The Sooner Surveyor | 3rd Quarter Issue 2022

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PRESIDENT

Kelly Schmidt Tulsa, OK kschmidt@professionalsurveyinginc.com

IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT

Shawn Collins Tulsa, OK scollins@sw-assoc.com

VICE- PRESIDENT Randy Pollard Haworth, OK rjpollard@idabel.net

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Denver Winchester Yukon, OK denver.winchester@craftontull.com

SECRETARY

Darin Raibourn Oklahoma City, OK Darin.Raibourn@srbok.com

Treasurer Michelle Cornelius michelle@osls.org

District 1 Director Carey Harris Stillwater, OK charris@keystone-els.com

District 2 Director Brent Jung Snyder, OK brentjung@windstream.net

District 3 Director John Libby Tulsa, OK john.libby@route66surveying.com

District 4 Director Darcy Hicks Cookson, OK hicks_landsurvey@sbcglobal.net

District 5 Director DeWayne Bennett Madill, OK bennett1471@att.net

District 6 Director Beau Winfrey Norman, OK BWinfrey@parkhill.com

Executive Director Burk Cornelius burk@osls.org

OKLAHOMA SOCIETY OF LAND SURVEYORS

THE SOONER SURVEYOR is owned and published four times a year by the Oklahoma Society of Land Surveyors. Permission to reprint must be granted from the Editor. All notification for address changes, membership information, editorial/advertising matters and general OSLS business correspondence should be directed to Burk Cornelius, via e-mail at burk@osls.org or phone at 405-202-5792.

THE SOONER SURVEYOR welcomes contributions of articles and comments for publication. The deadline for submittal of materials are February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15. The Oklahoma Society of Land Surveyors assumes no responsibility for statements made or expressed in this publication

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Changes in the Certified Corner Record Form and Instruction Manual

At the June 9, 2022 meeting of the Board, changes to both the Certified Corner Record (CCR) form and the Instruction Manual for Oklahoma Certified Corner Records were modified as authorized by the Corner Perpetuation and Filing Act, O.S. Title 65, Sections 3.116-3.123. These changes are intended to clarify some of the confusion in the language and to place more emphasis on certain sections that continue to cause concern for some surveyors.

CENTER OF SECTION: In 2018, OAC 245:1521-2(b) was revised to include the requirement that the Center Quarter Section Corner must be filed if it is used as control in a survey and monumented, or an existing monument is accepted. While there are Federal instructions in the BLM Manual for establishing the legal center of section, professional land surveyors also must consider long established evidence of the center of section that may not fall in the same place as a calculated position. To perpetuate the center corner for following, it is particularly important for the center of the section to be filed in those instances where the calculated position is not used. It is within the jurisdiction of the PLS to determine when a long-established position for a corner is the best evidence of the center of section location. It follows that the most effective way to perpetuate that position is by filing a CCR and giving the following PLS’ the information they need to rely upon that position. To summarize, if the center of the section is used as control in the survey and you monument that position or accept an existing monument at that position, you are required to file a CCR for that position

CORNERS USED FOR PROPORTIONAL MEASUREMENT:

Even though there are few situations in which there is no evidence available for you discover so that you will be able to classify a corner as obliterated, there occasionally are remote locations where there is absolutely no evidence of the location of the original corner. Those corners are to be classified as lost and must be established by proportional measurement. Since the corners used in establishing the

single or double proportion are necessary as control in the survey, CCR’s must be filed for those corners.

SHOWING OR LISTING SUPPORTING EVIDENCE:

The language in the revised manual and form has been updated to add emphasis to the importance of including supporting evidence to monuments both found and set. Following in the footsteps of the previous surveyor is a foundational surveying principle; so, leaving defensible supporting evidence of why you accepted a monument or why you placed a monument where you did is necessary to give the following surveyors confidence in your position. Of course, those surveyors following you are responsible for verifying the points they use as control, so your CCR’s need to be completed in such a way as to fulfill the purpose of the Corner Perpetuation Act which in part reads “the providing for property security and a coherent system of property location and identification; and thereby eliminating the repeated necessity for re-establishment and relocation of such corners once they are established and located.”

Only PLS’ are charged with the responsibility of the determination and preservation of land boundaries in this state. For almost 44 years, The Corner Perpetuation and Filing Act has provided a platform to assist surveyors to systematically protect the boundaries and to leave lasting footsteps for those surveyors who follow. The Board considers the perpetuation of public land corners as a primary function of surveyor licensure, actively enforces of the provisions of this Act and will continue to work with surveyors to make the instruction manual and form as complete and clear as possible.

