The North Carolina Society of Surveyors (NCSS) 49th Annual Conference and Tradeshow was another in a long history of successful events for regional surveyors and geospatial professionals.  The theme of the conference was “Leveling the Standards” and was aimed at the complex, changing issues faced by professional surveyors.  This three-day event was held on February 21-23 in New Bern, NC and included informative concurrent sessions as well as a lively vendor exhibit hall.

The NCSS conference always manages to incorporate educational and professional development opportunities into the program, and this year was no different.  Concurrent sessions included speakers who presented surveyors with knowledge and resources for obtaining federal construction contracts through the U.S. military.  Other sessions included insights on environmental permitting processes, hydraulic fracturing effects on the surveyor, and matters of lien law.

This year’s keynote address unveiled a long-anticipated effort by the N.C. Office of Geospatial and Technology Management.  John Dorman presented the new Flood Risk Information System (FRIS) database via a live demonstration.  Surveyors in attendance quickly realized that it will be an indispensible tool for those in the surveying and risk management professions in NC.

This year’s conference was a standalone success, but it also provided an exciting prelude to next year.  2014 will be the 50th conference that NCSS has held and it will also be the NCSS’s 75th anniversary.  It is sure to be a significant event for everyone who attends and will also mark the entrance into the next 75 years for NCSS.