Slsacorner Post

Corner Post Spring 2009 SLSA Volume XXX - Number 1

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In This Issue SLSA Corner Post is published by the A National Home for Land Information Professionals - Jim Statham ..7 Saskatchewan Land Surveyors’ Association for circulation to its members. Agreement on Internal Trade - Brian Munday ...... 10 Labour Mobility in Saskatchewan - Carl Shiels ...... 11 Deadlines for articles are the last Friday in Due Dilligence - Jennifer Beaulieu ...... 12 December, March, June and September. The Centennial of the IBC ...... 14 The opinions of the contributing writers BCIT Geomatics Update - Ian Lloyd...... 16 may not be consistent with those of Creating a Safe Workplace ...... 21 the Council of the Saskatchewan Land The Value of Professional Services - Bryan Bates ...... 24 Surveyors’ Association. Articles may be U.S. Standard Railroad Gauge - (author unknown) ...... 28 reprinted with appropriate credit given to Geodetic Survey Division Celebrates Centenary ...... 29 the authors, unless it is under copyright. Level Bubbles - Robert Reese ...... 30 Address all correspondence to: Controlling a Photogrammetric Model From the Sky - Jas Arnold.....32 A Funny Thing Happened On My Way Out ... - Jeffery N. Lucas ...... 34 Doug Bouck, SLS (Ret.) - Editor Are You the Lowest Paid Professional in the Room? - ...... 36 408 Broad Street #230 Regina, Saskatchewan S4R 1X3 Phone: 306-352-8999 Fax: 306-352-8366 Regular Features e-mail: [email protected] President’s Message - Ravi Shrivastava ...... 2 web site: www.slsa.sk.ca Council Highlights - A. Carl Shiels ...... 4 Councillor’s Corner - Lee Andersen ...... 6 Biography of Ralph William Clark #086 - Jack Webb ...... 8

2008/2009 Council Cover Story President Ravi B. Shrivastava Vice President Dave L. Gurnsey So exactly what is the best way to preserve survey monuments? This is one approach, taken by surveyors with NRCan, to Past President R. Dale Rosnes protect important monuments that have a history of destruction Public Member Terry Alm or are likely to be at risk due to construction or farm activity. Councillors Jade W. McLeod These three, 7 ft long, large-diameter steel pipes extend 3 ft Conrad B. Swenson into the ground and are filled with gravel or concrete. Bright Lee A. Andersen red paint was used to improve noticeablility and reflective tape has since been added to improve night-time visibility for snow Jack S. Redding mobile operators.

Administration This particular monument is on the west boundary of the Assiniboine Indian Reserve #76 east of Regina. The number Executive Director A. Carl Shiels of the reserve is indicated on the marker post (not visible in the photo). Office Hours Office hours are: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on all regular business days.

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 1 My term as president of the association’s am confident that the over-riding sense of 99th year is c oming to end in June and I want professionalism that I’ve witnessed across to start off my last communication from the country will continue to minimize such President’s this forum by thanking all of my colleagues problems. Perhaps a greater issue is the for the opportunity to serve. One cannot need for associations to develop new and Message overstate the extent of the learning and innovative ways to impart the unique local leadership development opportunity the survey knowledge to those who need and position of president provides. seek it. The fellow surveyors must feel welcomed in their new home generating a Namrata and I have had the good fortune sense of belonging, affiliation and pride. to attend several of our sister association’s annual meetings, and to make many new The transformation of the CCLS from an friends. As I know all presidents have association of associations to an association discovered, the friendships that were of individuals, drawn from the broadest formed will probably extend well beyond possible spectrum of survey professionals, the whirlwind of the presidential year. is expected to be complete within the year. No doubt there will be some bumps along I also know that I am not unique in the way but, in the end, it will expand the my amazement at how, in spite of our profession and enhance its profile locally, geographic, personal, and cultural nationally, and internationally. One of differences, the values, interests and Ravi B. Shrivastava the more intriguing aspects of the new SLS, P. Surv., CLS, P. Eng. concerns for surveyors across this association will be its governance structure President sprawling land are essentially the same. and how it will relate to and coordinate Most associations are facing challenges with, the regulatory survey bodies as they with the very real prospect of declining Upcoming Events will continue to exist in each jurisdiction. membership numbers as Baby Boomers Greater detail on this aspect will become Apr. 23 - 25 ALSA AGM wind down toward retirement. There is available over the next few months. Banff, AB a growing urgency to attract new, young May 27 - 29 ACLS AGM members at a time when competition is The rapid implosion of the world’s Canmore, AB keen from all of the other professions. As economies, stemming from the US banking an integral part of the recruitment process, fiasco, is being felt in Saskatchewan but, at May 28 - 30 ANLS AGM survey associations are now working, in least so far, it appears that we continue to The Wilds, NF various ways, to raise the profile of the be a tiny oasis of opportunities as more and Jun. 11 - 13 SLSA AGM profession. The single greatest over- more people discover or re-discover the Waskesiu, SK riding sentiment within all associations is advantages we have in this province. the need to maintain the highest possible Sep. 25 - 27 OAGQ AGM As of May, I will have completed my fourth Mont-Tremblant, PQ standards for our profession in order to assure protection of the public’s right to year of participation on Council. What a Oct. 21 - 22 CIG AGM property ownership. In that regard, we marvellous opportunity and experience! I Montreal, PQ can all be extremely proud of what our urge all of our younger members to take full Oct. 22 - 24 ANSLS AGM profession is and stands for in Canada. advantage of the opportunities that active Digby, NS participation in your profession has to offer. This past year can be characterized as one New ideas and energy are essential for the of major and rapid changes in our business ongoing renewal required by the Standing philosophy. Although the concept of labour Committees and Council. This is the only mobility has been around for a number of way in which your association will continue years and spawned the Mutual Recognition to evolve and remain vibrant as we look Agreement (MRA), the April 1 deadline for forward to the next century of professional the elimination of all material barriers to service in Saskatchewan. labour mobility, by the professions, forced the survey community to take a hard It has been a long winter and I hope the look at exactly what is really required to spring is here to stay - finally. This is the assess the ability of a fellow professional time for recreation and rejuvenation – work to practice in another jurisdiction. In the safe, work hard, work smart and maintain a end, the decision to go with a single, on- decent work-life balance. demand, half day exam on local knowledge Cheers! became the de facto standard. While there is concern that such a move could lead to Ravi increases in problems of quality control, I

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SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 3 2008/2009 - Meeting #6 • The CCLS president was expected to provide confirmation of the plans at the Council ANBLS AGM AOLS AGM. ¾ In response to the new requirements of ¾ Career Awareness Highlights Labour Mobility Chapter of the Agreement • The web-based career awareness facility on Internal Trade (AIT), most associations is in the final stages of testing and have been moving toward the TILMA is expected to ‘go live’ some time in model for reviewing applications for March. commissions from candidates who already hold a commission in another Canadian The CCLS budget has yet to be determined but jurisdiction. On a related matter, the AOLS the CCLS Annual Meeting in May, following have received funding for the development the ALSA AGM, is likely to be the last meeting of a web-based portal to assist immigrants of the existing national association. to upgrade their survey qualifications to meet Ontario standards. Surveyor’s Crate The blue print for the surveyors crate is in ¾ The OAGQ (Quebec land survey association) have indicated that they are reluctant to final editing and expected to be released to our join CBEPS. Their primary concern is the partners within the next couple of weeks. The substantial increase in funding that would delays associated with this project have resulted Carl Shiels, M. Sc., P. Eng. be required. in expressions of concern from our partner Executive Director associations at both CCLS and Presidents’ ¾ The OAGQ are pursuing an international Forum meetings. labour mobility agreement with France. Under the agreement candidates who work Life Membership Nomination for one year in the other jurisdiction would G.A. Webster has agreed to accept nomination become eligible for a license to practice. for Life Membership. The nomination will be CCLS put forward at the 2009 AGM in June. SLSA director G.D. Craig indicated that two Candidates for Professional top-priority items were being dealt with by the CCLS: Examinations Practical Experience reports were approved ¾ The Futures Initiative for Gerald Johnson, Calvin Bourassa and Chad • The name for the new association is likely Johnson, thereby clearing the way for those to be “Professional Surveyors Canada” candidates to write their professional exams in and its French equivalent “Geometres March and April. Professionnels Canadien” • The interim Board of Directors for the Labour Mobility new association would be the current Council was advised that both Board of CCLS Board of Directors Examiners Chairman E.J. Desnoyers and • CIG and CIH have both been invited to SLSA Mutual Recognition representative join D.L. Gurnsey were recommending that the • The expected implementation date for the SLSA revise the admission requirements for new association is January 1, 2010. applicants who are members in good standing of another land survey association in Canada. • The objectives of the new association These recommendations were based on: will be to recognize all members in the various survey professions and to “grow • The requirement of all provincial the profession.” governments that the professions eliminate all artificial barriers to labour • There would be an elected CEO or mobility in Canada; president plus paid staff and an elected board of directors (the final makeup of • The fact that a consensus had formed which has yet to be determined) some of within the land survey associations in which will be voting and some non-voting Canada that a single, on-demand three members. to four hour examination would be an acceptable method of evaluating the local

Corner Post 4 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 knowledge of a qualified professional land surveyor from much more positive light as the economies in other parts of the another Canadian jurisdiction; country showed signs of weakening. • A number of legal opinions which suggested that a three Centennial Projects Committee to four hour exam on local knowledge would not be considered a material barrier under the Labour Mobility Development of the Centennial History Book was being Chapter of the Interprovincial Agreement on Trade. delayed by the slow responses of some member contributors to the project. A first draft, complete with photos and side-bar Council passed the following resolution: stories, will prepared for Council`s review and comment. # Whereas: The proposed changes are consistent with the approach adopted by the ALSA and ABCLS under the Trade

Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) A Computer-based Fax Pro- signed by Alberta and BC; and gram That Actually Works! Participation in the TILMA agreement was As another of my semi-occasional articles on office overwhelmingly supported by the members present at technology, I would like to comment on my latest find the 2007 Annual General meeting; - VentaFax® 6. Therefore be it resolved that: Back in the days The recommendations of the Messrs. Desnoyers and of Windows 98, I Gurnsey be accepted; and had managed to get The executive director be instructed to prepare Winfax Pro to work background documents and appropriate amendments reasonably well. to the regulatory bylaws for consideration at the 2009 With two of us in the Annual General meeting. office, I could even get it to share a single New Admissions (MRA) modem for sending and receiving faxes Applications had been received and approved for membership from both machines. Then along came Windows XP and as Land Surveyors in Training under the Mutual Recognition Microsoft’s decision to modify the operating system in Agreement from such a way that Winfax would only work - kind of - on • Metin Timocin, ALS (G.D. Craig - mentor) one machine and even then it was a hassle to transfer saved files over the network. • Aaron Clapperton, ALS (P.M. Maloney - mentor) • James Healey, CLS (B.G. Clark - mentor) Now I have replaced the SLSA’s six year old computer with one that is running VISTA (I can hear everyone shouting Finance Don’t Do It!). Except for a few minor irritations, there have been no real problems. But just before making the upgrade, I ¾ That the auditor’s report for 2008 be accepted as submitted. was delighted to find a computer-based Fax program called ¾ There was one retirement from active status for 2009. VentaFax®6. It worked like a charm from first installation ¾ Based on known fee revenue for 2009, a budget for 2009 and takes full advantage of the distinctive ring feature that could be set. After drawing the necessary money from the allows me to have both voice and Fax coming in on the centennial project funds to publish the planned Centennial same telephone line at a significant annual saving. To my ® History Book, a balanced budget was agreed on and no fee great delight, VentaFax 6 also worked flawlessly when I changes would be required for 2010. upgraded to VISTA. One of the added bonuses of the Business Version of Suggested Schedule of Fees VentaFax®6 is that it automatically converts incoming Fax ¾ Council approved the Suggested Schedule of Fees for 2009 files to PDF format for easy sharing and archiving. This as proposed by the Practice Committee. The new schedule was a huge benefit over the old Winfax proprietary file reflected an estimated 5% increase in operating costs (mostly format that only Winfax could read. labour) that had occurred during 2008. VentaFAX®6 is also supposed to work as an answering Public Relations machine and general message manager provided you have a voice capable fax modem, but I have not tested that feature SLSA representatives who attended the Career Day at the as yet. University of Calgary Department of Geomatics, noted that Carl Shiels job opportunities in Saskatchewan were being viewed in a

