I M Going to Talk to You Today About the Planet Mars

INTRODUCTION

I’m going to talk to you today about the planet Mars.

I can tell from the puzzled look on your faces that is the last thing you expected to hear from me today. Be patient; I will get around to meeting your expectation of another boring presentation later.

In recent years, NASA has been developing a “Mission to Mars” plan. In that study, NASA has identified the need to recruit several professions in efforts to explore, and maybe colonize, the Red Planet. The list includes the usual needs you would imagine: miners, technicians, teachers and farmers. What you might not have expected is the list also includes surveyors. That’s right; NASA wants us to shed our ticks, fleas, briars, mud and dust of this world for the red dust and unknown critters of another world!

Exactly what NASA expects surveyors to do on Mars is something I will let them tell you about – and you can probably count on that presentation being more exciting than the one I’m giving you today!

My point is any notion surveying is a dying profession is just an admission we aren’t thinking about the issue in the right way. The problem, however, is trying to form a reasonable perspective on the future of surveying isn’t easy. In fact, it is difficult just defining exactly what is a surveyor.

Let’s try an experiment. One of you take a shot at giving me a definition of a surveyor.

< Try to get several answers. Keep in mind that there is no wrong answer.>

Now, here we are, a roomful of actual surveyors, or at least people intimately familiar with the world of surveying, and we couldn’t come up with one definitive answer to the question “what is a surveyor”. There was nothing wrong with any of your answers, but trying to define the job of a surveyor is not a simple task. If we are really honest with ourselves, that is part of the attraction of being a surveyor – it is a profession that scratches a lot of itches, to use a phrase (and no pun intended, as we have all done some scratching after being out in the field all day!) On the other hand, that versatility, if you will, can also make it difficult to pitch the profession to the novice, to someone in the general public, that might very well make a great surveyor, if only they realized that is what it is they wanted to be.

So, we can agree there is no one simple definition of a surveyor, and we have all heard the rumors that the surveying profession is facing the end. But, if we can’t even define what a surveyor is, how can we go about finding ways to recruit the next generation of surveyors, or even mapping the future of surveying, in the near-future or further, for the generation that is already in the field? Is there anything we can do about this dilemma?

THE STATE OF SURVEYING TODAY

As a starting point, let’s describe the typical surveyor of today.

He is a white 58-year-old man, has at least an associate’s degree, and first became licensed when he was in his 30’s; he works as a surveyor in only one state and has an average salary of $75,000 annually; and he wants to retire within the next 10 years. There, that’s a simple enough portrait, isn’t it? But let’s dig a little deeper.

First, the typical surveyor is not only male; actually, only 5 percent of surveyors are female, and 92 percent of surveyors are white. He is not only an average age of 58; only 18 percent of surveyors are younger than 40. And retirement? Almost half of surveyors don’t expect to retire until at least the age of 66, and almost a quarter of surveyors don’t expect to retire until well after they are 70.

What does out little snapshot tell us about the surveying profession? It is dominated by white males who are within less than 10 years from the typical retirement age but who close to half of which want to work longer, or are already significantly past retirement age.

And where does this aging white male surveyor fit into the overall picture?

According to the Virginia Employment Commission and the Department of Labor, surveyors and related professions are projected to lose employees by nearly 2 percent annually over the next 10 years. In Virginia (which is comparable to many states), there are approximately 1,000 licensed surveyors; that means 20 surveyors will leave the profession, for whatever reason, each year in the next 10 years. That doesn’t sound so bad, does it? But note the same economic projections say there will be a demand for about 40 additional surveying related jobs each of those years. Worse, in Virginia, for example, in one recent year only four surveying licenses were issued. Looking at those numbers, there is expected to be at least 20 surveyor vacancies annually, with only four replacements, at a time when there will be a need for 40 or more surveying positions annually. This shortfall is backed up by a recent national survey of surveyors that concluded nearly half of current surveyors said they had no one working for them or with them that was on a path to become a licensed surveyor; nearly a third said they knew of only one person considering getting a license.

