May June 2018

T he future looks like a cloud of points to me. Young surveyors are in a unique position right now, as we are entering the surveying industry during an explosion of quick-moving, new technologies. Platforms for these technologies range from Unmanned Aerial Systems to underwater mapping vessels, allowing us to see and measure the world from a different perspective. Surveying has quickly changed from not only a engineering and construction support role to a data provider role. As a Remote Sensing Surveyor for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), I myself have a distinct perspec- tive, as I sit at a crossroads between Land Surveying, Remote Sensing, GIS, and Transportation. I am currently working on creating a sustainable workflow for ODOT’s Verti- cal Clearance Program. Anyone who has driven the I-5 corridor knows how much commerce crosses Oregon in large loads, and it is imperative that those trucks stay clear of all overhanging infrastructure. ODOT recently began using mobile LiDAR data for measuring bridge clearances on Oregon highways. Previously, clearances were measured by a vehicle with lasers mounted on the right and left corners of the rear bumper, facing directly up and down. In theory, measurements would be taken along each lane line while driv- ing this vehicle, resulting in a sort of cross section of the bridge. This system was an upgrade from land surveyors dodg- ing traffic with fiberglass rods to take the measurements, however, any small ob- ject or sign between the lane lines were missed completely, and the repeatability continues T OrYSN Corner By Rhonda Dodge, LSIT Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon |  www.plso.org 9