10 It turns out that surveyors are pretty much the same worldwide...we like to consume alcoholic beverages and talk about surveying. We also like turning angles, measuring distances, researching records, creating GIS databases, mapping the world. Meeting other geospatial professionals and hearing about projects they are working on back in their homelands was a very eye-opening and motivating experience for two Oregon young surveyors who were present at the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) Working Week in Orlando, Florida, which was held May 27 through June 1. For those of you who have not heard, FIG is a conglomeration of surveying and geospatial professionals whose purpose is to support international collaboration for the progress of surveying in all fields and applications. FIG is made up of 10 commissions: Professional Standards and Practice, Professional Education, Spatial Information Management, Hydrography, Positioning and Measurement, Engineering Surveys, Cadastre and Land Management, Spatial Planning and Development, Valuation and the Management of Real Estate, and Construction Economics and Management. These 10 commissions host seminars for the conference’s technical program throughout the week, showcasing what they have been working on. Emphasizing the importance of embracing technology, the 2023 Working Week focused on how current technological advancements in the industry can make surveying more efficient and effective in serving and protecting the public. One such example was the utilization of virtual reality to check grades on a construction site from an office building by utilizing scan data collected by the team in the field. Being more than just a gaming experience, virtual reality is driving the possibility and ease of creating extended reality by point cloud data collected by surveyors for use in various applications! No need to grab your calculator and staking sheets any longer. Soon you will throw on your VR headset and step into the job site and check real world data from an alternate location. Another prime example was from Boston Dynamics, a robotics company, which created “Spot the Dog,” a robotic dog that surveyors are utilizing for mobile scanning applications. If you saw Oregon State University’s presentation at the last PLSO conference, then you know what I am talking about and how amazing this technology can be. This robotic dog can go around and collect survey data while being controlled remotely or made to follow a predetermined route set by the operator. Just another example of how we as surveying professionals can take advantage of technology to aid us in our duties. Bryn Fosburgh of Trimble quoted Henry Ford, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” We as surveyors should be asking ourselves how we can utilize these new consumer technologies and see if we can figure out a way to get them into our toolboxes. One of the best parts of the Working Week was being able to attend the FIG Young Surveyors conference where nearly 100 young surveyors from around the world, across six continents, were able to network, motivate, and share their surveying experiences with one another. Some of the young surveyor shenanigans included international dance parties learning dances from eastern Europe, Asia, and International Federation of Surveyors Working Week Orlando, Florida What happens when young surveyors from all over the world get together? By Brenton Griffin, PLS and Marcus Helm, PLS The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 46, No. 5 OrYSN Corner
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