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 5 Well, its the eleventh hour and Carl needs my even today. Over the next few months I article so here goes. . . believe ISC will see an influx of subdivision Councillor’s The last six months have been rather and right-of-way plans. interesting and an eye opener for a generation Due to the current economic times, many of workers who were getting accustomed to Corner Saskatchewan and Alberta survey firms have quitting one job to go to another because they had to make tough decisions and lay off some didn’t like the way the boss talked to them key players in their offices. I am receiving a that morning. least one resume a week from crew chiefs with How things have changed. The Oil Patch ten plus years experience, draftspersons with has finally slowed down and, like many three plus years, plan checkers with fifteen Saskatchewan Land Surveyors who work in plus years and yes even land surveyors with the oil and gas sector, I am busy trying to get ten plus years experience. Just a year ago you all of my right-of-way plans into ISC. I only couldn’t find people with those amounts of have the last three and half years worth to get experience. through. It came as no surprise to me when ISC I think if ISC or Community Planning sent out a memo indicating that plans were believe they can’t keep up with the current pouring in and turnaround times may be work load, they should try to hire more staff Lee Andersen SLS, P. Surv., P. Eng, ALS longer than normal. Community Planning because there are qualified people available Councillor, Year 1 was behind the eight ball last summer with today that may not be available tomorrow an unprecedented amount of applications and when the economy takes off again. Out Of Adversity I figure the glut of approvals is finally hitting But this is just my two cents worth. Comes Opportunity ISC about now. To my knowledge community planning is I just wish I had more work so I could hire still seeing larger than normal applications, some of these talented young minds. #

2009 SLSA Annual General Meeting

Elk Ridge Resort (800 510 1824)

June 11

Education Seminars

June 12

Business Meeting

June 13

(a.m.) Business Meeting Continued

(p.m.) Murray Skelton Memorial Golf Tournament RECONNECT The Countdown to ‘2010’ Begins!

Corner Post 6 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 The Case for a National Home for Land Information Professionals By Jim Statham, O.L.S., O.L.I.P., C.L.S.

Reprinted from “Ontario Professional Surveyor” Volume 52, No. 1, Winter 2009

anada is relatively unique in the world with its system of In 2006 the President’s Forum, an advisory group within be Cprovincial and federal regulation of prop erty systems and of CCLS organization, agreed that the CCLS itself must evolve or the self-regulating profession of land surveying. be replaced to better address issues of national mobility and fair access for foreign trained professionals and students and to Government initiatives such as the national Agreement on Internal ensure the future viability of the profession in Canada. Over the Trade; the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement next two years representatives of the regu lating associations, (TILMA) between British Columbia and Alberta and the Ontario / other geomatics groups, academia and individual members of Quebec labour mobility initiative are attempting to effect common the profession met to discuss and formulate a solution to these standards in the regulated professions through the requirement issues. of professional mobility. This is long overdue and necessary for It was unanimously agreed that the solution must be national, Canada’s role in the global economy of the 21st Century. must address all geomatics disciplines, must involve all levels of Within the professions of surveying / geomatics / land information membership, and must be governed by the indi vidual professional there have been similar steps. In 2001 the eleven regulating members. associations signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement which The exponential increase in the number of disciplines which are required all signatories to recognize and accept the professional now aligning under the ‘geomatics’ umbrella further demands a status of applicants from other Canadian jurisdictions. Allowance distinct professional home focused clearly on the land information was made for a demonstration or testing of local knowledge by profession. applicant s but the lack of a clear and consistent process led to differences in testing by various regulators. In short, we need what we have never had - a national home for land information professionals. In 2005 the Western Board of Examiners and the Association of Canada Lands Surveyors created the Canadian Board of The proposed route to achieve this goal is the re-organiza tion Examiners for Professional Surveyors (CBEPS) as the evaluation of CCLS from an association of regulating associations to an and testing agency for their associations with respect to association of individual members in the profession but including applications to article. The Canadian Council of Land Surveyors related associations, academia, para-professionals and students. (CCLS) subsequently prepared a recom mended harmonized It would not be a regulating body by legislation but would provide a syllabus for acceptance to articles focused on the national scene level of regulation and certification by choice. It would advocate for and aimed at strengthening the basis of the MRA. By 2008 all the professional, it would promote for the profession and it would align the Canadian profession with corresponding organizations jurisdictions except Quebec, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador across the globe. had accepted the harmonized syllabus and were or had applied to become shareholders and active members of CBEPS. The new association would also carry on and expand on certain activities of CCLS which benefited all professionals and related However, all of these steps have been focused on the regu lated associations including communications, public awareness, area of the profession, that is, on cadastral surveying. availability of professional liability insurance, continuing education The non-regulated or non-exclusive disciplines of geomatics and ongoing support to continue to move toward common exist throughout Canada but some of these are only recognized standards and certifications. in legislation in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and the federal The land information profession has tremendous potential if jurisdiction of Canada Lands. There is no national system to thought of as more than cadastral surveying with its restric tive address issues of professional interest in these disciplines and focus on municipal, regional or even provincial boundaries. We little interaction amongst the four associations that do some level cannot let provincial legislation based on 19th Century needs of certification. define the limits of the now multi-disciplined profession of the 21st century. So, in the global context, we do not have a consistent national property framework nor do we have a consistent national Over the next year it is expected that details of the new association profession encompassing all related disciplines in the realm of will be communicated to all potential members but success will land information or geomatics. be solely dependent on ail of us to adhere to the PIC principle - participation, involvement, commitment. #

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 7 Biography By J. H. Webb, SLS (Life Member), ALS, MLS, CLS

Thomas George Watmore (1922 - 2008) SLS, ALS, BCLS

om Watmore and I both started our land Bay, British Columbia and was discharged in Tsurveying careers under Mr. T. G. Tyrer 1945. S.L.S., Chief Surveyor, Surveys Branch, Land Titles Office in Regina in the spring of 1946. Tom had a distinguished career with the However it was under various land surveyors Exploration Department, Imperial Oil Company. that we received our field experience. His first assignment was out of Peace River, Alberta and then to Dawson Creek, British In reality, most of our field experience was Columbia. These were followed by assignments gained under Mr. A. I. Bereskin, SLS, DLS, in Calgary and the northern Arctic. Controller of Surveys for the Province of Saskatchewan, during the summer months. While with Imperial Oil, he became their senior Tom worked on various field surveys at Lac land surveyor on surveys and construction in La Ronge, Chitek Lake, Loon Lake and many Northern British Columbia, Alberta and the other sites in the North. Land surveyors North West Territories. with whom he worked included S. Harding, In his later years with Imperial Oil, Tom was T. G. Tyrer, W. Humphries, C. H. Biddell, an environmental officer on Arctic Seismic E. W. Murray and others. This unique arrangement of having and drilling activities. He was also a community liaison officer articled students loaned out to other land surveyors for field out of Tuktoyaktuk, Aklavik, Inuvik and the Mackenzie Delta experience had been approved by both the SLSA and the Public areas. Further work for Imperial Oil involved community Service Commission. It is also interesting to note that both Tom liaison at Baffin Island, Kawit, Pangnirtung and other northern and I were able to have the Veterans Affairs Department pay for areas. He was involved with Beaufort Sea environmental our commissions, fifty-two dollars. Upon receiving commission studies providing logistic support, along with community and #98 on June 30, 1949, Tom went to work with Underwood and Government contact, for the environmental consulting firm of McLellan in Saskatoon with whom he was involved on various F.F.Slaney and Company of Vancouver. surveys before moving to Edmonton. He and I worked together with Phillips, Hamilton and Associates in northern Alberta in 1952. Tom grew up in Regina, obtained his grade twelve, and then joined the Royal Canadian Air Force where he graduated as a navigator. He then went overseas and was attached to the Royal Air Force Squadron #21 in the European theatre of war where he completed a tour of operations. On one mission his aircraft had an emergency landing in Scotland and as a result of an explosion, his hearing was damaged. Upon his return to Canada in 1944 Tom was attached to RCAF #5 OTU staff at Boundary Tom, second from right and A.I. Bereskin (fresh out of the Tom in RCAF Uniform during WWII. army), third from right, with two other crew members. The year was 1946 and the location was Lac La Ronge.

Corner Post 8 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 In 1978 Tom was again on Baffin Island and Davis Strait as company representative and supernumerary navigator aboard the oceanographic research vessel, “Lady Johnston”, out of Newfoundland. The vessel had scientists with the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans on board. He was subsequently placed as the navigation-operator of the company’s Marconi satellite system for research positioning and normal navigation in the North.

During his many years in the North, Tom got along with the locals and was a trusted friend when dealing with them over the environmentally sensitive activities of Imperial Oil.

After receiving his SLS Commission in 1949, Tom was granted ALS and BCLS Commissions in 1950 and 1958 Making some field notes in front of the tent near Chitek Lake in respectively. 1946. Note the improvised desk and comfortable ‘office chair’.

Here was a man who was self educated and had a most His wife Joyce and two sisters, Bea Johnstone, Isabelle Millen, interesting career for his entire working years. Tom retired in and their families, survive Mr. Thomas Watmore. He passed 1982 but maintained his interests including his life membership away on August 16, 2008. # in the Bearspaw Lions Club and playing senior hockey for years out of Calgary including tournaments throughout the United States and Canada. Youth vs. Wisdom A self-important young man attending a recent football game took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen sitting next to him why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation. “You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one” the young man said, loudly enough for all of those nearby to hear. “The young people of today grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, and man walking on the moon. Our space probes have visited Mars. We have nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars, cell phones, computers with light-speed processing .... and more.” After a brief silence, the senior citizen replied: “You‛re right, son. We didn‛t have those things when we were young ... so we invented them. Now, what are you doing for the next generation?”

Seated on the fender of a Phillips, Hamilton and Associates The applause was deafening. company Land Rover. The year on the licence plate is 1952. The tread on the tires is more consistent with that of a tractor.

