Keynote Address

The Profession in the

INTRODUC~ON veying" first appeared in English and was described T IS A VERY GREAT PRIVILEGE to be at this Opening as relakg mainly to the ''management" of land and I ceremonyofyour 50th convention, bringing to- . But before I turn to the profession his- gether as it does two of your long-established profes- torically, let me put into context the ~oyal~nstitu- sional societies to consider the immense subject em- tion of Surveyors (RICS)and its relevance braced by your theme, "Technology in Transition." When I was invited to present this paper I was In the UK, professional interests in the fields of not aware that that would be the theme, and at first surveying and mapping are primarily (but not ex- sight the relevance of how the surveying profession clusively) represented by the RICS,which is the only is organized in the United Kingdom may not be such body incorporated by Royal Charter. apparent. Indeed, this becomes even more ques- A Royal Charter is granted by the Sovereign and tionable in view of this audience being primarily confers on the incorporated body extensive powers concerned with surveying and mapping and related of self-regulation, including (a) determination of sciences whereas in the UK the profession of sur- standards for entry to the profession, (b) holding veying has a much broader base. qualifying examinations and accepting university It is, however, relevant that the way in which that degrees in lieu, (c) prescribing a code of conduct broader base evolved can be traced to a beginning and exercising disciplinary powers, and (d) pro- in an earlier era of transition in technology, the in- viding services for the profession. The qualifications dustrial revolution of two and more centuries ago. of Chartered Bodies are normally those prescribed No doubt our forefathers were as concerned about for public appointments in relevant fields. the changes of their time as we are today about the The RICS comprises seven main specializations, implications of micro-electronics and other techno- viz., logical developments. A few days ago 1 had the opportunity of linking (a) surveying (mainly , main- the old with the new, for on a visit to Washington tenance, and refurbishment of buildings), (b) general practice (mainly management, New Town in the North East of England I not only appraisals, and handling property transactions), saw the form of current urban development but also (,) land agency and agriculture (rural land manage- the ancestral home of George Washington, the first ment, development, and appraisal), President of the United States and after whom was (d) planning and development (land use, land plan- named the great city in which this convention is ning, and land development), being held. It is fortunate that, in the 12th Century, (e) minerals- William de Hertburn changed his name to William (i) mineral , develop- de Wessyngton, from which the name Washington ment, and appraisals, was derived; as otherwise, presumably, Wash- (ii) mine surveying (surveying of mines, plan- ning of mining operations, and records of ington, D. C. would now be called "Heartburn." It mineral workings), was that reminder which prompted me to realize (f) land surveying (all aspects of surveying and map- that, if I went back far enough, I would find a time ping, including geodetic, topographic, engi- when the term "surveying" meant the same for all neering, cadastral and hydrographic, plus rele- in Britain. That would have been in 1534 when, vant aspects of photogrammetry and remote from the quill of John Fitzherbert, the word "sur- sensing), 957 PHOTOGRAMMETRICENGINEERING AND REMOTESENSING, 0099-1112/84/5007-0957$02.25/0 Vol. 50, No. 7, July 1984, pp. 957-962. O 1984 American Society of Photogrammetry (g) quantity surveying (economic aspects of con- combined, but it gained special recognition as a struction works, including cost planning and cost function of the surveyor largely in connection with control; construction contract management; and land transactions for the building of canals, railways, the appraisal of construction works). and other "public works" in the eighteenth and Internationally, the RICS re-groups the foregoing nineteenth centuries. into three cognate categories, namely, Building surveying was also a specialized aspect of management, and was often combined with prac- (a) land economy (categories (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) tice as an . For example, Sir Christopher (i) above; Wren, who designed St. Paul's Cathedral and many (b) surveying and mapping (categories (e) (ii) and (f); and other churches in London, was often described as a (c) quantity surveying. "surveyor." Land surveying also evolved on the civil side out In this paper I shall describe how these groups of the function of estate management (providing evolved within one professional organization, ex- maps to identify estate boundaries, and to record plain the advantages of the multi-disciplinary struc- details of tenancies and other information about the ture, and comment on any disadvantages. "estate") and was later extended to include "county" I do not suggest that the RICS is necessarily a maps. In a military context, "land surveying" de- model for the organization of the "profession" in the veloped out of the needs of military operations United States; this would involve bringing under (which eventually led to the establishment of the one umbrella, what are probably regarded in the Ordnance Survey as the national mapping agency United States as totally unconnected groups of (a) in the UK). realtors, (b) surveyors and