PSLS June 2022 Newsletter

PENNSYLVANIA SURVEYOR

OVERVIEW: Message from the President

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thoughts on Professional Practice & Education: Eliminate Experience Requirement for Licensing Job Board

Upcoming Wednesday Webinars: Understanding Pennsylvania Eminent Domain July 13, 2022 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Presented by Andrea Geraghty and Frank Kosir, Jr. Register Here Cold Brew & Revu: Bluebeam Revu 20 New Features Overview August 10, 2022 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Presented by David Campbell Register Here PSLS Political Action Committee (PAC) Golf Outing July 15 starting around 12 PM at The Links of Gettysburg Registration is $100 per golfer. You can register as a foursome or individually.

Click here for more information

Side-Shot From Harrisburg NSPS: Capitol Contours Mason and Dixon Stone Inventory Latest Trig-Star Event at Penn State Wilkes-Barre Status of the State Plane Coordinate System of 2022 (SPCS2022) Project Automated Monitoring Helps Keep This Rail Transportation Project on Track Member Spotlight: Allen Yard, PLS Surveying & Boy Scouts Before You Go...

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JUNE 2022 | THE PENNSYLVANIA SURVEYOR

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE The PSLS leadership has been busy working throughout the year to support YOU, our valued members. Here is a summary of some of our activities over the past several months.

One of our recent “hot topic” discussions has been the new Standards of Practice. I think our Immediate Past President, Amy Hopkins, said it best in the September issue, “Organizations need to change in order to survive. PSLS needs to make changes and evolve, or our organization and profession will become extinct.” We are to be the elite of our profession. Our Standards of Practice should reflect just that.

We are still working to improve the website and member portal. We are addressing comments and suggestions that have been submitted. We would appreciate if you would send any suggestions to PSLS@psls.org. We are also in talks on how to create a tutorial on navigating the new website and member portal.

The Membership Committee has been working diligently on getting our numbers back up to par. They have been reaching out to the recent lapsed members to get their membership renewed. They are also looking at the process for yearly renewals.

As to the legislative side of PSLS, Bob Regola and his committees are doing an awesome job staying on top of issues and ways to keep PSLS moving. We still need help getting the Political Action Committee (PAC) funding level increased to keep PSLS on the forefront to get things accomplished with elected officials. Please consider joining us for the July 15 golf outing fundraiser for the PAC at the Links at Gettysburg! Register by July 3.

The Education Committee is hard at work preparing for the 2023 in-person Surveyors’ Conference in Hershey, PA. If you have any thoughts or ideas on topics that you would like presented, please send those to the PSLS office. The committee has also started preparing to sell pre-recorded webinars for credits. Be on the lookout for emails about this! Don’t forget to register here for the live July 13 webinar Understanding Pennsylvania Eminent Domain.

The Public Relations Committee continues to provide content for the website, social media, and newsletters. Members are encouraged to submit articles for consideration for the PSLS quarterly newsletter. The committee is also focused on workforce development and engaging with the younger generation.

We are still in need of help for the Treasurer and the Budget and Finance Committee. If you would like to step up and help, please contact the PSLS office.

Thanks for being a valued member of our Society. We will continue to work hard to move the profession forward!

Terry E. McMillen, Jr. PSLS President

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

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THOUGHTS ON PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE & EDUCATION SERIES:

F e a t ur e d Se rie s

ELIMINATE EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT FOR LICENSING BY: KNUD E. HERMANSEN P.L.S., P.E., PH.D., ESQ.

This is the third article I have prepared in a series giving thoughts on professional practice and education. This topic, I have no doubt, will leave blood on the walls – a metaphor only. I will have good friends that take issue with some of my thoughts. Old age allows opinions to be expressed in a manner that youth cannot do or does so inappropriately. When I was young, I often cared what people thought of my opinions. Having reached an old age, I have come to realize another person’s opinion about me has never paid a single bill I owed. Living to an old age allows friends to mature and enemies to be cultivated.

I will not give a long discourse on my experience, education, and practice. Suffice to say my first of many survey licenses was achieved in 1978 before many that will read this article were born. I will even surmise that my last professional license, that of an attorney, was achieved before many readers of this article were born. I have seen and experienced much in my life that allows for many opinions.

In this missive I will touch the often-sensitive topic of experience requirements for the surveying program graduate. I will begin by stating I am not so much advocating for change as I am suggesting the profession consider changes. As is so often the case, the way a person did things in their past causes them to feel that way is the best way to do things in the future. I had six years of experience before obtaining my survey license based entirely on my experience. That is my story. Why isn’t my way the best way in this case? Old age has taught me there is often a wide chasm between what was done and what should be done - what is wanted is not always what is needed.

Why would I make such a statement? Surely as old as I am, I must recognize that experience has taught me far more than four years of surveying education, if not more. I must have learned important knowledge that was never available through education. My answer to both statements is a resounding ‘yes.’

I must emphasize that important knowledge, complete knowledge, or extensive knowledge is not the purpose of licensing. Licensing’s purpose is to protect the public. Licensing is to ensure the licensee has attained the minimum level of knowledge, established by the profession that is thought necessary for competent practice.

Let us not fool ourselves in thinking two or four years of experience is a constant learning process for an individual. It is not. In many cases, experience is merely the repetition of a limited number of survey tasks repeated over many years. An individual that has spent four years surveying urban lots has probably gained the extent of new knowledge after only three months of employment and after surveying one or two of their first urban lots.

Some readers will counter by claiming that rather than less experience, more detailed experience is required in the licensing application. The application would have to show various complexities and scope of services for experience to count toward licensure. I would suggest that such specificity to experience qualifications will deny licensing for many individuals that work for small survey firms with limited clientele needs or individuals working for large firms that are slotted in specific services offered by the large firm. Such a move will further limit the number of licensees in our profession. The number of licensed surveyors is already declining from a lack of new and younger licensees.