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 9 Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) - Chapter 7 (Labour Mobility) Before & After the April 1, 2009 Compliance Deadline By Brian Munday, ALS, Executive Director

Reprinted from “ALS News” - December, 2008

In 1994, an interprovincial trade agree ment was signed by a plan and time lines for amending Chapter 7 to make it all first ministers. The agreement is called the Agreement more effective, to ensure “full mobility for all Canadians.” on In ternal Trade or AIT. Chapter 7 of the AIT deals with Additionally, trade ministers begin exploring ways to labour mobility. The purpose of Chapter 7 is to enable strengthen dispute settlement procedures, including any worker who is qualified in a province/territory to be granted access to employment opportuni ties in their monetary penalties. occupation in other provinces or territories. It is intended In July 2008, the premiers announced that they had to eliminate barriers and achieve mutual recognition of qualified workers across Canada. directed internal trade min isters to amend the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) by January 1, 2009 to achieve full Governments did not set a deadline at first; they allowed a labour mobility. Any exceptions to be clearly identified and “reasonable period of time” for compliance, to be decided justified as required to meet legitimate objectives such later. Regulatory bodies began taking necessary steps in as pro tection of health or public safety. Amend ments will 1995 by comparing occupational standards, developing result in mutual recognition of occupational credentials mutual recognition agreements and, supported by between all provinces and territories by the summer 2009 government officials, HRSDC funding. There was much Council of the Federation meeting. The premiers also activity and progress, but some challenging issues remain announced an enhanced dispute resolution mechanism unresolved. to enforce the AIT dispute panel recommendations in government-to-government disputes. In 1999, governments committed to ensure, by July 1, 2001, full compliance with the labour mobility provisions of What is the effect of the compliance deadline? the AIT. They reported that progress had been achieved, Governments agreed there will be “mutual recognition” of but further work was needed to remove remaining barriers qualified workers. “Mutual recognition” exists when qualified to labour mobility. Labour mobility work plans for 2001- work ers from other jurisdictions are recognized without 2008 have encouraged dialogue among consortia of any additional re-training, re-testing or re-assessment. regulatory bodies by comparing occupational standards This includes in ternationally-trained workers and “grand- parented” workers who are licensed in one jurisdiction. As and agreement to mutually recognize qualified workers. the deadline approaches, governments are proposing to Continued existence of labour mobility barriers resulted amend Chapter 7 to prepare for necessary action after April 1, 2009 and to ensure that Chapter 7 is an effective in premiers, trade min isters, labour market ministers and tool to achieve “full mobility for all Canadians.” other stakeholder groups renewing their calls for progress during 2004-2007. The Coun cil of the Federation and Why is Chapter 7 being amended? the Committee on Internal Trade agreed to make labour The current language needs amending be cause of calls mobility a priority. Labour market min isters were asked to for “full mobility” for quali fied workers within Canada. In report on non-com-pliant occupations and examine ways addition, the period for achieving voluntary compli ance to strengthen labour mobility commitments. ends on April 1, 2009 and governments need to reach Trade ministers agreed in Septem ber 2006 “to establish agreement on post-deadline activities. The current Chapter a new deadline of April 1, 2009, to ensure compliance by 7 language has resulted in a focus on process rather than all regulatory bodies with the labour mobil ity provisions outcomes and it is felt there is an opportunity to be clearer of the AIT.” Throughout 2006-2007, Canadian premiers on expected outcomes and ensure transparency regard- request ed labour market ministers to continue working ing recognition of qualifications. with occupations to achieve com pliance by the April 2009 The objective of Chapter 7 remains the same; however, deadline and report to the Council of the Federation with the means to achieve the objective will change. After April

Corner Post 10 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 1, 2009, there will be a shift from “process” to “outcomes.” That is, mutual recognition exists unless governments Labour Mobility In approve a legiti mate objective for maintaining an addi- Saskatchewan tional requirement. Governments require a framework for legitimate objectives, where a jurisdiction deems As a party to the Agreement on Internal Trade, the an additional requirement is warranted. Any additional government of Saskatchewan directed the Saskatchewan requirements that a province or territory wants to maintain Land Surveyors’ Association to comply with the Labour must meet the “legiti mate objectives” criteria and be Mobility Requirements. Initially, Council considered putting forward an argument that the existing Mutual defined in terms of competency differences. Any ad- Recognition Agreement, signed by all land survey ditional requirements must be transparent (i.e., published associations in Canada, would be expected to meet the on a public website). labour mobility requirements. However, it later became The expected outcome is the mutual recognition of evident that a different consensus was forming within the survey community in Canada with the majority qualifications; provinces and territories agree to mutually concluding that an extensive paring down of the recognize qualified workers of other provinces and admission requirements was possible and appropriate. territories. Mutual recognition means no additional The experiences of the ALSA and ABCLS, following requirements imposed on the worker and no need for the signing of the TILMA agreement between their two individual case -by-case assessment. However, a worker provinces, had already demonstrated that admission can still be required to demonstrate lo cal knowledge (e.g., screening for land surveyors licensed in the other jurisprudence), as required, and of language proficiency jurisdiction could reasonably be reduced to a single, on- (if not already demonstrated) and/or provide proof of good demand, half-day test of local knowledge. character (e.g. criminal record checks, references, proof On February 5 of 2009, a last-minute request was received of good standing). from the government of Saskatchewan, through ISC, asking the SLSA to identify any “material barriers” to What are additional requirements? labour mobility that could be considered necessary to Additional requirements are any measure that a achieve some legitimate objective. Public safety and province or territory (or its regula tory authority) consumer protection were sited as two areas where imposes on qualified work ers from other provinces legitimate objectives might be arguable. However, by then, a number of legal opinions had been offered from across or territories. It includes, but is not limited to examina- Canada that a single, on-demand, half-day examination tions, additional education/training, or practice on local knowledge would not be considered a material hours. Any additional require ment must be linked to barrier. This served to further solidify the new national demonstrated differences in occupational standards consensus on labour mobility related to land surveyors. or scopes of practice. Each province or terri tory Council considered the options at their meeting on must demonstrate why an additional requirement is February 13, 2009 and concluded that this association necessary to achieve a le gitimate objective and that should adopt the newly formed consensus standard of it is not, for example, a disguised barrier to mobility. a single, on-demand examination of local knowledge, and directed that the bylaw amendments necessary to Having agreed on the objective of mutual recognition implement the new standard, be prepared for presentation of qualifications, governments believe that additional at the 2009 Annual General Meeting. At least one of the re quirements should only exist to achieve a legitimate factors that contributed to the council’s decision was the objective. Chapter 7 currently has language respecting unanimous support, given by the members present at the legitimate objec tives; proposed amendments will build 2007 annual meeting, to a resolution urging the province upon these commitments and clarify their application. of Saskatchewan to join TILMA. As a result of a joint To maintain an additional requirement, a government presentation of the ALSA and ABCLS presidents at that must demon strate that the requirement is needed to meeting, the members were fully aware that a single, on- meet a legitimate objective. # demand examination of local knowledge was going to become the standard under that agreement. The labour mobility information above is excerpted from a The decision of the council was conveyed to the province Government of Alber ta PowerPoint presentation as part of with an indication that the April 1, 2009 deadline for its external stakeholder engagement consulta tion. Thank implementation would not be possible but that both you to Alberta Labour Mobil ity Coordinator Vince Athey bylaw and administrative changes could realistically be for providing the presentation to me. completed by September 1. # Due Dilligence: What does it mean to you? By Jennifer Beaulieu, ALSA Safety Committee

Reprinted from “ALS News” - December, 2008

ue diligence has become the latest buzz word in company? By carrying out the following three elements Dtoday’s society. It easily rolls off the tongue in of due diligence, you and your company will show that conversation, in print or on the news; but what is due dili- due diligence and reasonable care have been met. gence, actually? 1. Foreseeability: Recognize the potential for harm. Can Wikipedia defines due diligence as “a term used for a you predict or foresee something going wrong? number of concepts involving either the performance of an investigation of a business or person, or the performance 2. Setting up Systems: Having recognized the potential of an act with a certain standard of care and be a legal for harm, what steps must you take to address it? At a obligation and defence.” minimum, your company must provide: Due diligence is often associated with business transactions, • safe work practices and procedures for hazardous engineering qual ity assurance, environmental compliance, tasks; criminal defence, and so on. The big question is: what • adequate equipment (and maintain the equipment); does due diligence mean to you and how does it apply, when we are speaking in terms of occupational health and • personal protective equipment (PPE) training; safety within your organization? • direction and instruction; Occupational health and safety due diligence essentially means employers shall take reasonable precautions, • information; given the par ticular circumstances, to prevent injuries or accidents at the work place. To demonstrate that an • monitoring and correction. employer is exercising due diligence or reasonable care, 3. Ensuring that Systems Work: This is a simple matter the employer must implement a plan to identify pos sible of doing what you say are you going to do and enforc- work place hazards and carry out cor rective action to ing the systems of your safety program to make sure prevent accidents or injuries arising from the identified your program is working (i.e. hazard assessments, work place hazards. emergency response procedures, incident investi- Practising due diligence is vital as a legal defence for a gations, health and safety policies, preventative and defendant/employer charged under provincial occupational other maintenance). health and safety legislation or Bill C45 of the Canada You can assess you and your company’s “state of due Criminal Code. If charged, the defendant/employer may diligence” by reviewing your safety program and be found not guilty if he/she can prove that they showed answering the questions related to your own duties in the due diligence or reasonable care and they are able to prove following checklist. Asking these questions related to your that they provided all reasonable precautions, given the own duties and your overall knowledge as an employee cir cumstances, to protect the health and safety of their about company operations will help you assess your ability workers prior to the injury or inci dent. to demonstrate due diligence, and discover whether or Whether you are a CEO, manager, supervisor not your company is meeting the key components of due or worker, you are representing your diligence. company and you must do your part to ensure you Ultimately, by ensuring your company is fully due understand your responsibilities and are practising due diligent, you are creating a safe work environment and diligence and reason able care when performing your job. having a work ing safety program. You will find there are Ask yourself the following question: have I done substantial benefits for your company and your workers. A everything reasonably practi cable to make my work place safer work environment will result in reduced number of and workers safe? Or you may ask yourself, how can I work re lated injuries, lost time accidents, reduced worker demonstrate due diligence and reasonable care for my compensation costs and increased productivity. #

Corner Post 12 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 Due Diligence Checklist Yes No (For Employers, Managers, Supervisors and Workers)

Do you know and understand your safety and health responsibilities? (as an employer, manager, supervisor worker)

Do you have definite procedures in place to identify and control hazards? Have you integrated safety into all aspects of your work?

Do you set objectives for safety and health just as you do for quality, production, and sales (overall business performance)?

Have you committed appropriate resources to health and safety?

Have you explained safety and health responsibilities to all employees and made sure that they understand them?

Have employees been trained to work safely and use proper protective equipment? Is there a hazard reporting procedure in place that encourages employees to report/document all unsafe conditions and unsafe practices to their supervisors? Are managers, supervisors, and workers held accountable for safety and health just as they are held accountable for quality?

Is safety a factor when acquiring new equipment or changing a process (change management)?

Do you keep records of your safety program activities and improvements? (inspections reports and records of corrective actions etc..)

Do you keep the training and orientation records that each employee and supervisor receives?

Do your records show that you take disciplinary action when an employee violates safety procedures?

Do you keep records of sub-contractor pre-qualification documents?

Do you keep records of equipment maintenance reports?