mappers, and (c)cost en- Mineral surveying evolved as a kindred skill re- gineers." Indeed. in some Commonwealth countries quired in connection with the management and (e.g., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Nige- working of mineral-bearing land, especially coal. ria) these three activities are organized as quite sep- The surveyor was the owner's "agent," responsible arate professions. Other countries, however, (such for overseeing all aspects of the tenant's activities, as India, Kenya, Malaysia, Singapore) follow the UK including the assessment of "royalties" on the pattern. amount of minerals extracted. Even though the United States may not follow Quantity surveying began with the measurement the UK pattern, it may well be that UK experience of building works, for the assistance of the con- has certain lessons from which the United States tractor who was to carry out the construction and to could benefit. provide a reliable basis on which he could be paid for his work. The "" was some- times also a "building surveyor" or even an archi- It would appear that surveyors were regarded tect; but the function gradually developed as a sep- with some suspicion at the time the first English arate specialization. Colony was being established in Virginia, for in John Before turning to the events of 1868 and there- Norden's Surveiors Dialogue (1607) the farmer after, it is important to remember that, before the starts off "Sir, I am glad I have so happily met with Industrial Revolution which turned Britain into a you, for if I be not mistaken, you are a surveyor of place of development, some surveyors looked fur- land." But then his very next remark is "I have ther afield to the new lands of promise and profit, heard much evil of the profession, and to tell you and, as is recorded by the historian D. S. Freeman, my conceit plainly, I think the same both evil and the surveyor with his compass, st&, and chain was unprofitable." Time does not permit further quo- one of the familiar figures of Britain's colonies in tations from this dialogue, but needless to say, as North America. And so we are back to George the author John Norden was himself a surveyor (and Washington again, for as a colonial surveyor at the in fact produced and published maps of five counties age of 17 he was authorized by Colonel William before 1600), he persuaded his critic that the em- Fairfax to survey an ungranted tract, and later that ployment of a capable and honest surveyor was in year (1749) was commissioned as County Surveyor the true interests of tenants as well as of . of Culpeper County, Virginia. Within a year he had Between the 16th and 19th centuries estate man- saved enough out of his surveying fees to buy some agement developed into a recognized professional land at the "Head of the Marsh," and joined the function, which eventually subdivided into (a) urban westward movement which was the essence of ex- estate management (concerned with the develop- pansion in the Virginia of the time. ment and management of urban property) and (b) In his book about Chartered Surveyors (1968), rural estate management (concerned mainly with Professor Thompson wrote "The qualities and at- the management and improvement of rural estates). tractions of such a position should not be ignored, Both were closely linked with the " and though popularly over-shadowed by the qualities of tenant" system, which was the basis for ownership leadership-and unbelievable honesty-associated and occupation of most land in the UK. with the military and civil experience of his later The function of valuation (or appraisal) evolved colonial days, in assessing the factors which made alongside "management," with which it was often George Washington such an appealing and trust- KEYNOTE ADDRESS worthy figure for the property-conscious society a professional office as a trainee or enrolled on a which made the American Revolution." full-time course of study for the professional ex- aminations or related University degree. enables the body to make Bye- for a variety of The initiative to form The Royal Institution of other purposes, including rates of subscriptions to the Institution's funds; Chartered Surveyors was taken by the members of a code of ethics governing professional conduct, three private "clubs," namely, professional advertising, indemnity , the Suweyors Club (founded in 1792), which com- and related matters, prised mainly suweyors in the City of London who the election of a General Council and Divisional were engaged in the management of estates be- Councils, longing to ancient City "Companies" and in the * the establishment of geographical Branches; and maintenance of their buildings; the convening of extraordinary general meetings the Land Surveyors Club (founded in 1834), which for the approval of amendments to the Royal comprised mainly surveyors who regarded them- Charter or Bye-Laws (which must subsequently selves as valuers (or appraisers) and professional ad- be approved by the Privy Council on behalf of visers to property owners; curiously, despite the The Sovereign). name of the Club, the members were not engaged The Royal Charter (as revised in 1973) and the primarily in surveying and mapping; and current Bye-Laws define the profession as com- the Suweyors Association (founded in 1864), which prising the seven specializations described earlier in comprised surveyors concerned with the develop- this paper and provide for the allocation of each ment of railways, and the acquisition and valuation member to one of those "Divisions;" they also pro- of land required therefor. vide for the election