I hoist the target as I once did fifty years ago as a young Marine working the ‘butts’ at the rifle range. Here is the target: I suggest that experience not be required for licensing of a graduate of an accredited surveying program. There I have made my statement and shown the target. I can already hear the shots and bullets passing through my hoisted target from readers. Some reader is already writing to the editor stating in so many words, with heated passion, that my unsolicited advice is meddling and is not welcome. What is present, works. Perhaps that thought will be the consensus of most of the individuals that read this article.

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ELIMINATE EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT FOR LICENSING - CONTINUED

Back to my days in the Marines, I have cause to look at the large target over my head. There is a new hole from the shooter. The shooter states that my suggestion would allow someone to graduate, be licensed, and provide services to the public soon after graduation. Valuable property rights will be in jeopardy because services will be entrusted to the licensed surveyor without any experience. Incompetence will run unchecked within the profession.

The professions’ good reputation will collapse. Millions of dollars in property values will be jeopardized.

I think not. Over 34,000 lawyers graduate each year from law school. Every law school graduate can take the bar exam immediately following graduation. Within months of graduation every one that passes the bar exam can legally practice law without showing one single day of experience. These new, inexperienced lawyers can prepare deeds, write estate plans, argue for clients in court, and so much more. Do they? Of course not. A very few lawyers perhaps - but most work under the guidance of experienced practitioners. I expect the vast majority of surveyors licensed upon graduation after passing their exams will work for experienced surveyors. Very few would set up a practice on their own soon after graduation.

I could go on and shall do so only to beat this argument to reasonable size for some to swallow. There are over 14,000 pharmacists that graduate each year, are licensed after graduation, and dispense controlled and potentially dangerous and deadly drugs. There are over 155,000 nurses that graduate each year and become licensed RNs mere weeks after graduation and make life and death health decisions for patients, dispensing drugs, taking care of injuries, and so on. There are over 10,000 officers commissioned each year without any prior experience in combat leadership that are placed in charge of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines or multi-million-dollar airplanes and make decision affecting lives in combat. (The Lord knows as a Marine sergeant I had my concerns about some new 2nd lieutenants.) I could go on with statistics and facts about ministers, doctors, dentists, cosmetologists, teachers, and other professions that allow graduates to have licenses soon after graduation. I believe I have made my point. Surveying and engineering are in a small minority of professions that continue to require experience in addition to their education before licensing.

So, what is wrong with requiring experience before licensing? I believe it hinders efforts to attract new members to our profession. For an eighteen-year-old high school graduate, the time required to obtain a four-year surveying degree along with four-years of relevant experience to become licensed as a surveyor is a long commitment. The high school graduate can be a licensed engineer in the same time, or become a teacher, nurse, military officer, accountant, forester, electrician, and plumber four years sooner or a lawyer, doctor, dentist, pharmacists, minister, veterinarian, occupational therapist, and architect in one year less. Must the surveying profession erect barriers upon roads that few choose to travel anyway?

Having given my opinion, I now offer advice by suggesting the NCEES model law be changed to allow licensing with a four-year degree and state legislatures adopt this option. At the very least, states should allow graduates to take both their fundamentals of surveying and professional surveying exams near graduation allowing licensing as soon as experience has been achieved. Some licensing boards have already adopted this option. I will speak more on this latter option in a subsequent article.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Knud E. Hermansen began his surveying career in the United States Marine Corps over 30 years ago. After completion of basic training, Knud was sent to surveying school and spent the next three years with the 2nd Topographic Platoon, 8th Engineer Battalion performing control surveys throughout the world. After his discharge from active duty as a sergeant, Knud worked for various consulting firms providing a wide range of services involving boundary surveys, site development, and engineering.

During the last several years, Knud has provided consulting services in land surveying, civil engineering, and law. Much of Knud’s present consulting activities involve boundary disputes, easements, land development, liability, title, and contract issues. * Other books and articles by Knud can be found at https://umaine.edu/svt/faculty/hermansen-articles/

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JOB BOARD Land Surveyor/Survey Technician - McMillen Engineering, Inc - Uniontown, Fayette County, PA Subsurface Utility Engineering Technician - Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson - Pittsburgh, PA Professional Engineer (Civil) - MDM Surveyors & Engineers - Warrendale, Allegheny County, PA Professional Land Surveyors - MDM Surveyors & Engineers - Warrendale, Allegheny County, PA Land Surveyor - Langan - Pittsburgh, PA

PSLS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PAC) GOLF FUNDRAISER JULY 15, 2022 | THE LINKS AT GETTYSBURG Join your PSLS colleagues for a fun, friendly, and competitive golf outing to raise funds for the PSLS PAC. Come out on Friday, July 15 at The Links at Gettysburg for a golf scramble. This event is designed for golfers of ALL levels. It is a great way to network with your colleagues, meet new friends, enjoy an afternoon on the links, and raise money to help make sure the voice of the surveyor is heard in the state legislature in Harrisburg.

Proceeds from the golf scramble will be used by the PSLS Political Action Committee for contributions to candidates for the state office in Pennsylvania who appreciate and support the role of surveyors in the quality of life and economic health of all citizens in the Commonwealth.

Tee times begin at approximately 12:00 Noon. The Links at Gettysburg is located at 601 Mason Dixon Road, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325. It is rated one of the top 60 golf courses in Pennsylvania.

Registration is $100 per person and includes cart, green fees, boxed lunch, and use of the range. The PSLS golf outing is open to all PSLS members, non-members, spouses and guests. Form your own foursome or register yourself and PSLS will place you in a foursome. Please register by July 3. Register here.

Payment must be personal payment, and NOT corporate payment/checks.

Would you like be a sponsor of the PSLS PAC Golf Outing? Contact John Palatiello at psls@psls.org.