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 13 THE CENTENNIAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY COMMISSION

Excerpts reprinted from www.internationalboundarycommission.org/boundary.html

Good Neighbours: A Short History of the Maintaining refers to caring for those monuments and to Canada–U.S. Boundary keeping clear sight-lines through the trees. Mapping refers to maintaining and creating official boundary maps. The Canada-U.S. border stretches for 8,891 km, or 5,525 miles, from the St. Croix River on the Atlantic Ocean to The IBC has been quietly effective over the past century, the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the Pacific, and from Dixon and the very few disagreements that have arisen have Entrance on the Pacific to the Arctic Ocean. It forms the been resolved by its two Commissioners. The IBC thus boundary of ten states, seven provinces and one territory, represents a true sharing of resources, intellect and and it traverses four of the Great Lakes. From Lake of the goodwill in pursuit of a common objective. Woods in Ontario all the way to the Pacific, the Canada- U.S. border is the world’s longest continuous straight Both the Canadian and American Sections of the IBC international boundary. have their own respective resources. Each year, the two Commissioners collaborate to allocate work equitably Our common boundary serves its purpose well, and it between the two sections. Some parts of the boundary has been cooperatively maintained for 100 years. The require ongoing maintenance as the result of topography, boundary defines the limits of national sovereignty, state vegetation and abutting land uses; others require less and provincial rights, local government jurisdiction and upkeep. parcels of private land. It allows airspace and mineral rights to be precisely defined. Without the boundary, it would be An effective boundary allows residents of Estcourt, Maine, difficult for adjacent communities to administer everything and Pohénégamook, Quebec, to know that their porch is from law enforcement to school tax assessment to speed in the United States while their kitchen is in Canada. It limits (whether in miles or kilometres). allows moose hunters in Maine and golfers in southern Saskatchewan to know when they have crossed into The Canada-U.S. boundary embodies a long history of another country. And it allows crab fishers in Boundary productive and mutually beneficial political engagement. Bay to know which set of fishing regulations to respect. It It represents many years of diplomacy and some 20 does what people need a boundary to do: it defines our agreements among four countries — the United States, space. Canada, the United Kingdom and Russia. The Atlantic– Pacific boundary was determined by the 1783 Paris The IBC also symbolizes continuing collaboration across Peace Treaty, the 1818 Convention of Commerce and the our boundary line. The Peace Arch on the Washington– 1846 Oregon Treaty. The Pacific – Arctic boundary dates British Columbia boundary and the Peace Garden on the to the Convention of 1825 and to more recent awards of North Dakota–Manitoba boundary are monuments to the territory. deep historical and cultural links between Canadians and Americans. Without the work of the IBC, we simply would Marking and maintaining the boundary has been the not know where the border is. mandate of the International Boundary Commission (IBC) since June 4, 1908, when the United States and the As Commissioners of the International Boundary United Kingdom (representing Canada) agreed by treaty Commission, we look forward to continuing to represent to each appoint a Commissioner. A treaty signed in 1925 a strong partnership between two neighbours, as the IBC allowed the Canadian and American Commissioners enters its second century. who jointly head the IBC to inspect the boundary, repair David Bernhardt and Peter Sullivan, Commissioners, and rebuild monuments, keep sight-lines open, place International Boundary Commission new monuments and report annually to their respective governments. The Canadian Commissioner is also guided The Commission by the International Boundary Commission Act, which sets The Commission is made up of two commissioners; one out that the purpose of the IBC is to maintain an effective appointed in the United States and one in Canada, each boundary between the two countries. chief of his own staff, equipment and budget. The U.S. The United States and Canada have enjoyed a vibrant Commissioner is appointed by the President and reports and collaborative relationship in marking, maintaining to the Secretary of State. The Canadian Commissioner is and mapping the boundary. Marking refers to placing appointed by Order-in-Council, and reports to the Minister thousands of monuments to make the border visible. for Foreign Affairs. For administrative purposes, the

Corner Post 14 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 Canadian Section of the Boundary Commission is located books. But between 1874 and 1908 the boundary had within the Department of Natural Resources Canada as a become overgrown and monuments obliterated so that it section of the Canada Centre for Cadastral Management. was necessary to re-establish the border demarcation to avoid any uncertainties that could lead to dispute. In 1925, The two current Commissioner’s for the United States when it was realized that such maintenance would have and Canada, are David L. Bernhardt and Peter Sullivan to be on a continuous basis, another treaty was signed respectively. Each country’s section operates their own establishing the Commission as the permanent caretaker offices and field crews. To contact the commission please of the boundary area and its markers. use our Contact Us page. Officially, the Commission’s work is described as maintaining Defining the Boundary the boundary in an effective state of demarcation. This The proper definition and demarcation of the boundary is is done by inspecting it regularly; repairing, relocating or still as essential for law enforcement as it was throughout rebuilding damaged monuments or buoys; keeping the the history of boundary establishment. It prevents local vista cleared, and erecting new boundary markers at such misunderstandings that could lead to disputes. The locations as new road crossings. International Boundary Commission, under International The Commission also regulates, under the provisions Treaty, maintains the 8,891 km (5,525 miles) boundary of the 1960 International Boundary Commission Act, all shown on 256 official boundary maps. The Commission construction within 3 metres or 10 feet of the boundary inspects, maintains and re-establishes over 8,000 and is responsible for defining the boundary location in any monuments and reference points, 1,000 survey control legal situation involving the border. The commissioners sites and keeps a 6 metre or 20 foot wide clear vista along report annually on the work done during the year and the land boundary line. provide to both governments the latest data on the - - boundary monuments. Legal Aspects All monuments along the boundary are located so that The Commission is responsible for determining the they tie in with the survey networks of both the United position of any point on the boundary necessary to settle States and Canada through 1000 survey control stations questions that might arise between the two governments. established for this purpose near the border. The position For example, law officers preparing to make arrests for of any monument may be redetermined at any time by smuggling or drug trafficking in the border area must be the survey crews of the Commission, which are called sure that their suspects are on national territory. Also, if on constantly to perform assorted survey duties along ships collide in the St. Lawrence or on the Great Lakes, the boundary. These duties include improving survey their position must be accurately known to determine connections to the control stations and establishing new where the legal case will be heard. Such legal teasers monuments. were common during the 140 years it took to establish the present boundary location. In fact, the following examples The International Boundary became major issues in redefining the boundary from a If you look along the International Boundary between general description in treaty papers to a surveyed and Canada and the United States in any forested area, it marked line on the ground. In 1825, an American citizen will appear simply as a 6 metre or 20 foot cleared swath symbolically raised an American flag on the north shore stretching from horizon to horizon, dotted in a regular of the Saint John River, and then declared that he would pattern with white markers. Over mountains, down cliffs, defend its honor. Legally, could he have been tried for along waterways and through prairie grasses, the line treason in a British court when ownership of the territory snakes 8,891 kilometres or 5,525 miles across North was in dispute? In 1859, an American citizen on San America, tranquil, undefended but not uncared for. The Juan Island shot a pig - the property of the Hudson’s boundary vista must be entirely free of obstruction and Bay Company. Could law enforcers take him before a plainly marked for the proper enforcement of customs, magistrate in Victoria and make him pay damages under immigration, fishing and other laws of the two nations. British law? In 1845, an American citizen made a claim on The job of keeping the boundary vista in proper condition alleged land of the Hudson’s Bay Company north of the falls to the International Boundary Commission. The Columbia River. Was this claim to be honored in territory Commission was founded under the Treaty of 1908 for already claimed by the British? Attempts to answer one specific purpose: the complete re-establishment and such questions arose as settlers moved across North mapping of the boundary from the Atlantic Ocean to the America. They resulted in clashes between the settlers, Pacific Ocean. The boundary had already been defined land claiming prompted by national pride and imperial by treaty and most of it surveyed by 1874. The fires of design, and negotiations that sometimes approached national honor, which had flared up over the legalities of open hostility. But in the end, diplomacy prevailed and the boundary location and had colored American and Canadian boundary was accurately described and marked on the relations for 140 years, had been relegated to the history ground, ending such problems. #

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 15 BCIT Geomatics Update By Ian Lloyd

Reprinted from “The Link” - Volume 31, No. 4, December 2008

h e a c a d e m ic ye a r i s i n f u l l s w i n g. We h ave a p p r ox i m a t ely The Geomatics Department and Northern Lights College T130 students of which 31 are in the Degree and the are working together to have a first year Geomatics Diploma balance in the Diploma Program. Within the Degree we have program in Fort St. John by September 2009. NLC is trying approximately 40% from out of province which provides an to design the program to meet the Canadian Technologists interesting blend of experiences. Accreditation Board’s (CTAB) academic requirements for a technician as well as BCIT’s requirements for entry into The program continues to enjoy strong support from industry second year. and the value of our close alignment with the land surveying profession was evident in the large number of awards and Our Diploma program will go through CTAB accreditation scholarships received by the Geomatics Students at the Fall in March of 2009. Scholarship and Awards Ceremony this November. We are in communication with the Northwest Survey The dominance of the Geomatics students as awards Educator’s Group in Washington State and look forward to recipients at this public ceremony is very healthy for the strengthening that relationship. department and the industry. There are opportunities for additional support for the Degree students and we look The Canadian Institute of Geomatics “Brown Bag” lunch forward to this as the program establishes itself. has evolved into a successful feature including several speakers from the ABCLS. A few BCLS’s have been spotted The Geomatics Department has received a Cyrax High attending these events and are always welcome. Definition Survey system as a donation from the Focus Corporation. The third year degree students were guests This generous donation of the Lower Mainland has been complimented Group and the Career by Cyclone software Awareness Group at the from Leica Geosystems. Fall Group Meeting. Our instructors are now The students study how busy modifying their professional associations curriculum to include work in their Cadastral this technology in the Studies course so it was upcoming winter term. of great benefit for them We now have both High to be part of a meeting. Definition and long range scanning systems. With our increased enrolment there is We would also like to an increased demand acknowledge Focus for project ideas and Corporation for their mentors. As part of the sponsorship of the BCIT The BCIT Campus is in Burnaby is just a few blocks off Bachelor of Technology Geomatics Tripods the TransCanada Highway each student is required Hockey Team. This is a first for BCIT’s Recreation to complete a project. The course is six credits and should Department to have a sponsored team. The players are very involve approximately 120 hours of productive time. Topics proud of this and it promotes the profession and department can vary from practical to academic research. Mentors throughout the intramural community. are not involved in the marking, only in providing some guidance and encouragement, generally only a few hours The Program Advisory Committee continues to diligently of time would be required over a year long period. The provide industry input into the program. The ABCLS has students take a project planning course in their 3rd year and been well represented on the committee by Hans Troelsen, undertake the project in their 4th year. # and indirectly by Monty Brisson (City of Surrey), Jack Larsen (CBEPS), and Mike Thomson (LTSA).

Corner Post 16 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 ProMark™ 500 Multi-constellation RTK Surveying by Magellan

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ProMark 500 encompasses all the RTK features that land surveyors expect for Gemini Positioning Systems Ltd. productive and reliable positioning and concentrates the best Magellan technologies for 611 71st Avenue SE Calgary, AB T2H 0S7 the survey market. 1-800-361-0978 Talon Survey Solutions To learn more about the ProMark 500 winning 1255 38th Avenue NE combination, visit www.pro.magellanGPS.com today Calgary, AB T2E 6M2 1-866-608-2566 ©2007 Magellan Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved. Magellan, the Magellan logo, ProMark, BLADE and FAST Survey are trademarks of Magellan Navigation, Inc. MONITORING PROJECTS ARE EVERYWHERE How much work did you The new Trimble Engineering and Monitoring Solution expands the role of your survey pass up this morning? teams. Detect, monitor and report motion anywhere, in real-time. You’ll have new opportunities to handle a broader scope of jobs than ever before, in places you’ve never considered. The world is in constant motion. See how surveyors around the world are advancing business with Trimble Engineering and Monitoring Solutions.