of Divisional Councils to The Institution was formally established, as a pri- govern the affairs of the Divisions and of a General vate organization, on 15 June 1868 and set up its Council to govern the Institution as a whole. headquarters at 12 Great George Street, West- The seven "Divisions" have evolved gradually minster, where it is still located. In the compara- over the past 116 years, viz: tively short span of 13 years, the Institution had the Institution was founded in 1868 as a homoge- sufficiently established its credentials to become in- neous organization; and, although the early mem- corporated by Royal Charter on 26 August 1881. bers specialized to a greater or lesser degree, their During the period up to 1946, it was known as the specializations were not reflected in the structure Chartered Surveyors Institution; but in that year, of the Institution, in which all members were de- by command of the sovereign, its name was changed scribed simply as "surveyors." to The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. when examinations were introduced in 1881, how- The reigning sovereign has been its Patron since ever, candidates had to opt for one of three streams, which were 1921; and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and mainly valuation (the precursor of present-day Prince Charles are two of its present Honorary general practice), Members. mainly land agency (now land agency and agri- A Royal Charter incorporating a profession body culture), and gives it a legal entity and the powers of a body mainly building. corporate, "Building" catered for both building surveyors determines the categories of membership (mainly and quantity surveyors; but after a phase of partial Fellows, Professional Associates, Probationers, and separation through "options," these have since de- Students), enables the body to prescribe and qualifications re- veloped completely separate examinations. It is sur- quired for each category; briefly, these are prising that at that time there was no separate rec- Fellow-a member who has attained all the qual- ognition of "surveying and mapping." ifications required to bocome a Professional As- Subsequent evolutions, however, introduced sep- sociate, has reached the age of 30, and has had 5 arate examinations- years experience as a principal in private practice * in 1915-for mine surveying, (or the equivalent in public service) or, if not a in 1949-for land surveying (i.e., surveying and principal, has had 12 years experience after be- mapping, * coming a Professional Associate; Professional Associate-a member who has at- * It may seem odd that the RICS did not provide a qual- tained all necessary academic qualifications (RICS ification for land surveyors until 1949. This was partly due examinations, or University or other degrees ac- to the fact that military surveyors and naval hydrographic cepted in lieu) and has passed the Test of Profes- suweyors were catered for by their respective Services, sional Competence after a minimum of 2 years and the residual civilian demand was never great in the (or, for quantity surveyors, 3 approved UK because there was no system of land title registration practical training and experience; based upon surveyed boundaries. By 1947, however, Probationer-a non-corporate member who has those who practiced "land surveying" felt a need to inte- ~assedthe Intermediate Examination of the RICS grate the profession more closely, and a Commonwealth (or acceptable alternative), meeting resolved to ask the ~CSto provide for this need. Student-a non-corporate member who has at- The Land Suweyors Division was duly formed in 1948. tained the prescribed academic grades (equal to Even today, a significant proportion of the membership of University entry standard) and has either entered the LS Division practices outside the UK. PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING, 1984

in 1957-for hydrographic surveying (as a spe- as a whole, such as education, professional practice, cialization within the "land" surveying division), internal affairs, public &airs, and international af- and fairs; and in 1977-for planning and development (which seven Divisional Councils, supported by appro- had previously been covered by general practice); priate divisional committees. the examination structure, therefore, now fully re- flects the Divisional structure of the membership; There are also a Scottish Council (which administers and candidates must match their academic qualifi- the affairs of the Institution in Scotland) and a Junior cations and their practical training to the require- Organization Committee (which has special respon- ments of the Division they wish to join. sibility for the interests of all members below the age of 33); the chairmen of these two bodies also The evolution of the Divisional structure has re- serve on the Executive Committee. flected the ways in which the practices of the profes- The General Council is responsible for matters sion have themselves developed, and the need for which affect the Institution as a whole, including the profession to specialize in order to develop its finance; and also for matters which affect more than expertise to a higher degree, consistent with one Division. The General Council only meets four modern developments in technology and higher ac- times a year, and delegates many of its responsibil- ademic standards. ities to the Executive Committee and the Standing About two-thirds of the members are in private Committees. practice. Many such practices include individuals The Executive Committee includes the chairmen qualified in different