The facts, then, show our typical surveyor is part of an aging profession that has more people leaving the profession than is entering, all the while the economy is creating a greater need than ever for surveyors. Not only does that math bode ill for the profession, but the existing mechanisms and trends for the field show the time for making a change may be well at hand. The typical new entry to the profession must have a four-year degree and a four-year “apprenticeship”, not to mention passing at least two difficult exams. If we start at the same starting line of today, that means the next replacement surveyor cannot enter the field for at least 8 years, during which time at least 160 current surveyors will have moved on to the next great boundary line in the sky!

There is a silver lining in the gloom, and it’s not the greying hairs of our typical surveyor! It’s the market.

Surveyors and other geospatial professionals are needed in our economy more than ever. End users of our services include, among others: engineering, construction, environmental protection, the aerospace industry, law enforcement, public and private utilities, banking, insurance and government agencies at all levels. Market studies show the geospatial sector of the economy is increasing by 35 percent annually, and the commercial side is growing 100 percent annually. Those services are used daily by an estimated 5.3 million U.S. workers, and the entire geospatial industry is estimated to generate more than $70 billion in revenues annually, and growing.

The bottom line is market studies show surveying and mapping applications is not only central to our daily lives in this country, but future trends of economic growth and important national priorities will make the demand for a new generation of surveyors and mapping professionals even more critical. The failure to recruit a new generation of surveyors is going to put increasing strain on our already aging workforce of surveyors, and the result will adversely impact more than just our profession, it will threaten key components of economic infrastructure in our nation.

What is the solution? We’ll come back to that question in a few minutes. But, first, let’s return to our original question: what is a surveyor? Trust me; that answer is very relevant to any solutions we can embark upon.

WHAT IS A SURVEYOR?

Ever notice when you attend a party or some social event that the number one question, after being introduced, is “what do you do?” That is the best way to get at defining what is a surveyor. What do we do?

Of course, the answer is going to vary widely depending upon each surveyor. The surveyor who primarily determines property boundaries is going to use different tools and perform different tasks than the surveyor who primarily aids in the design and building of roads or commercial properties, for example. Nonetheless, there are broad definitions of skills every surveyor or mapping professional engages in while performing those tasks.

Number one, we’re helpers. In one manner or another, every time a client contacts a surveyor, the client is asking us one central question: “can you help me?” What are my property lines? Where is the best location for a dam? Is this property in a flood zone? How do we divide the property just left to the family in a will? All of these questions, and countless others, are all one way of asking the surveyor “can you help me?,’’ and that makes us, first and foremost, helpers. When we are leafing through pages of deeds, stumbling up a hillside in search of an elusive corner or setting up equipment on the side of a busy highway, it’s easy to lose sight of that all important first question: “can you help me?” But I would contend that when everything is boiled down to its simplest, the primary function of any surveyor, no matter the specific task, is to be a helper. Keep that little nugget in mind as we talk more about what a surveyor does.

Surveyors solve puzzles and mysteries. When we are poring over deeds that are hundreds of years old, we are trying to interpret a puzzle: what was the original intent of the owners?; how did that long-ago surveyor determine that corner?; what am I going to do about the monument originally called for that is now long-since gone? And the puzzle doesn’t have to be ancient, either. Just try interpreting modern-day statutes and zoning regulations! The puzzle even involves the more mundane task: finding that old oak stump called for in the plat, or even just how do I set up my instrument in a way that will let me make the measurements I need.

Surveyors are managers and planners. Anything being built, or torn down, from houses to roads to commercial buildings, all require planning, and usually planning with input by a surveyor. In that process, the surveyor then becomes, de facto, a manager. The surveyor, at a minimum, manages his own time, or the time of his crew and staff; but he also participates in the management of the construction project being worked on, even managing the work and input by government agencies.