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SIDE-SHOT FROM HARRISBURG HB 1877 This bill would establish the Municipal Boundary Change Act to consolidate and standardize municipal code provisions that deal with boundary change but not mergers or consolidations. It would also allow municipalities to adjust a municipal boundary or settle a dispute over an unclear boundary by agreement.

There was concern whether this bill needed to be amended, however, after checking with the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) and getting a legal opinion from the Local Government Commission, there is no need to amend HB 1877 to ensure that monuments are placed only in accordance with the licensing requirements of Act 367 of 1945. The provision specifies that the municipality shall “provide for” the placement of monuments, does not delegate that duty to any specific individual, and any contrary result would amount to an implied repeal of the categorical current licensing requirement for the placement of monuments. Furthermore, the current municipal codes do not specify that a licensed individual mark boundaries, but it is universally interpreted that the requirement is, nevertheless, there, subject to the penalty and injunctive remedies extant under Section 11 and 11.1 of the Act. There is little effort required to read Act 367 and HB 1877 together because the provisions do not expressly conflict: when a municipality “provided for” the placement of markers, it must do so in accordance with other Pennsylvania Law, therefore a licensed Professional Land Surveyor must set the monuments.

This is a classic example of PSLS consulting with the experts to make sure a bad bill did not get approved and the intent of PSLS is being preserved.

Session Schedule for the Rest of 2022 Senate June 20-24 June 27-30 Sept. 12-14 Sept. 19-21 Oct. 24-26 Nov. 14-16

Senate June 20-24 June 27-30 Sept. 12-14 Sept. 19-21 Oct. 24-26 Nov. 14-16

BOB REGOLA STATE LOBBYIST, REGOLA CONSULTING 6

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CAPITOL CONTOURS A few highlights since our last update include: Amanda Allred, PLS, became President of NSPS in March, and was interviewed by NSPS Executive Director Tim Burch in Episode 123 of the podcast “Surveyor Says.”

Ronald Jacobson of Michigan was appointed to a three-year term on the FEMA Technical Mapping Advisory Council as the Surveying Member.

Gary Thompson, of North Carolina, was appointed Chair of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee.

In March, I engaged former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, the White House Coordinator for infrastructure spending, in a discussion connecting infrastructure projects to FEMA Flood Mapping, NOAA’s Digital Coast, and USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) as part of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

Thirty-one bipartisan House members cosigned a House letter in late April, and thirteen Senators cosigned the Senate letter in May requesting the Appropriations Committees to “robustly fund” USGS 3DEP as authorized, including the signature of Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA). The House letter was cosigned by Reps. Conor Lamb (D-PA) and Fred Keller (R-PA).

Twelve bipartisan House members cosigned a House letter in late April, and four Senators cosigned the Senate letter in May requesting the Appropriations Committees to “fully fund” NOAA’s Digital Coast Program at $4 million, as authorized. The House letter was sent to Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA), the Chair of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee.

On April 29, President Biden signed the NSPS-endorsed MAPLAND Act, P.L. 117-114 to help digitize land records for BLM, USFS, and USACE. In April, NSPS filed public comments in opposition to the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division proposed rule expanding the Davis-Bacon Act Regulations to surveying crews; organized a coalition of nine design and construction organizations in opposition; and successfully achieved having the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy file a comment letter.

VIEW VIDEO HERE

JOHN "JB" BYRD FEDERAL LOBBYIST, NSPS 7

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Mason & Dixon

STONE INVENTORY By: Eric B. Gladhill, PLS

Pat has a lot of knowledge of the history of the Mason Dixon line and, as previously mentioned in this article, had been involved in the earlier inventory that captured the accurate coordinates on the monuments that existing in circa 1992. When he concluded his presentation at the joint meeting in 2018, he asked who would be interested in coordinating the venture on the Pennsylvania side and when no one else volunteered, I put up my hand.

I grew up about 800 feet from a Mason Dixon stone and didn’t fully understand the significance when I was a boy, but I knew that when we were hunting in that part of the woods, we were only licensed to hunt in Pennsylvania, so it was important to know where that stone was, as well as the imaginary line that extended through it.

When I raised my hand to volunteer at a chapter meeting of the Maryland Society of Surveyors (MSS) and the Pennsylvania Society of Surveyors (PSLS), in February 2018, I didn’t imagine that it would lead to interviews by newspaper reporters, magazine freelance writers, and even television news reporters!

Pat Simon is a Past President of the MSS and was involved heavily in the efforts of the Mason Dixon Line Preservation Partnership (MDLPP) when they set out on many forays into the field to find the Mason Dixon stones and record their location by geodetic coordinates with survey-grade GPS receivers in the early 1990s. These credentials made Pat a natural choice to be contacted by Richard Ortt, Director and State Geologist of the Maryland Geological Survey (MGS), to discuss the Maryland State law mandate which requires his department to inventory and maintain the state boundaries. He was looking for help with a large undertaking - he wanted to have an inventory performed and documented in order to submit the data to the Maryland Historic Trust, who would then send this information along to the National Park Service to have the stones placed on the National Historic Registry.

When Pat decided that it would be a worthwhile venture and knowing that surveyors are history nerds who would love this type of undertaking, he requested that we have a joint meeting between the Appalachian Chapter of MSS and the South Central Chapter of PSLS to discuss this idea.

After I became a surveyor and had the opportunity to tie some surveys into these historic stones, I gained a tremendous amount of respect for their significance. I knew about the work of the MDLPP and although I wanted to participate in the recovery and survey of the stones in the 90s, I was a father of young children then and was not able to give up my free time for that effort; therefore, I was happy to be able to participate in this most recent endeavor. I felt like others had done some magnificent work before, and now was my turn to take the baton and run a few laps to move the preservation of the markers forward.

I wanted to get started immediately in order to coincide the launching of the inventory with National Surveyor’s Week, which is always the third week in March of each year. I was told that we needed to do some more coordination and preparation. The MGS really wanted to make a publicity splash with this event, and they were working with another state agency to film the activities with a drone and ground cameras.