The updated Manual of Instructions and the Certified Record Form can be found at: https://www.ok.gov/pels/Publications/ CCR_Instruction_Manual_and_CCR_Form/ index.html

AutoCAD file of the revised Corner Record Form can be requested by sending an email to osls@osls.org

Will Land Surveyors Remain Relevant?

By Joseph M. Dolan, P.L.S., P.P., C.F.S. NSPS Director, New Jersey

I recently received an invitation to attend InterGEO 2022 in Essen Germany. The invitation was sponsored by Trimble and Riegl, two major equipment manufacturers.

The invitation had articles that touted the benefits of laser scanning and lidar as the future of data collection to improve efficiencies on varying types of projects. It mentioned that Construction Foreman would easily perform the layout on projects, utilizing their systems.

Most of us are aware that Professional Land Surveyors in Europe, have a broader scope of practice and higher educational requirements than we do (check out FIG). The fact that the meeting is being held in Europe made a major thrust of the invitation even more eye opening! Quote: "Only in the hands of the geodesists do our solutions develop their full potential. Here they become the key to the challenges of our time," says Markus Westphal from Trimble. Nowhere in the accompanying articles are Professional Land Surveyors mentioned!

ever upon some reflection I think I understand Mr. Westphal’s point. The complexities of the analysis, understanding the sources of the data received and its implementation in developing the finished project is no small task! The future innovations in technology are coming quickly! How, will we as Professional Surveyors meet the coming challenges?

I do not believe all Geodesists are actual surveyors. Would that distinction be realized by our clients? Would the data they developed be used by some Engineering, Architectural firms, and government entities unquestioned?

We as a profession must mandate the baccalaureate degree requirement, as a minimal level of competency to practice

We as professionals are still, in some circles, debating the minimum educational requirement being a baccalaureate degree! News! That ship has long ago sailed! We as a profession must mandate the baccalaureate degree requirement, as a minimal level of competency to practice, in all American jurisdictions.

We must encourage young people to join our profession, not exactly a new call to arms, however, it is more important now than ever! If we do not replenish our ranks with highly educated young people, you can answer the title of this article yourself!

Joseph M. Dolan

The above statement shocked me at first, how-

Thoughts on Professional Practice and Education

Double Edition

Article 4: Business and Management in Education by Knud E. Hermansen† P.L.S., P.E., Ph.D., Esq.

This is the fourth article I have prepared in the series offering thoughts on professional practice and education. The focus of this article, I hope, will assuage some individuals that I offended by my last article and will give hope to friends that will see I am now writing with the sense that I appear to have lost with my last article.

I know I am not alone when I say I wish I knew as a young surveyor what I now know about running a business. I can stand in front of a dozen or more surveyors that run their own surveying business, some for decades, and discuss rules and regulations that by law apply to them. What I reveal shocks many of them as they realize the deficiencies in their knowledge and business practice. They were unaware or confused about rules and regulations they should be adhering to or should have adhered to when running their business.

This missive is not meant to discuss politics or even the various subjects that may fall under the concepts of ‘business’ and ‘management’ education. Rather, the focus is to advocate that relevant business and management topics be presented to students studying in a four-year surveying program.

Faculty would be disappointed when collecting alumni data to discover graduates described their job title as ‘survey technician’ ten years after graduation. After ten years, the graduate is expected to be licensed and in management. Yet, many survey programs have failed to give students any relevant knowledge that would aid the graduate to take on management positions where survey graduates are expected to spend most of their professional careers.

After ten years, the graduate is expected to be licensed and in management

I might quickly add, I will not claim to know the entire plethora of knowledge on government regulations as applied to businesses. Who would know all the governing rules except for the most dedicated bureaucrat or regulator? Sadly, the federal, state, and local governments continue to do their best to create more difficulties in starting and running a business – especially if you contract with the government.

The first time a surveyor hears the phrase ‘cash flow’ should not be during their first year of owning a business as they sit in their office, the time near midnight, the pay for employees due the next day. Having never heard of the term ‘cash flow,’ the new business owner cannot understand how they must pay sooner using what they won’t have until later.

The new graduate that is checking into the human resource manager at the onset of their surveying career should not wonder what is meant by a 401k, employer match, vesting periods, and pretax contributions.