Divisions, and the multi-dis- of all policy making bodies within the Institution, ciplinary practice is in ever-increasing demand. The and is therefore able to coordinate the work of the other third of the membership is employed in the Institution as a whole, in addition to exercising public sector or by commercial concerns. The cur- executive powers delegated to it by the General rent statistics of divisional membership are set out Council. in Table 1. The Standing Committees deal with the main There are just over 8,600 members outside the fields of activity that affect the Institution as a UK in a total of 119 territories. The distribution is whole. Their composition includes representatives set out in Table 2. of all the Divisions. as well as nominees of the Gen- eral Council, and they are effective in coordinating How THE RICS FUNCTIONS policy on all matters of common interest. The structure of the RICS is devised to ensure the Each Divisional Council is elected by members effective operation of the Institution as a single of the Division concerned, and it is responsible for entity, but at the same time permitting substantial promoting the specializations it represents; it has autonomy to the Divisions in the furtherance of full autonomy in all matters (except finance and their own affairs. other matters reserved to the General Council) To those ends, the main components of the head- which affect its Division alone. quarters governance are The work of the Councils and Committees is ad- ministered by a staff of about 200, of whom the Sec- a General Council (consisting of 43 members nom- retary-General is the chief executive; in addition to inated by the Divisional Councils; 37 elected by the directing the staff as a whole, he deals personally geographical branches; 14 elected by the member- with the work of the General Cbuncil and the Ex- ship in general; and 10 representing special cate- ecutive Committee. Five Divisional Secretaries gories); handle the work of the seven Divisions; and five an Executive Committee (which includes the seven Officers of the General Council, the Chairmen of Departmental Secretaries handle the work of the five Standing Committees, and the Presidents of five Standing Committees (e.g., the Secretary for the seven Divisions); Education Services, the Standing Education Com- five Standing Committees of the General Council, mittee of the General Council, and the Education responsible for matters affecting the membership Committees of all Divisional Councils).

Division - LA&A BS GP LS MS P&D Qs Total Fellow 1,939 993 9,341 285 135 488 5,504 18,685 Professional Associate 1,873 2,403 13,738 484 353 657 13,192 32,700 Probationer 372 693 2,482 368 153 140 5,440 9,648 Student -164 -1,301 - 3,919 -240 -127 -223 -4,422 10,396 4,348 5,390 29,480 1,377 768 1,508 28,558 71,249 KEYNOTE ADDRESS

income which enables many things to be done which could not be done by smaller separate bodies; and certainly enables many members to enjoy the Corporate Students & Members Probationers Total benefits of a unique headquarters which most of the specializations could not aspire to if they operated Europe separately. (excluding UK The servicing of 70,000 members by a single In- and Ireland) stitution enables certain economies of organization. Africa There are benefits to all members in being able Middle East to mingle freely with those practicing in kindred Asia fields. Australisial Pacific The multi-disciplinary composition of the mem- North America bership also enables the RICS to play an influential Central America1 part in public affairs, in its interface with Govern- Caribbean ment and Parliament, with whom it has a continuing South America -28 -7 -35 dialogue on a non-political basis regarding the gov- 5,242 3,366 8,608 ernment's policies and its legislative program. It is perhaps relatively easy to identlfy this as a merit in the UK , owing to the nature of its govern- mental constitution and compactness in size. In a About 125 staff are located in London, in a pres- vast country such as the United States with a federal tigious headquarters in Parliament Square; 60 structure different considerations will apply, but in others concerned with accounts, records, examina- any event a prerequisite to any effective dialogue tions, and publications are located in Basingstoke between a profession and government is public rec- (about 45 miles from London); and there are local ognition of that profession. Gaining that recognition ofices in Scotland (12 staff), Dublin (2 staff), and is a long-term process, and an important priority Belfast (1 staff). must be to demonstrate to government and to the The annual budget of the Institution is about £5 public at large the scope and significance of the million, and income is derived almost entirely from profession's involvement in social and economic af- the Members' subscriptions. fairs. This can only be effectively achieved if there In addition to its basic structure of Councils and is a viable society with the capacity to formulate Committees, which are concerned primarily with cornorate views. matters of policy, including the setting of standards, 'he range of topics on which the dialogue has the operation of a code of conduct, and the advance- developed in the UK covers such aspects as agricul- ment of the skills and interests of members, the ture, afforestation, land use, coast erosion, sewage Institution has formed a company to provide spec- disposal, water supplies, land taxation, rating, - ified services to the profession, including an hold reform, urban holdings, conservation, and "appointments"services, Journals