December 2013 Archives

UAS Takes Autism to the Sky

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This entry is part 1 of 9 in the series December 2013

A mapping project helps kids with autism by coaching them to build and fly a UAS (and make movies with it); the project also reveals sound business practices stemming from this new technology. What was it that got you into the surveying and mapping profession?  Surveyors often state that it was an interest in math […]

The “Pre” in Precision

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This entry is part 2 of 9 in the series December 2013

Before they leave the Leica Geosystems factory floor, surveying instruments must perform extraordinary feats of precision. “In the manufacture of glass for precision optics, if the glass is cooled too quickly there will be stress in the glass,” explained Hans Weinbuch of Leica Geosystems. He spoke to me during a tour of Swiss Optics, a […]

The Next Generation: FIG’s Young Surveyor’s Network

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This entry is part 3 of 9 in the series December 2013

We are writing at the end of 2013, when geographic information and spatial thinking, both essential for the surveying profession, are increasingly part of our daily lives and jobs. The availability and the speed with which we can connect and use this geographic information, and even our way of spatial thinking, has changed dramatically in […]

Education in Surveying: The ROI from a Formal Surveying Education

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This entry is part 4 of 9 in the series December 2013

As faculty members in the Surveying Engineering Technology program at the University of Maine, we are often asked if it is worth pursuing a bachelor of science degree in surveying. In other words, will a graduate receive a good return on his or her investment by pursuing academic studies in surveying? Our answer is an […]

Business Leader: Trimble’s Rob Miller Talks UAS

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This entry is part 5 of 9 in the series December 2013

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) have hit the mainstream, or at the very least they’re poised to be ready for take-off when the FAA rules for commercial use are ready (possibly in 2015). For an insight from a supporting industry we interviewed Rob Miller, the product portfolio manager for Unmanned Systems at Trimble.PSM: Do you feel that […]

Northern Lights: GeoEd

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This entry is part 6 of 9 in the series December 2013

Present-day technology has the ability to facilitate so many things that it’s sometimes hard to comprehend how fast it moves along. This is one of the reasons that professional associations across Canada (and the globe) have started to move towards mandatory professional development, but the challenge they face today is how to provide learning opportunities […]