Believe it or not, surveyors are also legal consultants. Have any of you ever found yourself in a room with lawyers and maybe even government representatives and they all turn to you and ask, “What is the law?” That question isn’t just idle courtesy, or any indication of ignorance of the lawyers and government officials in attendance, either. Rather, it is recognition of the unique skills and expertise of the surveyor. Because licensed surveyors are legally authorized by the states to determine boundary locations, a surveyor is often the best person to consult about legal issues involving boundary and property issues, to include regulatory requirements. Even judges will often demur to the surveyor’s opinion about legal disputes in property matters.

We now have a nice little package of general skill sets and attributes that describe what a surveyor does; also, all of us here can list any number of specific tasks and skills we perform. That should be plenty to form a concise definition of what is a surveyor. Like this:

Surveyors utilize highly specialized skills and technology to build solutions to spatial problems created by our nation’s rapidly changing physical landscape, using expert skills in measurement to make maps of all kinds and providing consulting and research skills to a broad spectrum of end users.

Now, isn’t that a nice definition? We should have started off with that and saved the time of this presentation, right? I agree; it’s not very warm and fuzzy. Admit it, if that had been pitched to you years ago, it’s not all that likely you would be sitting here today as a surveyor. And that is the crux of the problem, the very reason I’m talking to you today. The ranks of our profession are shrinking at the very time when the demand for our services is increasing, and we’re not going to be able to recruit the next generation of surveyors with just some concise technical definition of what a surveyor is.

Fortunately, the solution for the future is sitting right here in this room today.

LOOKING AHEAD

I want all of you to take a moment to reflect on that long-ago day when you first thought about being a surveyor. <PAUSE> I want to hear some of those stories.

Good stories, and I know there are many more, each one a little different. Just like our profession involves a lot of different skills and talents. Indeed, that is exactly why all of us are doing this thing called surveying: every job is different, each day presents new puzzles, a new challenge. And I contend those very attributes are what will bring surveying into the future, not just recruiting the next generation, but also in shaping our profession in the face of new demands and needs.

Last year, the National Society of Professional Surveyors created a national Geospatial Workforce Development Initiative. Among other things, the initiative calls for a detailed study of the existing pathways into the profession; partnering with local, regional, state and national organizations in education and recruiting efforts; and developing recruiting and marketing strategies for the profession. In fact, my time with you today is an offshoot of the NSPS workforce development initiative.

Already there are efforts underway by many state surveyor organizations to coordinate with career technical education resources in our schools to promote the surveying profession. And efforts are being made to coordinate with the Department of Labor to create surveying internships. All of those initiatives are great, but I contend none of them will solve the problem without you.

That’s right: you.

For example, all of the internships in the world created won’t mean a thing if one of you – many of you --- don’t sponsor one of those internships and impart not just your knowledge, but the inspiration that made you become a surveyor. Everyone in this room today knows the days of gradually training someone to become a surveyor through the old methods of the 3-man or 4-man crews is just about finished. But the time-tested technique of training a surveyor through field-testing is still the most valuable method of training, and it doesn’t have to end; it just has to change.

Likewise, while many of us are working by ourselves these days, there are still at least a third of the profession who have said they know of at least one person working for or with them that is considering getting a surveyor’s license. If you know of someone who fits that picture, by all means, do whatever you can to support and encourage them.

Working alone? Consider hiring a high school student, or a college student, for the summer. Aspiring athletes, in particular, are often interested in working physical jobs in the summer. Afraid you can’t pay them enough? Try offering flexible scheduling, or other inducements. Even if they work for only a short while, if you can instill in them the excitement you feel about surveying, they may just go the same route.

Take the opportunity to talk at local schools, to include colleges, about the surveying profession. Tell them the stories you told me today; tell them the stories you’ve heard from other surveyors. Above all else, make sure you tell them, and anybody that will listen, that a surveyor is someone who solves puzzles and helps people solve problems.

Who knows? The next person you tell those stories to and about how surveyors are helpers and puzzle solvers may just be that person NASA hires to go to Mars!