A soft launch was made to start the inventory in February 2020 with the actual kick-off to be started on March 20, 2020, during National Surveyor’s Week.

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MASON AND DIXON STONE INVENTORY - CONTINUED

I was soon contacted by WGAL Channel 8 news from Lancaster, Pennsylvania for an on-camera interview and filming of a news story! That was exciting for me! Then the local newspaper in Gettysburg, The Gettysburg Times, wanted to do an article on this project, but the day set for the interview was March 16, 2020, when we were all learning of the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As with all things in our lives, the pandemic changed everything. Since most of the markers are on private land, the volunteer surveyors were hesitant to knock on doors to get permission to do the inventory through most of 2020. Despite the interruption and delays, the inventory continues on. I still get requests for interviews and some great articles have been written about this undertaking, while I enjoy my minor celebrity status.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR About the Author: Eric B. Gladhill, PLS, serves as a Senior Client Manager at C. S. Davidson, Inc., in their Gettysburg office. He is licensed as a Property Line Surveyor in Maryland and a Professional Land Surveyor in Pennsylvania. He serves as South Central Chapter President and State Director for the Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors (PSLS) and is a member of the Maryland Society of Surveyors (MSS). His book Finding My Boundaries (Interesting People I’ve Met While Surveying) is available on Amazon.

FALL 2022 SURVEYING EDUCATION OPTIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE The University of Maine will continue to accept applications for the fall semester until July 1. Our current online options and how to apply can be viewed at https://online.umaine.edu/surveying/ (click on the picture that pertains to the degree) and are: (1) Undergraduate certificate in surveying engineering technology (2) BS in surveying engineering technology (ABET ETAC accredited) (3) Graduate certificate in surveying engineering (4) Professional Science Masters in Engineering and Business surveying engineering option The undergrad certificate is an easy application and is a good way to work into the BS degree. We currently have 280 surveying students spread across the four options.

Out-of-state students enrolled in a UMaineOnline degree or certificate program receive a low tuition e-rate which is in-state*1.25.

General questions on admission should be emailed to online coordinator tiffany.peterson@maine.edu. Surveying-specific questions should be directed to SVT program director ray.hintz@maine.edu.

No surveyor should not have educational opportunities no matter their location. Thank you for your help in getting the word out. Please enjoy our recent spring newsletter.

Ray Hintz Surveying Engineering Program Coordinator, University of Maine

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Latest Trig-Star Event at Penn State Wilkes-Barre MICHAEL GIVEN, NSPS DIRECTOR

The Pennsylvania Land Surveyors’ Foundation sponsored the 2022 Trig-Star High School Mathematics Competition hosted by Penn State Wilkes-Barre on April 8, 2022. Trig-Star is an annual High School Mathematics Competition sponsored by the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) and the local sponsor. The goal is to recognize and challenge the best students of mathematics from among school districts across the United States utilizing a competition with awards.

The purpose of the Trig-Star program is: To build an awareness of surveying and mapping as a profession among math high school students, career guidance counselors, and high school math teachers To acquaint high school students with the use and practical applications of mathematics in the surveying professions To promote real world applications of mathematics in high school To honor high school students who have demonstrated their superior skill among classmates at the local, state, and national levels Nearly 80 students from eight local high schools participated in this awesome daylong event. We started the morning off with the one-hour Trig-Star Mathematics Competition followed by discussions about the surveying profession by NSPS Treasurer Robert Miller and NSPS Director Michael Given. The discussion centered around the various types of surveying to enlighten the students about the different roles surveyors play in our everyday lives. Penn State Associate Professor of Surveying Engineering Dimitrios Bolkas along with three current students in the surveying engineering program provided survey equipment demonstrations. The students were very attentive and enjoyed viewing the point cloud from the 3D laser scan of the classroom. After lunch the students participated in campus tours followed by a presentation by Associate Professor Dimitrios Bolkas about the surveying engineering program at Penn State Wilkes-Barre.

We ended the day with the Trig-Star Awards Ceremony. NSPS and the Pennsylvania Land Surveyors’ Foundation congratulates the following Trig-Star winners that will receive a plaque commemorating the event: First Place – Gavin Nichols, 11th grade, Wilkes-Barre Area STEM Academy Second place – Amir Samadian, 11th grade, Wilkes-Barre Area STEM Academy Third place – Jaka Mao, 11th grade, Holy Redeemer High School First Place winner Gavin Nichols also received the Penn State Wilkes-Barre trophy for the 2022 Trig-Star Mathematics Competition to display at Wilkes-Barre Area STEM Academy until next year’s competition.

NSPS and the Pennsylvania Land Surveyors’ Foundation wishes to thank Penn State Wilkes-Barre for hosting the event and offers a special thanks to all their staff that made the 2022 Trig-Star Mathematics Competition a great success.

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STATUS STATE PLANE COORDINATE SYSTEM OF 2022 (SPCS2022) PROJECT Michael Dennis, PhD, PE, RLS, Geodesist and SPCS2022 Project Manager, NOAA/NOS/National Geodetic Survey Previously, I said that NGS planned to complete reviews of stakeholder designs of SPCS2022 zones in late 2021 and provide preliminary designs of all SPCS2022 zones by early this year. However, that same email concluded with the caveat that there may be further delays, and if that happened, I would let you know. It turns out that delays have occurred, due mainly to other competing priorities associated with NSRS modernization and the challenges of allocating limited resources.

The good news is that it appears the delay will be relatively minor, that review of stakeholder designs has so far shown that a large majority need no (or only very minor) revisions, and that we are nearly done with all of the NGS-designed zones. All stakeholders who submitted designs that have not yet received approvals should hear from us no later than this September.

After completing review of stakeholder designs, we intend to provide complete preliminary designs for all SPCS2022 zones before the end of this year, which will give stakeholders and others an opportunity to review the designs. Based on feedback received, we will correct any errors and make minor adjustments to finalize the designs. The final designs should be completed in early 2023.