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Reprinted from “action!” - The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce Magazine - January 2009

After a fatal on the job incident in December, workplace safety With this in mind, the WCB and WorkSafe Saskatchewan is again at the top of everyone’s mind, and with the second have launched the Mission Zero campaign, targeting zero highest injury rate in the country, Saskatchewan needs a lot workplace injuries for Saskatchewan. “We think Mission Zero of improvement. is real and achievable,” stressed Eberle. “It is not a ‘pie in the sky’ target. “I believe safety should always be a priority for both employers and employees,” stressed WCB Chairman David Eberle. There are companies in Saskatchewan achieving zero “Ideally, at the start of every Board meeting in Saskatchewan, injuries and we know all companies can achieve it.” there should be a discussion about the organization’s safety For Mosaic, getting serious on safety meant engaging their record. A serious commitment to workplace safety starts at employees in the process. the top.” “Workplace safety is not about assigning blame. It is about working together to identify opportunities to improve safety, and to make it happen. It is up to employers to create a safe “Workplace injuries should be unacceptable environment and for employees to behave in a safe manner,” in Saskatchewan. There is no such thing as continued Cooper. “We have to work together in a shared a workplace ‘accident.’ The word ‘accident’ leadership role.” indicates that the incident could not have For employers looking to enhance their own safety record, been avoided and this is never the case.” both men recommended dedicating time to developing a WCB Chairman, David Eberle safe environment. “Arrange for speakers, training and other sessions as necessary to raise the profile of workplace safety and the consequences of injuries,” continued Eberle. “It is This statement was echoed by Lorne Cooper, Vice President important that everyone personally connect behaviors and of Environment Health and Safety for Potash at Mosaic: a consequences.” company that has become an industry leader in safety, in and outside of the workplace. Eberle recommended connecting with OH&S and/or WCB for additional information on speakers anti informational “As our safety programs evolved, we looked for ways to continue to improve. We realized that injuries at work or away sessions. are costly to employers, employees and the community in Off-the-job injury prevention has also been a key component several ways” elaborated Cooper. “The communities are of Mosaic’s safety initiative. “Injuries are many times more where we live. Injuries to our friends and neighbours are likely to occur at home than at work,” noted Cooper. “We obviously something we want to avoid. For our employees, often seem to leave our safety consciousness at the gate at who make our business successful, their well being is the end of the work day. But to an employee or an employer, it essential for the business and community.” matters little in practical terms where you get hurt. The pain is “Employees have the right to expect a safe workplace, and the same. The costs and inconvenience are similar. Wherever safety wise we want to be a preferred employer. In addition, we can prevent incidents, the benefit is the same.” employees who are not getting hurt at work or at home make In conclusion, both men stressed that a successful safety our workplace a more effective and satisfying place to be, program requires leadership. “Getting the right person in the and minimize pressure on the overall workforce.” right safety role is one of the best ways to raise workplace While a top down commitment to safety is the first step in awareness about safety,” concluded Eberle. In addition to reducing workplace injuries. Eberle knows there is a lot this, Cooper noted that, “the best safety programs in the of work to do. “We need to change the careless attitude world will yield mediocre results, without clarity of vision to towards safety that is prevalent in Saskatchewan. When I see what must be done to achieve safety excellence, and came in as Chairman of the WCB, I was flabbergasted with perseverance to follow it through to completion. In short, it what was happening with workplace injuries in our province. needs leaders.” I think workplace injuries are thought of as the cost of doing 40.000 Saskatchewan workers reported injuries in 2007 (a business. We need a culture shock and an attitude change rate of 3.8 per 100 employees) and as of December 2008 the when it comes to safety practices.” provincial rate was 3.67 per 100 employees. “Workplace injuries must become unacceptable in Saskatchewan,” continued Eberle. “There is no such thing Intentional injuries in Saskatchewan, both on and off the job, as a workplace accident. The word accident indicates that cost the Province, as well as the taxpayers, almost $1 billion the incident could not have been avoided and this is never in 2008, based on wage loss from injury, production loss from the case.” injury, and health care costs related to the injury. #

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 21 Survival of the Most Adaptable By Christopher Seepe

Reprinted from “Ontario Professional Surveyor” - Volume 52, No. 1, Winter 2009

oogle, a magical kingdom far, far away where the lobby Most of the geospatial industry’s recent business challenges and Gis graced with lava lamps and pianos, where the land advances have little to do with the science or the technologies is speckled with gourmet cafeterias, washers and dryers, a that analyze and interpret geographic informa tion. Rather, bowling alley, and video games of every kind, and where its the challenges (and opportunities) centre on how high-quality buzzing little busy burghers play roller hockey twice a week in geospatial imagery and other data is collected, processed, the parking lot. manipulated, stored and delivered with precision, in a time- and Google is one of the world’s twenty most recognized brand cost-effective manner. names as well as the world’s fastest growing brand. The Google Google Earth, now just under four years old (June 2005), website is in the top five most visited websites worldwide, combines the power of Google Search with satellite imagery, its search engine receives about a billion search requests per maps, terrain and 3D buildings to put the world’s location- day, and its computing infrastructure includes over 450,000 related information at the fingertips of tens of millions of users, computers located in data centres around the world. who have collectively downloaded Google Earth more than The difference may seem subtle. The implications and 400,000,000 times. consequences are not. So what does this ten year old, ten billion dollar baby behemoth Geospatial organizations which survive this sea change will mean to the geospatial world in general, and to surveying in have learned that they are no longer earth sciences organizations particular? that employ information technology to assist in their business processes. They will have trans formed into information The answer really depends on whether you believe the technology (I.T.) organizations that specialize in producing and visualization of geospatial information in the third and fourth delivering geospatial data, prod ucts and services. dimension has any relevance to you. Google Earth has transformed the geospatial sciences from curious niche professions and industries that many people didn’t even know existed and even fewer people understood, into mainstream Information Technology, metamorphosing Geomatics into Geoinformatics.

In First Base Solution’s case, the sea change demanded significant investment in order to be ready for the next generation of geospatial business opportunities; a multimillion dollar twin engine aircraft and digital airborne camera system, a million dollar 200+ terabyte computing infrastructure, extensive in- house research and development to automate auto-triangulation, orthorectification, image alignment and stitching, surface modelling, surface feature identification, stereo imaging, 3D modelling and other feature extractions, web development and the company’s internal computer networking.

The inexorable evolution of science and technology, in its most simplistic sense, is measured by advances in the tools that enhance the human experience and quality of life from black and white to colour, from coarse to fine, from low resolution to The I.T. industry is all about collecting, managing, manip ulating high resolution, shrinking ever smaller (as in microelectronics) and delivering data, whether you are in accounting, surveying, or growing ever larger (as in skyscrapers), ever faster, ever GIS, web development, writing sales proposals or any other further. part of the geospatial industry. Geoinformatics organizations enable their customers to do the same; manip ulate and display Maps and most survey plans are 2D diagrams of how things photographic and clipart-like images to simulate geographic were or are (allowing for production time lags). 3D modelling surroundings.

Corner Post 22 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 allows for the display and analysis of how things and events All time components will be animated, borrowing technologies could be and how they change over time. and know-how extensively from, of all places, the online computer gaming industry. 3D modelling helps to make the real world a better place to live in by testing alternatives without real world legal, economic We’ll want to continually improve our understanding of the and social consequences. impact that our perpetual construction has on the purposes and value of property and, in the bigger picture, on our It is inevitable that we will want to measure our world in the environment. third and fourth dimensions, as evidenced by the incred ible growth in demand for mass-produced 3D modelling cityscapes. It takes myriad skill sets to achieve the grand illusion of a Measuring events over time the fourth dimen sion—within a 3D virtual world; collecting the raw data (aerial photography, model is equally inevitable. LiDAR, survey plans, etc.), correcting the flaws (orthorecti- fication) with geo-referenced precision, creating an accurate And if you’re thinking this will happen gradually, or that this is representation of the contours of the earth (surface or terrain something that the next generation of geospatial professionals modelling), putting all the pieces together to create one seamless will have to deal with, you’re mistaken. Within three years, image (mapping), and delivering it for use by geospatial most of the major urban centres around the world will have and non-geospatial professionals—emergency response been modelled. As the building “skins” are completed, the next dispatchers, economic development planners, land developers, logical step will be to model the events and activities that take tax collectors, educators, emergency response and recovery, the place within the buildings and the overall urban model. We’ll list is endless—and ultimately, every citizen and consumer. want to know where everything is at a particular moment in time; buses, street cars, police cars, trains, ambulances, fire Survival of the Fittest is a misnomer, premised on adaptability. trucks, courier vehicles, taxis, delivery vehicles, etc. Herbert Spencer’s concept might arguably be more correctly called Survival of the Most Adaptable. Those who do not adapt While that’s happening, we will want to model in three to change in their environment run a high risk of extinction. dimensions every floor of every building; HVAC conduits, And the more specialized you are or the more dependent you floor plans, power grids, emergency equipment and evacuation remain on a particular technology, the greater your risk of plans, plumbing, etc. failure.

For the most part, Google (Earth) has pulled the geospa tial industry, with great reluctance, into the 21st century. Those who embrace the profound changes that will take place over the next few years may not only survive, but they may blossom or even eclipse traditional industry leaders who do not adapt.

Google Trivia According to Marissa Mayer, Product Manager for Google, the name ‘Google’ was a spelling mistake made by the original founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who thought they were using ‘Googol,’ a word coined by Milton Sirotta, nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner. A googol refers to the value of one followed by a hundred zeros. There isn’t a googol of anything in the universe — not stars, not dust particles, not atoms. Google says its use of the word reflects its mission to organize the world’s seemingly infinite amount of information and make it universally accessible and useful. #

About First Base Solutions And also while that is happening, we will model all the assets First Base Solutions is based in Markham, Ontario. It is Goog- around and in between the buildings; trees (arguably the number le’s only reseller/integrator partner in Canada and provides one required model after buildings), fire hydrants, benches, end-to-end Geoinformatics solutions including aerial imagery assets on utility poles, etc. acquisition, 3D modelling, geodata visualization, and fully au- tomated web delivery services. We already want to test contingency plans before bad things happen and what to do when they do happen. For more information, visit: www.firstbasesolutions.com.

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 23 The Value of Professional Services by Bryan Bates, BCLS, ALS, CLS, P.Eng.

f you’ve worked as a professional for any length of time, of quality are understood, then negotiations over toasters Iyou’ve probably had a conversation like this with a client. become boiled down to a few key factors such price, It starts out innocently enough over lunch or a coffee, but at amount, delivery time lines and payment terms. some point the conversation takes a noticeable shift when Some kinds of labour activities can be handled like a your client says, “We’ve decided to bid out our next project. commodity. For example, once a person learns how to We are trying to get costs down, so we’re going to send this assemble a toaster properly, their labour can be bought out to a few companies, yours included, and get everyone in the same way the product will be. There can be a to submit their best price.” negotiation over how many toasters will be produced and how quickly they will be done, but as long as the toasters You take a moment to consider what your client just said. are put together according to the instructions there is not Despite the long term relationship you have with them, much else to negotiate. The intrinsic value of the labour to despite the number of times you kept their projects from build the toaster is no different from person to person, so going off schedule, and despite the time and money-saving therefore the labour can be treated as a commodity. advice you provided over many years, this client has decided to open up the client/professional relationship to the lowest- cost provider. You think to yourself, “This can’t be good! How did it happen? What changed?” To really understand what happened, you need to understand what motivated your client to make that decision and the information they based this decision on.

This type of thinking shows up in different ways too, from clients asking for deep discounts on professional fees, to comparing fee schedules from company to company as a way of making comparisons between professionals. In the end, this thinking stems from the same reasons based on the same motivation. Professional services are different in that it is difficult to capture everything about them in standards of quality. People do what they are motivated to do, and your client Professional services frequently include intangibles such follows this principle too. It is good for your client to spend as: their money as wisely as possible on the goods and services • relevant experience they need. Your client probably thinks that he is going to get • advice the best value by bidding out the work for the lowest price, • service tailored to client needs but that line of thinking is based on an incorrect assumption: • good judgment that goods and professional services are the same thing. • ethical behaviour • innovation Goods vs. Professional Services Is it easy to set a standard for something like good advice? It is important to remember the difference between goods If not, then how does a client ensure the advice they get is and professional services and then educate your clients up to the standard they need? These intangibles are why all the time on why this difference should matter to them. some professionals are valued more than others and are the Goods (or commodities) are usually some sort of tangible reason why the lowest cost professional is not necessarily thing that can be bought or sold, for example, a toaster. It the best choice. is usually quite easy to attach standards of quality to goods. The Simplification Using our example toaster, it is easy to understand the qualities of it through descriptive terms such as 2 slice, CSA It is quite easy for a client to make the decision to award approved, stainless-steel finish, etc. Once those standards work to the lowest bidder – all they need to do is change

Corner Post 24 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 their perception of a professional service so that it looks a client truly understands the value of the professional, they the same as a commodity. To do that, they attach a few are willing to pay more money for that level of service. standards such as delivery date and final project deliverables and then gloss over all the intrinsic value that stems from What Can the Professional Do? the intangible qualities of a professional. Once that change There are several ways to deal with changing perceptions in perception is made, it is no big leap to start looking for the about the value of professional service and remind your lowest price. The bid process seems to be a perfect fit! client about why they chose to work with you in the first place. First, ensure that your services are truly up to the On the surface, it seems the client is getting what they asked professional level and that you haven’t turned yourself into for; they get the product they asked for when they wanted a commodity through complacency. If the work you do for your clients has become routine and nothing more, then it done. However, by making a decision based solely on your level of service is not up to professional standards. It price, they have motivated their service provider to do one is time to re-evaluate what you are doing and bring back of two things: First, the service provider will do exactly what the level of service that got you there in the first place. If the client requested in their bid documents and nothing you are unable to see the professional touches in your own more. So, if the client’s bid specification was unclear about work, then your client will most certainly not be able to see what they wanted, they are not going to get exactly what them. they needed because the service provider did only what was requested in the bid documents.

