments

I can’t speak about other professional career paths, but I can certainly attest to land surveying after more than 40 years of “practicing” the art and science. There truly has been an opportunity to learn something new almost every day of those 40-plus years (unless I interfered). From the fundamental basics like stocking the survey...

Understanding GNSS Pt. 2

Vertical Datums Part 1 covers ellipsoids, datums, and realizations and is in the April print issue. This final part covers vertical datums. From my previous article: One of the most important things to understand when it comes to using survey-grade GPS systems is the difference among the many datums, reference ellipsoids, and coordinate systems that...

The Evolution of Using Lidar

Above: Gary Rust (left) and Anthony Whitlock from Springs Utilities pose with their LiDAR USA HiWay Mapper HD. The history of a Colorado utility systematically deploying lidar technology reveals lidar’s journey as an asset. Located at the base of Pikes Peak on the front range of the Colorado Rockies, Colorado Springs Utilities is a city-owned...

2019 Geospatial Summit

You Can’t Beat the Price of Admission As the march towards the new reference frame and datum rolls on approaching 2022, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) continues to ramp up its outreach efforts to get us users prepared with the 2019 Geospatial Summit. They have hosted prior geospatial summits in 2010, 2015, and 2017, all...