NGS plans to implement NSRS modernization sometime in 2025. So completion of SPCS2022 zone designs in 2023 will still be well ahead of the overall modernization rollout.

Below are some additional details on SPCS2022 project status for those who are interested. This consists of tasks that have been completed or are currently underway: Currently there are 968 SPCS2022 zones for 56 U.S. states and territories (the total number will likely decrease slightly before designs are finalized). This consists of 162 zones designed by NGS (including 54 statewide zones and 3 special use zones) and 806 zones designed by stakeholders in 28 states.

Gave an SPCS2022 webinar on December 9, 2021, available at https://geodesy.noaa.gov/web/science_edu/webinar_serie s/state-plane-december-2021.shtml.

(continued) Slides 21-46 are maps showing linear distortion of all SPCS2022 zones in the conterminous U.S. and Alaska as they existed at that time (along with SPCS 83 zones for comparison). In these slides you can readily see the performance of both NGS- and stakeholder-designed zones (which includes aggregate statistics). Creation of the distortion rasters used in these maps is an important part of the review process, and it shows that very good performance (i.e., low distortion) was achieved in the zones designed by stakeholders.

Will soon post updated versions of the aggregated distortion maps from the webinar on the NGS website (the linear distortion raster datasets used to make the maps will also be available). Although there have been some changes in designs since the webinar, for the most part the changes are very minor.

Evaluated, corrected, and augmented existing NGS projection algorithms to ensure they give results correct to the precision that they will be provided.

The new algorithms now also include two new versions of existing projections: the 1-parallel Lambert Conformal Conic and centered Hotine Oblique Mercator.

Computed SPCS 83, SPCS 27, and UTM coordinates at every location where those zones overlap SPCS2022 zones to ensure coordinate uniqueness with respect to existing systems.

Determined geodetic coordinates (latitude, longitude, and ellipsoid height) for a test point in every SPCCS2022 zone. These will be used to compute SPCS2022 coordinates (and distortion) so that stakeholders, software vendors, and others can check their SPCS2022 computations.

Creating a database of (preliminary) zone parameters for all SPCS2022 zones and algorithms for automatically performing comprehensive checks on submitted designs, comparisons to existing SPCS 83/27 and UTM coordinates (and SPCS2022 coordinates where zone layers overlap), and calculation of SPCS2022 test points for every zone, among other computational tasks.

Although we intend to release fine zone definitions in early 2023, the SPCS2022 project report will likely not be completed by that time. However, we will strive to get the report done as quickly as possible, certainly before the NSRS modernization rollout in 2025.

As before, there is a possibility that the SPCS2022 project will again be delayed.

But there is a renewed and committed effort to meet the timeline given in this email. We at NGS want to get SPCS2022 completed as soon as possible!

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Automated Monitoring Helps Keep This Rail Transportation Project on Track Navarro & Wright adopts new technology to troubleshoot on site from a remote location Customer quote: “I love that I have the ability to troubleshoot the system live,” said Greg Gress, Survey Manager at the King of Prussia Office for Navarro & Wright. “If there is a concern on a section of track, I can immediately look at the system, take additional measurements, push a button and receive a report with all the data so I can immediately distribute it to the stakeholder.”

The Delaware Claymont Regional Transportation Center was in need of an upgrade to increase passenger safety, greater accessibility to the station and trains, passenger convenience and regional rail service. The $54M design-build project – a collaboration of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DOT), Pennsylvania DOT, Amtrak and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) – includes construction of a new train station and parking center near the existing Amtrak rail line.

The new station and garage will feature a multi-modal transportation center and state-of-the-art amenities, with improved access for bus transit, bicycles and pedestrians.

To maintain structural integrity of the train tracks, current facility and surrounding area, the four Amtrak rail lines must be monitored for movement throughout construction. Project owners and general contractor Wagman teamed up with Navarro & Wright, a consulting engineering firm with extensive experience on large transportation projects in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, for the monitoring portion of the construction.

Automated Technology Overcomes Challenges of Scope, Power, Connectivity and Weather Navarro & Wright has completed numerous manual monitoring services for transportation projects, although the firm had never ventured into automated monitoring campaigns – until now. When the firm’s project manager reviewed the Claymont scope and site conditions, he knew it needed an automated monitoring campaign for safe, efficient, timely and cost-effective execution. Knowing there would be many moving pieces for this high-profile automated monitoring project, Navarro & Wright turned to the Trimble Monitoring team for additional input.

“We recently completed a rail project using conventional monitoring for SEPTA, which included 30 targets,” recalls Greg Gress, Survey Manager in the King of Prussia Office for Navarro & Wright. “Our surveyors worked 10:00 p.m. - 5:00 a.m. monitoring shifts, sleeping in their trucks between measurements. Automated monitoring is a vast improvement from this process, not only from a safety standpoint, but also because we can make efficiency and cost improvements with an automated campaign.”

The primary challenges for the project team included power and connectivity at the site, as well as positioning three automated monitoring total stations (AMTS) for ideal coverage of the track. Of course, the Mid-Atlantic weather patterns also factored into this project.

At the Trimble Monitoring team’s recommendation, the Navarro & Wright site team, led by Matthew Sannik, utilized the following instruments and tools: Trimble S9 AMTS, to accurately measure distances and angles. The project required three total stations, considering Amtrak requirements included: Measurements in 12-hour increments 0.03 feet tolerance for alarm Coordinate positions of prisms Prisms installed every 15.5 feet on each rail of each track 0.01 feet measurement accuracy required 15

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AUTOMATED MONITORING HELPS KEEP THIS RAIL TRANSPORTATION PROJECT ON TRACK

- CONTINUED

Settop M1, a total station controller that’s a combination of a field computer, device server, router, cellular modem and remote switch, which controls and powers the total station enabling 24/7 data collection and transferring the data in real-time to the office software.