Second, the service provider is strongly motivated to do extra things not specifically covered by the bid document standard, and then charge the client for doing those extra things. This is such a strong motivation that a potential service provider may submit a bid with a ridiculously low price, knowing that they will “make it up” by charging high prices for extras. To make matters worse, there is no motivation for the service provider to help their client avoid problems, because problems lead to extra work outside the original scope.

So, did the client end up getting the results they needed for a lower price?

The Professional Relationship is Better in the Long Term A long-term working relationship between the client and their professional yields the highest level of service and meets Second, educate your client on what you do for them. the needs of the client better than an ever-changing service Ensure that they know what sorts of regulatory traps you are provider relationship based on price. A professional will ask steering them past. Remind them of the times you kept their questions to make sure they truly understand the client’s project on track and reduced costs through an innovative needs. A professional will regularly find ways to reduce the solution you provided. And most importantly, educate them amount of work they need to do for their client, knowing that on these benefits all of the time rather than waiting until they decide to bid out work. If a client always understands the they are creating goodwill that should lead to more work extra value they derive from working with you, they won’t later. A professional will help their client avoid problems see any benefit in seeking out a lower cost, lower quality because they think long term and know that if their client service. succeeds, they succeed too. Finally, get back to some basics with your client by asking key Interestingly, when a client is confronted with a situation in questions. Make sure you understand their current needs so which they clearly need the services of a skilled professional, that you can bring solutions to the table that matter to them. Find out what some of their recent challenges have been and for example a massive lawsuit, they will often deliberately tailor your services to help them overcome those challenges. seek out the higher-cost professional. The perception, and Through the right questions, you may just discover they need there is much truth to it, is that a $400/hour lawyer provides your services more than either of you realized and there is a higher level of service than a $150/hour lawyer. So, when room to grow that working relationship. #

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 25 I Just Can’t Get No Respect! By Jim Maidment, ALS

Reprinted from “ALS News” - December, 2008 If we are diligent in our practice of providing our client with full professional care, thereby contributing to the knowledge of land and better management of land, we will be seen as professionals and earn the respect we desire.

From the very start of my career in land surveying, and very important to them and they deserve our professional possibly before that, the members of our Association attention and advice. have been working to be recognized and treated as professionals. We sometimes question why clients do not Once we have determined that they need a subdivision value and respect our work. We are often seen as just one survey we need to confirm additional information to more roadblock or necessary evil that must be tolerated provide the appro priate advice. Have they obtained in order for them to complete their project. Much of this subdivision approval or just the land use redesignation? public misconception is derived from our basic neglect of Do they need our help with the process? Do they have our professional responsi bilities. If we want to be treated a lawyer or will the surveyor be preparing the neces- as professionals, we must behave as professionals. sary documents? Will they be requiring financing and possibly need an RPR as well? Should the mortgage I believe that much of the problem lies with our minimal be discharged from the newly created lots? Do they need con tact with the client. Just how much time do we, the our help with the transfers? ALS`s, spend discussing the project with the client? My guess is that many of us only have brief contact with the job and often just complete the final checks and ... we need to confirm additional signature. We need to move from simply completing the information to provide the appro- technical side of the survey towards the ‘big pic ture’ priate advice. which includes offering services that the client doesn’t realize he needs. The ALS should be the one to clarify and It is very important that we review the ‘conditions confirm the client’s exact requirements, make suggestions of subdivi sion approval’ in order to properly advise to handle future re quirements, and give the client some our client. For example, it is very easy for a client to comfort and trust that they have contacted the right disregard or misunderstand an impor tant item such person. Good explanations of the process plus a few as a road widening. We need to read the condition suggestions are critical because, if we are not clear, they and perhaps even confirm with the municipality if the will be confused, distrustful, and uncomfortable. We requirement is to provide actual road dedication now or need to explain the value of our service, how it could just register a caveat with respect to an agreement for save them money in the long run, and how it can reduce future road widening. This will dramatically change the their exposure to future li abilities. I think we need to be impact on our client with respect to his use of the land. providing “Full Professional Care.” I’ll use the example of a subdivision survey to describe my thoughts on “Full Professional Care.” ... review the ‘conditions of the subdivision approval’ in order to The typical initial contact begins with the vague statement, “I need a survey” followed immediately by the question, properly advise our client. “What will that cost?” What they really need is some professional help so we need to ask a few questions to What if there is a deferred reserve caveat (DRC) on the arrive at a good understanding of their requirements. certificate of title? The surveyor is the obvious choice to Why do they need the survey? What do they want to have recognize a DRC and be in a position to have it removed. when the whole process is done? Often our termi nology We need to determine, with the municipality, if they will may be quite different from theirs so “I need a survey” consent to either a partial or full discharge of the DRC. could mean an RPR, a topographic survey, a subdivision, We need to confirm with the landowner that they want it or just a copy of the registered plan. In most cases, the removed. During the subdivision process, the client will potential client doesn’t understand our system of titles, usually either provide municipal reserve (MR) or provide plans, subdivisions, and so on, so the ALS must spend cash in lieu so, once provided, the existing DRC should be some serious time with them on every job. The project is removed (in whole or in part) from the newly created titles. We would need to prepare the (full or partial) discharge

Corner Post 26 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 document and have it executed by the municipality as of ownership process. The `oilfield’ surveyor must the caveator. We must then see that it is included on the understand the effect of filing or registering their plans, document registration request form (DRR) in the right the required documents, the progression of caveats and order during the registration process so that it doesn’t utility right of way documents towards the ultimate goal of show up, even temporarily, on all of the newly created specific rights of way. lots and then need to be removed later.

Another obvious step would be the removal of an existing As the stewards of the survey system, it mortgage. Following registration of the subdivision, is our responsibility to assist in keeping the client will want to sell the newly created lot without the certificate of title as clear and as any existing mortgages. We are very likely obtaining a consent from the mortgagee anyway, but could go the relevant as possible while, at the same extra step and obtain a partial discharge of the mortgage time, satisfying the client’s needs. (with respect to the new lots) to save the client the time and expense later. In conclusion, Section 1 of our Code of Ethics states: “an Often, in the rural subdivision scenario, legal access to the Alberta land surveyor shall serve society, his clientele and parcel is quite obvious but the practical access perhaps his profession with the ultimate objective of contributing to utilizes a shared driveway or a different route used by the knowledge of land, to the better management of land mutual agreement of neighbours. If we are aware of the and to the preservation of peaceful and lawful enjoyment situation, we should be making the suggestion that this of land.” If we are diligent in our practice of providing our is likely the time to formalize the agreement and have it client with full professional care, thereby contributing to properly registered at the Land Titles Office. That way, as the knowledge of land and better management of land, neighbours change, the agreed access will remain intact. we will be seen as professionals and earn the respect we Since we are on site anyway, an easy solution would be desire. # to survey the driveway and register a filed plan for access easement purposes. In addition, we would need to register the access easement document that will be prepared by the client’s lawyer and refer to our newly registered plan for the description. We Have Roads - All Kinds of Roads . .

In discussions with the client, the . . according to the “Saskatchewan Book of surveyor should determine if they will Everything”. Quoting from the Government of be selling any of their lots with existing Saskatchewan, TransCanada Highway Online buildings. and Encylopedia of Saskatchewan, we have: • 26,250 km of highway In discussions with the client, the surveyor should determine if they will be selling any of their lots with • 13,460 km of paved highway existing buildings. If so, they will very likely need a real property report (RPR) to complete the real estate • 5,700 km of gravel road transaction. We should make the suggestion that it be • 131 km or ice road completed while the crew is there during the subdivision process. The RPR may also be a requirement to satisfy • 654 km of the Trans-Canada Higway the conditions of subdivision approval and confirm that no bylaw infractions have been created. • 13,041 km of railroad As the stewards of the survey system, it is our responsibility This tiny book, published as part of the “Book of to assist in keeping the certificate of title as clear and as Everything” series, is jam packed with interesting relevant as possible while, at the same time, satisfying facts and figures about our province. the client’s needs. To properly advise our clients, we must understand the entire process ourselves. This includes For more information, go to: not just the survey details, but all the related elements as well. The subdivision surveyor must understand the www.bookofeverything.com planning process, the municipal requirements and time lines, the registration process, proper description and execution methods for documents, and the transfer

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 27 U .S. Standard Railroad Gauge Author Unknown

Reprinted from “Treasure State Surveyor” - Volume XXXVIII, Issue I - January 2009

hen you see a space shuttle sitting on the launch And the ruts? pad, there are two big booster rockets attached W The initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are the solid fear of destroying their wagons, were fi rst made by rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Mor- Roman war chariots. ton Thiokol at a factory in Utah. And since the chariots were made by Imperial Originally, the engineers Roman chariot makers, who designed the SRBs they were all alike in the wanted to make them matter of wheel spac- much fatter than they ing. are. Unfortunately, the Well, here we are. We SRBs had to be shipped by now have the answer train from the factory to to the original ques- the launch site in Florida tion. The United States and the railroad line runs standard railroad gauge through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had of 4 feet, 8.5 inches to be made to fi t through derives from the origi- that tunnel. nal specifi cation for an Imperial Roman army Now, the width of that war chariot. Specs and tunnel is just a little wid- bureaucracies live for- er than the U.S. Standard ever. Railroad Gauge (distance between the rails) of 4 That‛s nice to know, feet, 8.5 inches. That‛s an but it still doesn‛t an- exceedingly odd number. swer why the Imperial Did you ever wonder why that gauge was used? Be- Roman war chariot de- cause US railroads were signers chose to spec designed and built by English expatriates, and that‛s the chariot‛s wheel spacing at exactly 4 feet. 8.5 the way they built them in England. inches. Okay, then why did the English engineers build them Are you ready? like that? Because that was the width needed to accommodate Because the fi rst rail lines of the 19th century were the rear ends of two Imperial Roman war horses!! built by the same craftsmen who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that‛s the gauge they used. Well, now you have it. The railroad tunnel through which the late 20th cen- I‛ll bite, why did those craftsmen choose that tury space shuttle SRBs gauge? must pass was excavat- Because they used the same jigs and tools that were ed slightly wider than previously used for building wagons. and you guessed it, two 1st century horses‛ the wagons used that wheel spacing. butts. Consequently, a major design feature Now I feel like a fi sh on a hook! Why did the wagons of what is arguably the use that odd wheel spacing? world‛s most advanced Well, if the wagon makers and wheelwrights of the time transportation system tried to use any other spacing. the wheel ruts on some was spec‛d by the width of the old, long distance roads would break the wagon or a horse‛s behind! axles. As a result, the wheel spacing of the wagons had So, the next time you are to match the spacing of the wheel ruts worn into those handed a specifi cation ancient European roads. and wonder what horses‛ So who built those ancient roads? rear end came up with it, The fi rst long distance roads in Europe were built by you may be exactly right. Imperial Rome for the benefi t of their legions. The Now you know what is # roads have been used ever since. “behind” it all.

