The Business of Land Surveying
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
GPS
Senator Mike Crapo on LightSquared
Kim Leavitt, the former ISPLS NSPS Governor and newly elected NSPS Area 7 Director, contacted Idaho Senator Mike Crapo about the issues surrounding LightSquared and possible GPS interference. Senator's Crapo's response:
April 26, 2011
"Dear Kim:
Thank you for contacting me regarding potential disruptions to the Global Positioning System (GPS). I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.
As you may know, on January 26, 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted LightSquared, a wireless broadband provider, authority to use its Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) L-band spectrum to provide wholesale broadband service. With the accelerated expansion of wireless devices on the market, current broadband frequencies are increasingly being overwhelmed. The FCC’s decision comes as an effort to provide more broadband capability in response to the growing consumer demand.
I recognize the importance of broadband technology and the many benefits it brings to our society. Over the past 30 years, telecommunications policy in the United States slowly has evolved from government sanctioned monopoly provision of all telecommunications services to competitive provision of most telecommunications services. In today’s world, business, government, and our personal lives rely heavily upon broadband technology. However, I am also well aware of the serious concerns that signals sent over the L-band spectrum may interfere with GPS receivers. Individual GPS operators, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Transportation, among others, have all voiced concerns on this issue.
In response, the FCC has required LightSquared to work with GPS makers and users to test the service and examine the interference issue. The group's report is due this summer. Additionally, the Senate Commerce Committee is currently conducting oversight of proposed rules being considered by the FCC. Although I am not a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over these matters, I support continued oversight in this matter and look forward to reviewing the Committee’s findings. Please rest assured that I will continue to support accessibility, competition, and diversity in the broadcast industry, while protecting the needs of our vital Global Positioning System.
Again, thank you for contacting me. Please feel free to contact me in the future on this or other matters of interest to you. For more information about the issues before the U.S. Senate as well as news releases, photos, and other items of interest, please visit my Senate website, http://crapo.senate.gov/.
Sincerely,
Mike Crapo
United States Senator"
April 26, 2011
"Dear Kim:
Thank you for contacting me regarding potential disruptions to the Global Positioning System (GPS). I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.
As you may know, on January 26, 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted LightSquared, a wireless broadband provider, authority to use its Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) L-band spectrum to provide wholesale broadband service. With the accelerated expansion of wireless devices on the market, current broadband frequencies are increasingly being overwhelmed. The FCC’s decision comes as an effort to provide more broadband capability in response to the growing consumer demand.
I recognize the importance of broadband technology and the many benefits it brings to our society. Over the past 30 years, telecommunications policy in the United States slowly has evolved from government sanctioned monopoly provision of all telecommunications services to competitive provision of most telecommunications services. In today’s world, business, government, and our personal lives rely heavily upon broadband technology. However, I am also well aware of the serious concerns that signals sent over the L-band spectrum may interfere with GPS receivers. Individual GPS operators, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Transportation, among others, have all voiced concerns on this issue.
In response, the FCC has required LightSquared to work with GPS makers and users to test the service and examine the interference issue. The group's report is due this summer. Additionally, the Senate Commerce Committee is currently conducting oversight of proposed rules being considered by the FCC. Although I am not a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over these matters, I support continued oversight in this matter and look forward to reviewing the Committee’s findings. Please rest assured that I will continue to support accessibility, competition, and diversity in the broadcast industry, while protecting the needs of our vital Global Positioning System.
Again, thank you for contacting me. Please feel free to contact me in the future on this or other matters of interest to you. For more information about the issues before the U.S. Senate as well as news releases, photos, and other items of interest, please visit my Senate website, http://crapo.senate.gov/.
Sincerely,
Mike Crapo
United States Senator"
Contract Labor
As I have been predicting things are getting busy again. The big corporate engineering machines are hiring, architects are calling, boundary surveys are up and people are spending money.
I have been giving this topic a lot of thought and have come to a decision.
As the need for employees rises I am going to engage contract labor when possible as opposed to hiring out right.
The main reason for this is liability and cost.
As a business man I constantly thinking of cost and the bottom line.
The recent health care disaster has also greatly influenced this decision. If I keep people as contract labor I can avoid being forced to provide health care. I am an employer that believes in providing benefits, however the rising cost of things has made so I am unable to provide for them and still turn a profit.
Office employees will be 1099 employees and I will be unable to tell them that they can only work for me. This is a good thing because it gives them freedom to make more money, gives them a sense of independence and allows me to hire them on a project basis with pay terms and I won't have to worry about keeping them busy when things slow down.
Field guys are different. I currently use a couple of surveyors that have their own companies and insurance. Aside from professionals, if I need to hire field guys they will be on payroll because of the workers comp factor. I have had a few guys hurt themselves (myself included) while out working and these guys will be provided access to insurance, trucks etc.