Trimble T4D Control Software (T4D), to collect data and post to a web interface that allows Navarro & Wright to view the data remotely at any time.

Trimble Monitoring accessories, for total station enclosure, wall mounts and prisms.

Solar Power system with solar panels to charge numerous batteries that power the system during low-light times.

Power and connectivity. The site needed a power source for solar and generators, to ensure the monitoring instruments could measure continuously without interruption. With those systems up and running, the team used the Settop M1 with cellular SIM cards to connect data and instruments to the Navarro & Wright office for remote visualization, reporting and alarming of the monitoring data.

Monitoring measurement coverage. The monitoring system needed to measure movement data over 1,000 feet for four separate sets of train tracks. To get the proper coverage and redundancy, three total stations were placed along the track for monitoring. The monitoring team mounted total stations up to 40 feet high on the parking garage to achieve proper site lines for all prisms mounted on the track. Coverage of total stations overlapped so that if one measurement was missed, it would get picked up by another.

Weather patterns. Mid-Atlantic weather, notorious for cloudy and dark winters, meant solar power would be limited. The team installed generators to use on days where solar exposure was not strong enough to power the system.

A Smooth-Running Project with AMTS on the Job Although this is the first automated monitoring project for Navarro & Wright, it certainly does not show. All instruments and tools are set up and running smoothly on the Claymont Regional Transportation Center project, which is expected to be completed in fall 2023.

“The Trimble Monitoring team has been a huge help in getting the system set up and running,” said Gress. “This is new technology for us, and having the Trimble team available to assist us through the process was crucial.”

The automated monitoring campaign for this project offered the following benefits over a manual monitoring process:

Efficiency of time and cost. Having targets every 16.5 feet, and three AMTS working together to get the monitoring time down to 60 minutes, saved significantly on stakeholder costs for this project. Human surveyors simply cannot do that amount of monitoring in such a short time span.

In fact, the automated monitoring campaign was roughly half the cost of running a manual monitoring process, considering labor hours. And, the project gained even more efficiencies because Navarro & Wright could utilize those survey crews for other essential work necessary at the project site or other projects.

Real-time project assessments. By reacting to instances in real time, the team can prevent issues that would otherwise impede the project.

“I love that I have the ability to troubleshoot the system live,” said Gress. “If there is a concern on a section of track, I can immediately look at the system, take additional measurements, push a button and receive a report with all the data to review and distribute immediately to the stakeholder.”

Gress said he’s recently seen an increasing number of project specifications that will require the need for automated monitoring, and he expects Navarro & Wright will utilize AMTS1 1on many future projects.

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Member Spotlight

Allen Yard

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I was born and raised in northwest Pennsylvania. I have a passion for mathematics and majored in math in college. When I graduated from college, at that time, my job search strategy was to collect a bunch of newspapers and check out the job postings. I was looking for a teaching position, but "surveyor" came right before "teacher" in the edition of the Washington Post that I picked up. It was a small surveying company in Fairfax, Virginia. They invited me down for two weeks to try it out, and if it mutually worked out, it would continue. I worked for that company for four years. Being right out of college, the suburbs of Washington, DC offered a lot of cultural experience. I got involved with a good church. The choir director initiated trips to a lot of concerts, mostly free, and a lot of military concerts. I still have friends I made from the company and church during my time in Virginia.

In 1993, I returned to Pennsylvania. I mostly missed the hunting, and I was ready to return to a more rural setting. I had a couple jobs, including a teaching position at a private school for a few years, and in 1999 I got back into the surveying profession. This was a little different surveying than what I experienced in Virginia, which was mostly house location surveys and some construction layout. Back here in PA, we were working on larger boundary surveys, a lot of minor subdivisions, and some construction layout. I attained my PA surveyor’s license in 2005.

After I attained my license, I stayed with my employer a few more years, then accepted a position with Michael Baker, Inc. In the year and a half I was with Baker, I learned a lot, especially about business. It was a good experience. I realized, however, that I missed the field part of the profession, the digging in the dirt for property corners, chasing traces of fence, and sorting through the deeds to come up with an answer for a boundary location.

In 2014, with valuable input from my family, we decided to start A. R. E. A. Surveying, my current business. Self-employment was new to me, and I’m convinced there are always going to be adjustments and refinements along the way. We work mostly in Erie and Crawford Counties, mostly doing boundary retracement and minor subdivision surveys. I’m still learning, every day.

I’ve been involved with PSLS at some level since I returned to Pennsylvania in 1999. My employer signed up all his non-licensed employees as Associate Members, and I’ve enjoyed full membership since attaining my license. The license exam prep courses offered at the annual PSLS Conference proved valuable to me as I prepared for the exam. PSLS has made it convenient and affordable to acquire the required professional development hours for license renewal, and I’ve made some good friends through PSLS. It’s good to see your peers and compare notes, and PSLS offers those opportunities.

What is the most unique project you have worked on, and why?

Each survey job or project has its own unique characteristics. Part of the job that I enjoy is getting out to new projects and assessing what needs to be done and how it will be accomplished. One of the more unique projects I was on was surveying a property that included some islands in French Creek in Venango County. French Creek has a decent current there, but I found it to be fairly shallow near the islands. I found a good place to set up the GPS base on the mainland, and from there, I’d load the rover and the field bag into a canoe. I launched upstream, floated from island to island, mapped the perimeters of the islands, and at the end of the day I pulled the canoe back upstream to where I started that day. The scenery was beautiful. There are things you don’t see unless you get out there.

Did you have a mentor, if so, how did it affect your career?

I’ve probably learned something from everyone I’ve had the privilege of working with. Lynn Hofius, at BenchMark Surveying was gracious enough to give me the opportunity to get back into surveying full time in Pennsylvania. I was employed there when I attained my license.