I would opine the lack of adequate business and management courses in surveying programs stem from two conditions. The first condition arises because of the lack of business and management experience that faculty have. Many faculty do not have the experience, training, or knowledge to teach relevant business and management courses. Even survey programs at larger universities can’t always draw on the business school faculty to help educate the surveying student in relevant business courses. While the business school faculty may be able to educate the surveying student regarding contracts, business entities, employee law, etc. topics such as mechanics liens, survey fee makeup, right of entry laws, road safety laws, Dig-safe, OSHA, federal contracting, and other such survey specific areas will not be covered in a course taught by the business school.

The second condition thwarting the introduction of business and management courses into a surveying program is the difficulty in fitting more courses into a surveying degree program. Universities limit the maximum number of credits for a bachelor of science degree. ABET accreditation requires certain courses and credit hours. NCEES has established topics covered in the FS exam that must be covered in the academic program. Finally, the university requires all students at the university take certain courses for the regional accreditation the university maintains.

#ExploreOHS Travel Contest begins today!

The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is excited to launch another #ExploreOHS Travel Contest, which begins today!

From Saturday, October 1, through Monday, October 31, participants will travel to OHS museums and historic sites across the state, competing to see who can visit the most sites! This contest is open to the public, and all entries must be submitted on social media using the #ExploreOHS hashtag. Click here for eligibility requirements and details about how you can participate.

The person (or family/group traveling together) who visits the largest number of OHS sites from October 1-31, 2022, will win a prize pack of OHS swag and a once-in-a-lifetime experience at Honey Springs Battlefield. The contest winner gets to fire a reproduction Civil War–era cannon during the grand opening of the Honey Springs Visitor Center on Saturday, November 5!

Click the button below to view a complete list of 20+ OHS sites and plan your Fall Break road trip!

OHS museums and historic sites

NSPS MOVING SALE! Manual of Surveying Instructions (2009)

For a limited time, purchase the Manual for $49.95 including shipping (normally $75 + shipping) A must for any land surveyor’s library, priced to sell!

The Manual has guided the original surveys and resurveys of the Public Lands, first through the General Land Office, and since 1946, through the Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior. While not written specifically for non-Federal surveyors, the principles contained in the Manual on the subject of retracement are an integral part of private surveying in the 30 Public Land States. Further, many States have formally adopted the Manual in statute, rule, and/or case law as guidance for private licensed surveyors. Thus, the book is a fundamental piece of the complex subject of boundary surveys here in the United States.

Click here to order and scroll down to BOOKS.

Federal Programs Funded Through December 16

On September 30, President Biden signed into law H.R. 6833, the Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law 117-180). It provides funding for Federal agencies from the beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1 through December 16, 2022, for continuing projects and activities of the Federal Government. Additionally, the bill extends authorization for FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through December 16.

Definition of Time May Get Changed, Measurements Impacted

Measurements can prove that you own exactly 100 meters of land, and where that property begins and ends. The most basic measurement of time is the second. But defining how long a second lasts, which is now a key to many other measurements, is not an easy thing to do with perfect accuracy. It turns out that atomic clocks are not completely, universally accurate, and are affected slightly by gravity, so their distance above sea level—being higher up means less gravity—affects their accuracy. Those that are higher up run faster. And because the clocks are so sensitive, even a two centimeter change in altitude can affect their measurements. Because of that breakthrough, the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) is considering the rather unprecedented move of changing the definition of a second once again, basing it on the vibration of atoms as recorded by the optical atomic clocks. If that proposal is approved, it could mean that the world will get a new definition of a second as soon as 2030.

UESI Releases Guidelines on SUE, Utility Documentation

The Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute (UESI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has announced the publication of two new standards related to utility surveying. The new Standard Guideline for Recording and Exchanging Utility Infrastructure Data - ASCE/UESI/CI 75-22 - specifies essential elements for documenting the location, geometry, and feature attributes of underground and aboveground utility infrastructure, with a particular focus on enabling creation of 3D digital twins for newly installed and/or exposed utility infrastructure. The updated Standard Guideline for Investigating and Documenting Existing Utilities - ASCE/UESI/CI 38-22 - endeavors to safeguard public welfare by providing guidance on performing subsurface utility engineering (SUE) and related utility investigations and documenting results in a standardized fashion. Both were briefed at last week’s annual conference of the [www.sueassociation.com]Subsurface Utility Engineering Association in Denver, Colorado.

If the reader will indulge me, I will get upon a soapbox regarding the last limitation mentioned - that is University accreditation requirements. I have found it frustrating that regional accreditation often requires courses such as diversity, artistic expression, humanities, and other general education courses popular among liberal arts faculty but worthless in a business or a professional environment. (Not all general education is dismissed by practitioners. Course such as communication and writing courses are the exception. These courses and their content are appreciated by employers.)

