International Surveyors Week

International Surveyors Week 2013

We have recently concluded the second annual International Land Surveyors Week, an event dedicated to educating the general public regarding the importance of land surveyors to the community and further developing a global community for land surveyors worldwide. During International Land Surveyors Week, we had the chance to share knowledge with other land surveyors around the world and improve the public opinion of land surveying in general. Land surveying is truly an under-appreciated profession and it is important for the public to understand that without land surveyors no one would be able to accurately determine the ownership of real property.

One of the highlights of our week in land surveying was the Survey Earth in a Day event that took place on Friday, June 21 — the longest day of the year and mark of the Summer Solstice.

“On June 21, 2013 at noon … thousands of land surveyors will switch on their survey grade GPS devices to simultaneously measure and record information about their location in the largest scale land surveying project ever undertaken…”

During Survey Earth in a Day, land surveyors all across the globe simultaneously captured and sent data during a single day which will actually improve the accuracy of the maps you use everyday on your phone and on the web. Land surveyors are trained to use a highly accurate type of GPS equipment. How highly accurate? Justin Farrow, founder of Land Surveyors United (a global network for land surveyors) explains …

“Cellphone GPS is only accurate to +/- 30 meters, and can only triangulate positions between 2-4 satellites. Survey grade GPS can be accurate to close to a centimeter or more, triangulating position from 20 or more satellites at once.”

Survey Earth in a Day proved to be a tremendous success as shown in this GPS tracking map:

Survey Earth in a Day 2013