For a year and a half, I worked at Michael Baker, Inc. which became Baker International. I learned a lot about project management there and more business aspects from Mike Given, my immediate supervisor, and others.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: ALLEN YARD - CONTINUED

What advice can you give to young surveyors?

Pay attention to instructions and details. Be a sponge; absorb information from coworkers, bosses, anyone. Listen more than you speak. No experience is ever wasted.

If you were reincarnated as a famous landmark, what would it be and why?

Timms Hill in Price County, Wisconsin. In 1962, a survey determined that Timms Hill is the highest natural point in Wisconsin. I’m not sure that it’s that famous of a landmark, but it’s got hills, lakes, and trees.

SPORTSBOOK SPORTS SCHEDULE Philadelphia Phillies (37-35): vs. Braves on 06/29 at 7pm vs. Braves on 06/30 at 6pm

SURVEYOR CLIP FILE Lack of Land Surveyors is Leading to Project Delays University of Maine Surveying Engineering Technology Spring 2022 Newsletter

vs. Cardinals on 07/01 at 6pm vs. Cardinals on 07/02 at 4pm

Mapping the original stones along the MasonDixon line

Pittsburgh Pirates (29-41): vs. Nationals on 06/28 at 7pm vs. Nationals on 06/29 at 1pm vs. Brewers on 06/30 at 7pm vs. Brewers on 07/01 at 7pm Philadelphia Union (6-8-1): vs. Chicago on 06/29 at 8pm vs. Columbus on 07/03 at 7:30pm vs. D.C. United on 07/08 at 7:30pm

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THANK YOU 2022 PSLS Surveyors’ Conference Sponsors & Exhibitors!

A special thanks to the 2022 PSLS Surveyors’ Conference sponsors listed below!

Carlson Software (Reception Sponsor) Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. (Badge Sponsor) Keystone Precision Solutions (Conference Sponsor) Klein Agency, LLC (Coffee Break Sponsor) McMillen Engineering, Inc (Foundation Sponsor) Precision Laser & Instrument, Inc. (Coffee Break Sponsor) TopCon Solutions Store (Reception Sponsor)

Thanks to all conference exhibitors that attended the 2022 conference in January!

Congrats to Award & Scholarship Winners The following awards and scholarship were presented at the annual PSLS Surveyors’ Conference this past January.

Awards 2021 Surveyor of the Year: Donald Groesser, PLS 2021 Chapter of the Year: Southwest Chapter 2021 Distinguished Service Award: Charles Karat, PLS 2021 Distinguished Service Award: Vince Paparella, PLS President’s Award: Scott Reeser, PLS Past President: Amy Hopkins, PLS 2021-2022 Scholarship Winners Charles & Mary Ghilani Scholarship Winner: Greg Ellsworth (first year of award) Charles & Mary Ghilani Scholarship Winner: Claudia Leu (second year of award) McMillen Engineering Scholarship Winner: Alexis Farber College Level Scholarships Devin Deihl Jacob Williams Tucker Patrick Wyatt Bartley

AirWorks Boyd Instrument & Supply Co. Canon/Jaru Copy Services Carlson Software Civil & Environmental Consultant, Inc. CivilTraining, LLC/Wetland Studies & Solutions, Inc. Cooper NorEast CT Consultants, Inc. E38 Survey Solutions eSurveying, LLC Javad, GNSS Keystone Precision Solutions Klein Agency, LLC Kucera International, Inc. Leica Geosystems LiDARUSA MTPLS Surveying and Mapping National Society of Professional Surveyors NLC Test Prep NOAR Technologies Penn State Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors PLS Foundation Precision Laser & Instrument, Inc. Print-O-Stat The Underground Detective Topcon Solutions Store University of Maine 19

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Harrisburg, PA

Klein Agency, LLC—part of Nexus Professional Risk, LLC—serves as the property and casualty insurance broker for over 2,000 professional service firms that are domiciled in 29 states.

We’d like to help you clarify a common misconception. Some clients of Land Surveyors are under the mistaken impression that Land Surveyors are not governed by professional standards that are similar to those governing Professional Engineers. We hope that in just a few paragraphs, we can help to dispel that misconception and briefly clarify why an accurate understanding is important.

First, in Pennsylvania, both engineers and surveyors are governed by the same board—the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists. This Board examines, licenses, and regulates approximately 34,000 individuals in Pennsylvania. For more information about the Board, please review this link: Home (pa.gov) Additionally, professional liability insurers provide coverage on the same policy form for both engineers and land surveyors.

There are a few aspects of coverage under those forms that are important to understand, including the following: 1.In the event of a claim, the policies provide a defense for the Named Insured (i.e., the Engineer or the Surveyor), but not a defense for other parties.

2.The policies specifically exclude coverage for claims based upon or arising out of express warranties and guarantees, except a warranty or guarantee that the Insured’sProfessional Services are in conformity with the applicable standard of care.

We hope this short overview provides a foundation for your discussions with your clients.The insurance industry incorporates Professional Engineers and Surveyors into the same insurance programs and provides the same coverage for them.

Licensing and insurance are different for Professional Engineers and Surveyors than they are for contractors.To help avoid unmet expectations and uncovered losses, it’s important for everyone to understand the distinctions.

As always, we’d be happy to answer your questions.

Mark Amirault Partner Nexus Professional Risk, LLC Nexus Pro Risk – Effective Alone.Powerful Together.

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BEFORE YOU GO......

Markets

Markets: Stocks sagged for the second straight day, with chip stocks taking some of the biggest blows. A new consumer report showed that Americans are not confident in the economy, but are confident that inflation will be sticking around for the next year.

The strength of the team is each member.

The strength of each member is the team.

PHIL JACKSON

Random Headlines: Astrophotographer captures a stunning space station shot.

Ancient Hercules head recovered from famed Antikythera shipwreck.