For 30 years I have examined hundreds of employment-surveys prepared by alumni and survey employers sent by the University for program selfimprovement. In those 30 years and after review of hundreds of documents, I have yet to see a single employer or alumni say how useful artistic expression and similar courses have been toward their career. The mention of these courses is a common occurrence but only under

a category where alumni cite courses of no use in their life and wasted tuition money.

Having given my opinion, I now offer advice by suggesting professional societies that advocate for surveying programs also look at the courses in the survey program to ensure there are business and management courses that provide the graduate with the knowledge to become leaders in both the profession, community, and a surveying business.

Article 5: Removing Examination Pre-requisites

This is the fifth article I have prepared in the series offering thoughts on professional practice and education. In this article, I wish to discuss the timing of professional exams. In particular, I wish to advocate allowing an applicant to take their licensing exams before obtaining any required experience.

states should allow graduates to take both their fundamentals of surveying and professional surveying exams near graduation

There are two common models of examination sequence found in the United States. The first model, that appears to be most common at the present time, requires the applicant take the professional surveyor exam and state specific exam after the experience requirements have been met.

The second model is to permit an applicant to take all three exams at or near graduation and before meeting minimum qualifications.

There was a third model that may still be present in some states. The third model was to require the experience first then allow the applicant for licensing to take all the exams within a short window of time. When I was first licensed almost fifty years ago, I took the first exam one day and the second exam the very next day.

In this article, I would like to advocate that states allow an applicant to take the exams on sequential days at or near graduation. I offer two reasons for my position.

For my first reason, I would suggest that taking the professional exams near graduation is the best time in life’s journey to schedule and have time to take the exams. By the time the graduate achieves the pre-requisite experience for licensure, they are often married – perhaps with young children, involved in community activities, and have a full employment commitment. It is difficult to find time to study or even take time off from work for testing. College breaks are usually far less stressful and a less busy time than the hectic and stressful work schedule a graduate will encounter after graduation. To emphasize this, let me remind surveyors that as a full-time student in college, the student could count on two to three weeks off at Christmas, one week off during Thanksgiving, and a one or two-week spring break. College breaks were known well in advance, allowing for professional test scheduling.

or soon after graduation. Therefore, the best chance to pass all three exams with minimum study is at or near graduation.

Some would argue that testing the graduate on knowledge retention after the graduate has some experience is a reasonable procedure to protect the public’s safety. Perhaps this statement is true. Yet, on that basis, all licensed surveyors should be periodically tested from time to time to insure knowledge retention after the passage of time. I suspect there are very few licensed surveyors that would advocate that they be subject to periodic retesting to ensure knowledge retention.

I would like to advocate that states allow an applicant to take the exams on sequential days at or near graduation

Having given my opinion, I now offer advice by suggesting professional societies encourage statute or rule changes allowing all exams be taken soon or at graduation. Of course, the soon-to-be graduate has another option. The student can apply to test in a state that does allow all testing at or near graduation. The applicant does not need to journey to a particular state since NCEES offers the same exams at testing centers throughout the United States. Perhaps the applicant would have to delay taking the state specific exam until they are eligible for licensing within that state. Of course, the one hurdle that may arise from this recommendation is a state that will not accept the NCEES test score for an exam taken before experience was achieved. I know of at least one state that will not accept the PE exam score if the PE exam was taken before experience was met. I know this does not make much sense but bureaucracies and their rules often do not make sense.

† Other books and articles by Knud can be found at https:// umaine.edu/svt/faculty/hermansen-articles/

Once the graduate is employed, vacation time or personal days must often be used for testing. Time off from work must often be scheduled in advance and authorized only when work allows. While college can be stressful, the stress of college often pales in comparison to balancing family responsibility, home, and work commitments.

The second reason for allowing all tests while in college or shortly after graduation is the extent of retained surveying knowledge. Broad knowledge of surveying is usually at a maximum retention just before

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

OSLS Annual Convention

March 2-4,2023 Sheraton Reed Center Midwest City, OK Details to follow

2022 ASPS Spring Conference

April 27 & 28, 2023

Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort 2705 Central Avenue Hot Springs, Arkansas 71901

Rocky Mountain Surveyors Summit February 21 - 24, 2023 Marriott Denver West

MSPS Spring Workshop

Apr 28, 2023

Lodge of the Four Seasons, Lake Ozark, MO