Corner Post 28 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 Geodetic Survey Division Celebrates Centenary

Reprinted from "Ontario Land Surveyor" - Volume 52, No. 1, Winter 2009

onday, April 20, 2009 marks the 100th anniversary of the work in Canada, and American geodetic work in the United Msigning of the Order in Council that created the Geodetic States were joined together, and the respective national nets Survey of Canada. The object of the division as stated in the adjusted to fit together order was “to determine with the highest attainable accuracy the By the end of 1925, a total of 17,021 miles of precise leveling position of points throughout the country, and the lengths and had been run by the Geodetic Survey of Canada and the area directions for lines which may form the basis of surveys for all of triangulation work that had been completed reached 170,000 purposes, topographical, engineering or cadastral, and thereby square miles. assist in the survey work carried on by other Departments of the Dominion Government, by the Provincial Governments, The primary role of the GSD today is to maintain and facilitate efficient access to what is now known as the Canadian Spatial and by municipalities, private persons or corporations.”1 Dr. Reference System (CSRS), which provides fundamental William F. King, Chief Astronomer of the Astronomical reference values for positioning and navigation activities in Branch of the Department of the Interior, was named as the first Canada. # Superintendent of the Geodetic Survey Division (GSD). 1 Thompson, Don W. – Men and Meridians Vol. 2, 1867 to 1917, Queen’s “From the time it came into being a policy of cooperation with Printer, Ottawa, Page 228 the United States as well as with the various provinces and 2 IBID cities of Canada was followed by the Geodetic Survey of this 3 IBID For more information on the Geodetic Survey Division’s centenary activi- country. An outstanding demonstration of this policy in action ties, send an e-mail to: was the adoption by Canada of what came later to be known as [email protected] the North American Datum.”2 “In addition, Canadian geodetic

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 29 LEVEL BUBBLES By Robert Reese, LS

Reprinted from “California Surveyor” - Winter 2009 - Issue #157

ne of the simplest – and most important – items in the greater the radius of the curve, the more sensitive the level Osurveyor’s tool box is the level vial, either circular (bull’s vial is to a given deviation from level. eye) type or tube type. The sensitivity of a level vial is usually specified as the angular Below are some examples. amount, e.g. 30’ (thirty minutes) or 1º (one degree), required to move the bubble a specific amount, usually 2 mm, but it can be more. This can be translated into a gradient value as well, much as 45º (angular amount) can be expressed as 1:1 (rise over run) or 100% (percent). The graduations on a tube level vial or the size of the circle on a circular level vial may or may not represent the unit for the sensitivity. The figure 1: tube level vial with graduations – bubble indicator graduations may only provide a visual reference to gauge how much the bubble moves.

PRACTICAL EXAMPLE TO DETERMINE RADIUS Let’s use a single tube level vial as an example. Say it has a sensitivity of one degree and graduations on the tube that are 2mm apart. That means the tube vial can be inclined 1º off level and the bubble will move 2mm. OK, so with a little bit of trig (look in the back of any of your field books for curve formulae) and curve geometry: figure 2: circular (bull’s eye) level vial with circular graduation – bubble indicator Equation 1: radius = [length of arc]÷[central angle in radians] GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF LEVEL VIALS ...OR... These level vials use a curved surface mounted to a reference surface that is normal to gravity as a way to measure level. Equation 2: In figure 1 & 2, the void in the fluid – the bubble - is displaced by the fluid being drawn down by gravity and always rises to radius = [length of arc x 360]÷[angle in degrees x 2π] the highest part of the vial as the reference surface is moved So we know that the radius of this tube level vial is about off level. 115mm, or 0.38’.

Single tube level vials can measure level in the direction of To get a gradient equivalent for this particular level vial, ask the tube only. Two tube level vials oriented at 90º to each the following question: how many millimeters must a 1 meter other must be used in order to act as a two-axis level, or length be raised to move the bubble 2mm? The answer is one tube level vial that can be rotated around a full circle 17.46 mm or 17.46:1000, which happens to be the tangent can indicate level through 360º. The circular level vial has of 1º. the advantage that it can indicate 2D level in all directions with one device. Older transits and levels had four leveling screws and either one or two tube level vials to indicate WHAT’S THAT MEAN IN THE FIELD? level adjustment. Increasingly, survey equipment is being The real question is: What’s this mean to you when you level outfitted with sensitive circular level vials for quick leveling of an instrument or plumb a rod? the instruments to be within the range of the compensators. According to specs from the distributor, the circular level vial SENSITIVITIES in that orange rod level (figure 3) you hold against a fiberglass rod has a 40’ (40 minute) sensitivity. That means that if it Level vials come with different “sensitivities.” In a circular were in perfect adjustment, moving the bubble 2mm (a little level vial, the sensitivity relates to the radius of the curved more than half of 0.01’) would put a 2m rod out of plumb at dome which contains the bubble. In the tube level vial, the the top by about 23mm - that’s nearly 0.08’! My measure of sensitivity indicates the curve of the tube itself. Intuitively, the the diameter of the circle inscribed on the circular level vial is 5mm. The bubble could be partially within the circle and

Corner Post 30 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 still make the rod that much out of plumb. By the way, this is PARALLAX the same circular level vial (sensitivity of 40’ per 2mm ) that One of the big problems with using a level vial is parallax, is provided on some carbon fiber rover rods (figure 4) meant not so much with a tube level vial as with a circular level for GPS work. Better keep ‘em in tight adjustment for good vial. If you are not looking directly down on the bubble, RTK work. parallax causes an apparent displacement from center. After discussing this with a surveyor friend recently, I had a chance to try out a simple way to eliminate this problem.

Figure 5 shows the simple device I used; a figure 5

mechanic’s inspection mirror. It is a small circular mirror on an extendable arm with 360º joint so you can adjust it any way you like, and figure 3 figure 4 a handy clip for your pocket. It costs a whopping $1.98 at an auto parts store. A dental mirror would work, too. On the other hand, the circular level vial on a precise fixed height rod for GPS has a nominal sensitivity of 10’. This As you can see in figure 6, if you use the mirror held at eye tightens things up considerably, making the top of a 2m rod level directly over the rod bubble so that you look down on the about 6mm out of plumb if the bubble is off 2mm. This is still bubble, you can see if the bubble is really centered without not acceptable for precise GPS work, but these fixed height having to put your eye directly over the level vial, which is GPS rods have the ability to rotate the rod during setup and almost impossible anyway. I’ve used this little device when I to adjust the rod to compensate for bubble error as precisely can’t even see the bubble at all due to a high or precarious as you can estimate it. This helps mitigate bubble adjustment rod setup. This has got to be the best thing since sliced bread! errors. (Okay, I guess I need to get out more often.)

PROPER FIELD PROCEDURES This is a good opportunity to mention that for more accurate work, rotating a rod 180º between measurements and centering the bubble on both direct and reverse sightings (for optical equipment) or on multiple occupations (for gps equipment) is good practice. This will remove the errors in the bubble adjustment.

Situation 1: moveable rod, fixed bubble – A rod and level vial in this situation is shown in figure 4. The rod uses a fixed bubble to determine plumb. Set the bubble in the center. Take a shot from your total station, or record the first (or more) observations with GPS equipment. Rotate the rod 180º. Take a second shot from your total station, or record the second figure 6 (or more) observations with GPS equipment. The average position between the two shots or observations is likely to be COMPENSATORS & LEVEL VIALS where a plumb rod with a centered bubble would be. It is important to realize that a circular level vial bubble Situation 2: fixed rod, fixed bubble – A fixed height gps rod which is out of center on an instrument having an automatic would be a good example. The top of the rod is fixed at the compensator (such as an automatic level or a total station) top by the legs and the rod can be rotated in place. Set the doesn’t have the same effect as being out of center on a bubble in the center. Rotate the rod 180º. If the bubble is not rod. If the bubble is within the circle on an instrument, the centered, bring it back HALF the distance from the center. compensator will “automatically” correct the line of sight to Rotate back to 0º and check the bubble. It should be in the level. So “close” doesn’t apply to the rod bubble at all. But if same “un-centered” position in both directions. Of course, the bubble on a rod is in the center when it is rotated 180º, the best procedure of all is to make sure the rod is straight, chances are the rod is pretty plumb. So if your rod is about the bubble is centered when the rod is plumb, both before half a bubble off, I’d say that’s a pretty “vial” situation. # and after field work. Robert J. Reese, PLS, is a past CLSA President and owner of Reese Water & Land Surveying Services, San Luis Obispo, CA

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 31 Controlling a Photogrammetric Model from the Sky By: Jas Arnold, PLS, CP

Reprinted from “California Surveyor” - Fall 2008

Background Estimated accuracy levels are based on a comparison of the “true” coordinates of the ground control points with Conventional photogrammetric methods for model setup their photogrammetrically determined values obtained utilize the known positions of paneled control points on the from AT where all five points serve as unconstrained ground and the measurement of these control points within pass points. Additionally, the camera station (a.k.a. photo the photogrammetric model. The re-creation of the photo center) positions determined from the ground control- geometry that existed when the photographs are taken based AT were compared with those determined using (relative orientation) is mixed with these photo control point AbGPS. Three independent AT runs were made in order measurements (absolute orientation) to produce a stereo to create three data sets for comparison. The first run model within the ground coordinate system. If only the two used conventional AT techniques where the AbGPS data positions of the camera are known as determined through was not considered and all five-ground control points airborne GPS observations (AbGPS), the orientation were measured in the photos. These points served both of the model cannot be accurately determined due to as control points as well as pass points which tie the instability about the flightline. By adding a second flightline photographs together. The next run denoted “Set 1” was perpendicular to the first, four virtual control points (the made using the four camera positions determined by camera centers) coupled with aerotriangulation (AT) can AbGPS as the only control. The panels served only as be used to orient the models. This article will discuss a test pass points. Set 2 was constrained to the four AbGPS- performed to evaluate the feasibility of using control points determined photo centers and a single (HV-11) ground in the sky to control a pair of photogrammetric models. control point. Set 3 was created by taking Set 1 AT run (AbGPS-only) and shifting it by the amount that HV-11 was observed to be out of position (a shift of 3.2’ east, 2.2’ south, and down 4.6’). The consistency of the values in the table illustrate this systematic misregistration and the validity of applying the shifts. Observations It can be seen in the table below:

• The AbGPS-only run yielded results which were approximately 3’ west and 3’ north, and 4’ above the measured ground positions.

• The addition of a single ground control point to the AT measurements resulted in positional improvements down to approximately 1’ horizontally and 2’ vertically.