and other publi- other topics on which the profession has been com- cations, and conferences, seminars, and other func- petent to express informed views. tions. The Institution holds all shares in the com- pany, appoints the directors, and provides the staff, but there are distinct financial and entrepreneurial advantages of such an arrangement, as well as the The admixture of many skills within one profes- improvement of the services provided. The com- sional body gives rise to a more complex organiza- pany was formed three years ago, and has an annual tional structure, and additional effort is required to budget of about £1.25 million. coordinate activities. Sometimes there is a need to compromise on is- sues where Divisions have different interests. Occasionally there is difficulty in achieving agree- ment on some matters (e.g., regulations on adver- The admixture of skills in land measurement and tising or certain aspects of "conduct") in a form ac- mapping, land use, land planning, land manage- ceptable to all Divisions. ment, land valuation, land development, and con- The need to balance the public relations program struction economics enables the RICS to be "the so as to promote the profession of the "chartered profession of the land" in the UK. It is competent to surveyor" as one entity, and at the same time pro- advise on virtually any problem connected with land mote its seven specializations. (including buildings and structures upon the land; The inappropriateness of the name "surveyor" for minerals on or beneath the land; and on the man- certain activities of the profession (including the agement and development of marine resources). handling of transactions-which the A membership of 70,000 produces a substantial public associate with 'estate agents'). PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING, 1984

In the UK these problems have been regarded as minor by comparison with the advantages. I referred at the outset to the ancestral home of the first President of the United States. and I shall do so again in these concluding remarks because the The conclusion just drawn is borne out by the events there over the last 20 years provide an ex- amalgamations with the RICS since its formation, ei- cellent example of the involvement of all divisions ther for reasons geographical or integral. There have of the RICS. been nine such, as follows: Washington in the northeast of England existed as a village over a thousand years ago, but in recent (a) 1905-Irish Land Agents Association times it was designated as one of the post-war "new (b) 1921-Quantity Surveyors Association towns." Twenty years ago it was a straggle of mining (c) 1937-Scottish Estate Factors Society, and villages marred by a century of accumulated indus- Faculty of Surveyors in Scotland trial dereliction. Since then pit heaps have been (d) 1938-Irish Quantity Surveyors Association cleared, roads and sewers constructed, 3 million (e) 1954-Institute of Mining Surveyors trees and 30 tons of bulbs planted, and the popu- (f) 1970-Chartered Land Agents Society and lation has trebled. On the new industrial estates 270 Chartered Auctioneers and Estate Agents Insti- different companies are operating, and a new shop- tute (g) 1983-Institute of Quantity Surveyors. ping center attracts people from many miles around. At every stage of this metamorphosis a chartered Categories (a), (c), and (d) above were geograph- survevor of one division or another has been in- ical consolidations which have made the RICS the volved: the land surveyor in company with the min- representative body for the United Kingdom and erals surveyor to provide maps of what was on and Ireland. Categories (b), (e), (f), and (g) were inte- under the ground; the planning and development grations of separate bodies (which had been formed surveyor as part of the team advising on the form of for various historical reasons) with corresponding and viability of development; the land agent and Divisions of the RICS. The former ensured that the agricultural surveyor on afforestation and rural rec- RICS could lead the profession in the whole of what reational land uses; the quantity surveyor on cost was the UK (including Ireland) at the time the RICS planning, cost control, and construction contract was formed; and the latter ensured consolidation of management; the general practice surveyor on ap- each of the specializations within the RICS, thus en- praisal, marketing, and management; and the abling them to exert greater unified influence. building surveyor on maintenance of buildings and The formation of a Land Surveying Division refurbishment of many of the buildings which were within the RICS occurred as already described. in existence at the outset. Furthermore, the Man- There was no other body representing their profes- aging Director of the Development Corporation is sional interests, which could have merged with the himself a . RICS; SO the RICS agreed to admit, under its dis- What better quotation could I end with, so far as pensing powers, those leading practitioners (civil the RICS is concerned, than the words of Benjamin and military) who could fully comply with the qual- Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Inde- ifications criteria laid down; and provided modified pendence on 4 July 1776 and in the presence of examinations for others who could only partially George Washington- comply. Following the formation of the Division, of "We must indeed all hang together, or, course, new entrants have had to conform with the most assuredly, we shall all hang Institution's normal requirements. separately."