View photos from the Westminster Dog Show Best places to hike in the U.S. Gloucester cheese rolling returns after pandemic Best cities for an early retirement

Stat Center Mars, the privately held giant known for its chocolate and pet food, reported annual sales of nearly $45 billion, meaning it raked in more dough than CocaCola last year (and Nestle, Unilever, and Mondelez, for that matter). The secret sauce for growth seems to be that pet unit—after investing billions on expanding it, about half of the company’s 140,000 employees work in its vet business.

More than 40% of home sellers are cutting their prices in markets that boomed during Covid, including Salt Lake City, Sacramento, and Boise, according to Redfin. One Boise real estate agent said that the city grew so much during the pandemic that people who arrived there for peace and quiet are now leaving, because too many newcomers (like them) have ruined the rustic charm.

Chai Pani, a spot that serves Indian street food in Asheville, NC, was named the most Outstanding Restaurant in the U.S. by the James Beard Foundation Awards. And Mashama Bailey of The Grey in Savannah, GA, was awarded Outstanding Chef. See the entire James Beard winners list here for foodie recs.

An interactive look at the world's historical boundaries Click Here

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The Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors is excited to debut its new website and membership portal. Our goal is to provide you with a personal profile to simplify and streamline your member experience to increase user engagement and satisfaction, save you time, and ultimately grow the organization.

There are several new and exciting features within your new member portal, most notable is the ability to store PDH certificates. To set up your new member profile, please click on the URL below to login. If you are unsure of your new username and password please call the PSLS office. Do not create a duplicate account.

Member Login: https://psls.site-ym.com/login.aspx You may save this link in your web browser favorites for future reference!

Once you have successfully logged in, be sure to change your password and update your profile.

If you run into any problems or have any questions, please do not hesitate to email psls@psls.org or call the PSLS office at (717) 442-1946.

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PSLS OFFICERS

State Directors

Officers:

Allegheny Heartlands Chapter: Joseph Hood, PLS & James Mostoller, PLS Bucks Chapter: Robert Snyder, PLS & David Spellman Delaware Valley Chapter: Jason Bertzos, PLS & Karl Kriegh, PLS Harrisburg Chapter: John Clark III , PLS & James Hartman, PLS Laurel Highlands Chapter: Ryan Deglau & Troy Leighty, PLS Lehigh Valley Chapter: Stephen Ombalski, PLS & Arthur Swallow, PLS Mid-State Chapter: David Archibald, PLS & Gregory Shufran, PLS North Central Chapter: K Robert Cunningham, PLS Northeast Chapter: Glenn Johnson, PLS & Vincent Stranch, PLS Northwest Chapter: Ryan Courtney, PLS & Allen Yard, PLS Pocono Chapter: Gregg Davis, PLS & William Senapedis, PLS Reading Chapter: John Fuehrer, PLS & John Huck, PLS South Central Chapter: Eric Gladhill, PLS & Timothy Rojahn, PLS Southwest Chapter: Donald Groesser, PLS & Vincent Paparella, PLS Susquehanna Chapter: Timothy Wentz, PLS & Robert Weaver, PLS

Terry, McMillen, Jr., PLS, President Pete Brothers, PLS, President - Elect Lawrence Leso, PLS, Vice President Dylan Sites, PLS, Secretary Richard Shewman, PLS, Treasurer Amy Hopkins, PLS, Immed. Past President Michael Given, PLS, NSPS Director

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Not a PSLS Member?

Sign up today and receive over $330 in savings!

Sustaining Member Firms Civil Training, LLC

Attn: John Cooke 5300 Wellington Branch Drive, Suite 100 Gainesville, VA 20155 P: 732-859-8353 F: 732-377-5454 john.cooke@civiltraining.com www.civiltraining.com

Cooper Aerial Surveys

Attn: Pete Priestner 412 East Street Rd. Trevose, PA 19053 P: 800-229-2279 pete@cooperaerial.com www.cooperaerial.com

Keystone Precision Solutions

Attn: George Allport, Jr. 1670 East Race Street Allentown, PA 18109 P: 610-266-2699 georgejr@keypre.com www.keypre.com

Klein Agency, LLC

Attn: Mark Amirault PO Box 219 Timonium, MD 21094 P: 410-832-7600 F: 410-832-1849 mamirault@eakagency.com www.kleinagencyllc.com

Packer Associates, Inc.

Attn: Gary Packer 148 Holgate Road Honesdale, PA 18431 P: 570-224-4300 gary@packerassociates.com https://www.packerassociates.com

Porter Consulting Engineers, P.C. Attn: L. Ashley Porter 552 State Street, Meadville, PA 16335 P: 814-337-4447 aporter@pceengineers.com https://www.pceengineers.com/

Steckbeck Engineering & Surveying, Inc. Attn: Jason E. Chernich, PLS 279 N. Zinns Mill Road Lebanon, PA 17042 P: 717-272-7110 jchernich@steckbeck.net

Szalankiewicz Engineering

Attn: James Szalankiewicz PO Box 206 Elderton, PA 15736 P: 724-354-4852 sellc@windstream.net

Wetland Studies & Solutions, Inc. Attn: Eric Calladine 5300 Wellington Branch Dr., Suite 100 Gainesville, VA 20155 P: 703-679-5600 F: 703-697-5601 ecalladine@wetlandstusies.com www.wetlandstudies.com

Precision Laser & Instrument, Inc. Attn: Robert J. Barth 85 11th Street Ambridge, PA 15003 P: 724-266-1600 F: 724-266-8161 rjb@laserinst.com www.laserinst.com

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10340 Democracy Lane, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22030 www.psls.org

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About The Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors The Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors (PSLS), a statewide professional organization, exists for the purpose of supporting, improving and enhancing the profession, its members, and the practice of land surveying. PSLS focuses on providing education, legislative involvement, enhancing the public awareness, and the promulgation of the ethics of the profession.

Become a Member

HAVE A QUESTION? KELLY IS HERE TO HELP! (717) 442-1946

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