The Project • The shifts between the control and the AbGPS- determined positions were systematic for both the This experiment was conducted on a shoestring. Skyview ground control and camera centers. Aerial Photo, Inc. generously donated the AbGPS observations and the additional flightline required to • By shifting the AbGPS-only control values as a group create the control network of four points in the sky. Two back to the true position of HV-11, residuals were single model flight lines were flown 3600’ above five reduced to an impressive 1’ level. paneled control points. The Plate Boundary Observatory • The camera center shifts were in the same direction “provided” the ground monitoring through a nearby CORS, as the AbGPS AT runs yet magnitudes did vary. P486. Rick Engineering Company provided the static GPS observations required to put the ground control points Conclusions and the CORS on the same coordinate system. Photo centers, denoted PC4X in the graphic, formed a diamond Ground control-less photogrammetry has many of “sky control” which was used to control the two models. possibilities yet the user must be aware of the shortcomings

Corner Post 32 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 and have ways of determining their existence, location, not support a two-foot contour interval mapping. and magnitude. In all of the sets of data shown above, a Additional ground control points would need to be distinct bias can be seen. This implies that “sky control” added to provide the required strength. has good relative accuracy yet weaker absolute accuracy. By removing this bias as is seen in set 3, accuracies are • Inaccuracies in the AbGPS-determined camera/photo quite impressive. center positions (particularly vertical) can translate to even larger inaccuracies of ground positions for this

POSITION COMPARISONS GROUND CONTROL CAMERA CENTERS Ground vs. AbGPS shifted to Control vs. AbGPS only vs. AbGPS with one HV HV11 Conventional AT vs AbGPS Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 dX dY dZ dX dY dZ dX dY dZ Cam Ctr Pt dX dY dZ HV-1 2.1 -1.8 -4.5 1.1 -0.7 -1.3 -1.1 0.4 0.1 PC48 3.0 -1.2 -1.0 HV-2 2.4 -3.2 -4.2 1.0 -1.0 -1.9 -0.8 -1.0 0.4 PC47 4.9 -1.8 -1.8 HV-11 3.2 -2.2 -4.6 1.3 -0.8 -1.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 PC45 1.7 -2.2 -0.8 HV-13 2.0 -3.0 -4.2 1.0 -0.9 -1.6 -1.2 -0.7 0.4 PC46 1.8 -1.0 -1.4 HV-14 3.1 -3.4 -4.2 1.2 -1.1 -2.2 -0.2 -1.2 0.4

• AT set 1 may be usable for low accuracy single model scenario due to the shorter distance orthophotography. The largest error is seen in the between photo centers (2200’) transferred 3600’ to Z, which usually has less effect on ortho accuracy, the ground (short backsite/long foresight syndrome). however, without ground truthing, errors can only be estimated. • Having some kind of ground truthing is very important. • The accuracy improvements seen in Set 2 show the importance of some ground control. Using only one • The photogrammetric journey from an aerial point lacks the necessary redundancy. photograph to a map contains many components (all of which contain errors) that can contribute to • Set 3 revealed potential accuracies +/-6’ horizontally the final accuracy. Photo scale, AbGPS sampling and better than a foot vertically, suitable for smaller interval, satellite geometry, base station distance from scale/larger contour interval mapping. project, number of photos in block, aerotriangulation, stereoplotter operator quality, etc., all contribute at • Vertical control accuracy should be better than various levels. Once this product has been created, 1/25000 of the flying height for 6” photography. This an assessment and statement (metadata) of accuracy translates to 0.14’ for the 600-scale photography used needs to be made. It all comes back to the ground for this project. Photography at this scale is suitable for truthing. # mapping at a scale of 1”=100’ with a two-foot contour interval. The sky control measured in this study will

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 33 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Out of the Land Surveying Business By Jeffery N. Lucas, JD, PLS

Reprinted from “The Florida Surveyor”, December 2005 - as seen in “Georgia Land Surveyor”, July/August 2006

fter twenty-two years in the business I was ready to believe that it was over; Second, I would never have done it Amove on. You know the reasons. Low pay, no respect, if I knew then what I know now. I didn’t have much time to no appreciation - just go to your local chapter meeting, you’ll dwell on the past, however, because I had a new mountain to hear them all. So I decided that I would go back to school, climb in front of me - the bar. get a law degree, and leave surveying behind for the legal profession. I don’t know if I can really compare the bar examination to my first surveyor’s examination or not. My initial surveyor’s After all, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Six years ago I did examination had been the toughest examination that I had just that. I had an opportunity to enrol in law school and I did. ever been through. It was a 16 hour examination over a two- I’m not going to lie to you it was very tough. Not just the going day period. Three quarters of it had been open book. This back to school part, but going really wasn’t all that helpful back to school, maintaining going in because you didn’t a daytime job, and balancing know which books - at least I family life (right, like I had didn’t. But that exam was way time for my family). The back in 1984 and the pain has most difficult part during this long since subsided to the point time was staying in a job that where I can’t really remember I didn’t like and working for a the location of the entry wound. bottom line organization in a The bar examination, although profession that I felt in many it has similar stripes, is really a ways was a dead end street. I different species altogether. It was a completely miserable was three days of closed book land surveyor and I’m sure I examination on 18 different made many of those around areas of the law. The first two me miserable as well. Every days consisted of 12 essays on bit of the joy that I once 12 different areas of the law. derived from surveying was Day three was 200 multiple slowly wrenched from my choice questions on six more being one drop at a time leaving me completely dry and even areas of the law, where two out of four available answers are more resolute in my desire to leave surveying for good and absolutely correct. You are left with the task of determining never look back. Going to law school was like one very long which one is the most correct. And then there were the fact winter night. It seems like I never saw the light of day. patterns that went on for pages, just to ask one little itsy-bitsy question. I was probably hallucinating, but the test booklet I was a completely miserable land surveyor seemed to be about an inch thick. By the end of the third and I’m sure I made many of those around day, I was a total wreck. I had been unable to sleep the three me miserable as well. previous nights and was running on pure adrenaline and coffee the third day. Today I can’t recite one single question from that examination. Everyone knows that surveying is not an eight to five job. So after 10 to 12 hours at the office, I would take a class But before I even got to the bar examination, I had a big career for another two. Class wasn’t even the half of it. There’s at altering decision to make. I needed about two months off from least three hours of study for every hour of classroom time. work (a month at the very least) to get ready for the bar. I Reading case law, briefing cases, studying areas of the law don’t know about you, but I’ve always worked for companies that I knew I would never visit again and that held no interest that would reluctantly let you take a week’s vacation if you for me. The long winter night lasted for the better part of five planned it five years in advance, but only while retaining years. When it was over I had two thoughts: First, I couldn’t ultimate veto power if it turns out that they “really need you”

Corner Post 34 SLSA SSpringpring 22009009 that week. If they can do without you for more than a week, eventually leaving the profession. This was my goal at the then they can do without you. Two months off is totally out beginning - to work my way out of land surveying. of the question - don’t even ask. So I didn’t. As you can imagine, the first few jobs that I did on my Now at this point, it’s totally impossible to plan for life after own were the most miserable that I have ever undertaken, the bar, because the very real possibility exists that I may and came the closest to ending my career and making my not have a life after the bar. Imagine all of this wasted time dreams come true. It had been 15 years since I had done any just to find out I’m one of those guys who can’t pass the bar. fieldwork on my own. Then came the drought - no work at This is when I had one of those life-before-my-eyes type all. Actually, this was a Godsend. I had nothing to do for experiences. Let’s recap: five years in law school, five years two months, except study for the bar. So I studied for the bar. of weekends studying the law, missed family occasions, Then I got busy again. Somehow the projects were easier. I neglected wife, estranged daughter, surveying career in the started to make money; I was working when I wanted to and toilet, bankruptcy, divorce, homelessness, etc., etc. Now I’m not working when I didn’t want to work. My mantra soon one of those eternal optimists so I found a bright side to this became “I only want to do enough surveying to make a living dark vision. I actually thought that I could probably move - I’m going into the law.” As soon as I took on this attitude I to Alaska; get a job as a rod-dog with the BLM, and survey was turning down every little crappy surveying project that virgin forest land the rest of my life. But in the meantime, didn’t pay anything and making 100 to 200 percent profit however, there was much more suffering that I will need to on projects that I wanted to do. What had changed? Was I enjoy. different or was surveying different?

So I made what I have now determined to be the best career move I have ever made. I decided to get ready for the bar. As soon as I took on this attitude I was After twenty-seven years in the surveying profession, if land turning down every little crappy surveying surveying couldn’t support me for a little while as I prepared project that didn’t pay anything and making for the bar and established a legal practice, it truly was time 100 to 200 percent profit on projects that I to leave the profession for good. This was to be my final wanted to do. surveying test. So I said good-bye to that job and possibly my career, and ventured into the unknown. I’m not advocating this course of action for any of you reading this. And I do Why was I leaving this profession? I set my own hours, I only not intend to delve into the details of starting your own do the work that I want to do, I don’t worry about time sheets, I don’t punch a time clock, I work less than I’ve ever worked in my life, I’m actually having fun, and I’m getting paid too. Usually I have to pay for such things. A funny thing happened on my way out of the land surveying business - I fell in love with surveying again. Don’t talk to me about your miserable life as a land surveyor. I was the consummate miserable surveyor. And it was all or mostly all self-inflicted.

I tend to believe that most of our woes as a profession are self-inflicted as well. You know, you don’t have to take that crappy project that doesn’t pay anything. As a matter of fact you’re wasting your time doing it. Most of my wasted and inefficient time these days is spent on trying to practice law. Even though I don’t outwardly admit it, most of my legal work ends up being pro-bono because nobody wants to pay an attorney to learn his profession. This may be a new insight for me on why surveyors continue to work for nothing.

As for me, surveying is supporting my hobby - the law, not business: Many of you out there have ventured off in similar the other way around. Surveying was my first love (in a fashion and are operating your own successful business. I professional sense, of course). I guess for me, it took trying doubt, however, that many of you did it with the intention of to leave her to fall in love with her all over again. #

SLSA Corner Post SSpringpring 22009009 35 Are You the Lowest Paid Professional in the Room? By Derek Blaszak, BCLS, and Business Practices Committee Co-Chair

Reprinted from “The Link” - December 2008

h ro u g h t h e co u r s e of o u r wo rk m a ny of u s h a ve s a t i n of things the rates vary from $90/hr for a low level Tmeetings with other consultants and professionals, technician to $165/hr for a supervising technician. giving valuable advice to everyone, but have you Clearly the rates that we’ve presented are in line or ever stopped to think that you may be the lowest paid below what the CEBC is recommending its members professional in the room? How many times charge for professional services, so have you thought, “I can’t believe they unless you think land surveying is get paid $250/hr”, after explaining to not as respectable a profession as the lawyer something basic that you engineering, it would be reasonable figured they should know. Maybe it for your rates to be similar as well. embellishes your ego a little bit when that happens, but maybe it wouldn’t The timing of this article really couldn’t be so bad if your pocketbook was be better, or worse, depending a little more embellished for your on your situation. With the current obviously valuable professional economic situation unfolding in an advice. unpredictable manner, we understand competition in the market place may We expect more than one land make the decision to raise your rates surveyor in the province will say “I could a difficult one, however, if your rates are never charge those rates”, when they review lower than what you calculate they should be, the Sample Fee Schedule 2008, but the reality of the it is a necessary decision to make. situation is that the rates are based on actual salaries We would like to remind you that unless you are and reasonable multipliers, so the charge out rates lowering the wages you pay yourself and your are not unreasonable at all. We again reiterate that employees, you should never, ever, lower your each business is different and you should take that charge out rates to get a job. If you think you just into account in determining your rates, but the basic have to “buy a job” to be competitive (something math of Wages x Multiplier is not different, and you we don’t recommend), don’t lower your rates, just should be using this to determine your minimum work for free, i.e. cut back the number of hours you charge out rates. BCLS’s are supposed to be good are going to charge the client for your professional at math, so we better not fail here. services, but still perform all the work you need to We thought it would be a good idea to see how do a professional and proper service. Yes, you will the sample charge out rates we’ve come up with be working for free, but you won’t be lowering your rates, so when times turn good again your rates will in our Sample Fee Schedule 2008 (based on the be right where they were and you’ll be making more Lower Mainland results) compare with similar types money in the long run. of professionals. We all know that most lawyers earn upwards of $250/hr or more and charge you $5 per Please don’t take this as an endorsement for working page for faxes, but what about our engineering for free, because we think that is a pretty bad idea cousins, how do we compare to them? Well it turns as well and maybe when you’re out there pounding out that the Consulting Engineers of BC (CEBC) have pins with the full knowledge that you are not charging published a “Consulting Engineer’s Fee’s Guideline”. the client for it, you’ll think so too. We have it on good You can find it for free on the web at http://www.cebc. authority that working for free is what some of the org/selecting.html, just click on the Fees Guideline lawyers did in previous economic downturns, they 2008 on the left hand side. It’s makes for some very worked for free, but didn’t lower their rates and that interesting reading and we recommend everyone is part of the reason why the average lawyer can take a quick look at it, but the nuts and bolts of it are command over $250/hr today. Unfortunately the that the charge out rates for a professional range surveying profession didn’t follow that example, and from $105/hr for an engineer in training, to $260/hr for that is just part of the reason why we may be the a senior specialist engineer. On the technical side lowest paid professionals in the room. #

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