Abstract

Surveying and Mapping the future of ACSM and GLIS
Track: Executive
Authors: Stacey Lyle, Gary Jeffress, Richard Smith

The Geographic and Land Information Society, a member organization of American Congress of Surveying and Mapping(ACSM), is growing in new directions in the coming years. The surveying and mapping profession should take this opportunity to embrace the new concepts that will grow their profession, value, and ability. This paper proposes three new concepts that would solidify geographic information systems (GIS) in professional land surveying. First, an online continuing education system that allows surveyors to gain more technical, legal, and professional knowledge and skills is proposed. The results will be an interactive training system with utilization of software tools and technical information. The next concept is in support of the first and suggests a geospatial accrediting system that would accredit GIS educational programs from K-12, college, university, and continuing education institutes. Lastly, a percentage based fee structure for geospatial and land surveying services. A percentage based ad valorem fee structure concept is useful in the geospatial professional industry quantifying the cost involved in surveying and mapping uniformly. For example, in land and property transfer transaction surveying and mapping, an ad valorem fee structure system is considered ideal for the loan originators in compliance with the Good Faith Estimate form. The results of this paper will describe how these concepts, along with the GIS/Surveying management software, can be implemented to grow the surveying and mapping professions.