The cost of things has made it tough for the surveyor. Prices rise and most refuse to raise their rates because they are afraid that they will lose their client and they are probably right due to the bottom feeders that have made it impossible for us to actually bill what we are worth.
Contract labor is going to be the key to a lot of small business people's survival. It's keeps the relationship strictly business and keeps the ill feelings out of it if the work runs out and lowers the employer liability.
A good term contract written by an attorney needs to be implemented to keep everyone honest. If anyone wants one I have a contract written by one of my attorneys that protects the employer to the utmost. Just let me know and I'll send you a copy.
I have been giving this topic a lot of thought and have come to a decision.
As the need for employees rises I am going to engage contract labor when possible as opposed to hiring out right.
The main reason for this is liability and cost.
As a business man I constantly thinking of cost and the bottom line.
The recent health care disaster has also greatly influenced this decision. If I keep people as contract labor I can avoid being forced to provide health care. I am an employer that believes in providing benefits, however the rising cost of things has made so I am unable to provide for them and still turn a profit.
Office employees will be 1099 employees and I will be unable to tell them that they can only work for me. This is a good thing because it gives them freedom to make more money, gives them a sense of independence and allows me to hire them on a project basis with pay terms and I won't have to worry about keeping them busy when things slow down.
Field guys are different. I currently use a couple of surveyors that have their own companies and insurance. Aside from professionals, if I need to hire field guys they will be on payroll because of the workers comp factor. I have had a few guys hurt themselves (myself included) while out working and these guys will be provided access to insurance, trucks etc.
The cost of things has made it tough for the surveyor. Prices rise and most refuse to raise their rates because they are afraid that they will lose their client and they are probably right due to the bottom feeders that have made it impossible for us to actually bill what we are worth.
Contract labor is going to be the key to a lot of small business people's survival. It's keeps the relationship strictly business and keeps the ill feelings out of it if the work runs out and lowers the employer liability.
A good term contract written by an attorney needs to be implemented to keep everyone honest. If anyone wants one I have a contract written by one of my attorneys that protects the employer to the utmost. Just let me know and I'll send you a copy.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Legal Descriptions
I am going to complain and state facts.
First anyone that does not grasp the English language and how it works should never be allowed to write a legal description and an LS that allows one of their workers that neither grasps nor has the experience should be slapped.
I was reading a legal description yesterday that was written by an experienced LS. The particular description was written in such a complicated and redundant manner that I immediately recognized that this person lacks the ability to portray a description in a simple manner due to the lack of knowledge in the mechanics of the English language and an obvious lack of confidence that anyone other than themselves will be able to interpret the intention. (Long winded and gratuitous!!!)
To this I say what the hell man??? Have you ever heard of Wattles? If you read this blog and have never heard of Gurdon H. Wattles and you think that you know how to write a description, you are seriously mistaken. Immediately run out and purchase a copy of his book and do not write another description until you have read the entire thing front to back.
Now to the LS that let's an employee write a description without a fundamental understanding of descriptions and the English language.
I want you to fire yourself right away. You obviously lack common sense.
A little story about a case just like this. A year or so back I received a project in which a whole bunch of descriptions had been written for several parcels for a land division.
The LS being an obvious genius allowed a cad tech to write these descriptions in a metes and bounds format. Oh wait, I mean a metes format (or something) because there was not a call 1 in any of them while they are all surrounded by existing parcels.
Now the real good part of this is that he wrote all of these course descriptions in a grid format having calculated his section from a GDAC plat and never bothered to apply a scale factor.
Needles to say that this changed all of the square footage and dimensions of every parcel when I fix it.
When I called the LS, I was unable to reach him, however the tech did argue with me and tell me that I was wrong. Once again I say what the hell man??
I am a firm believer than one needs to know English very well if they are to be an LS or write descriptions.
I think an English class should be a required part of the curriculum in a survey program and now that CEU's are knocking on the door should be offered to all of us experienced people.
My biggest problem is that I have probably forgotton more about the basics over the years than I remember. My hand writting is terrible to.
First anyone that does not grasp the English language and how it works should never be allowed to write a legal description and an LS that allows one of their workers that neither grasps nor has the experience should be slapped.
I was reading a legal description yesterday that was written by an experienced LS. The particular description was written in such a complicated and redundant manner that I immediately recognized that this person lacks the ability to portray a description in a simple manner due to the lack of knowledge in the mechanics of the English language and an obvious lack of confidence that anyone other than themselves will be able to interpret the intention. (Long winded and gratuitous!!!)
To this I say what the hell man??? Have you ever heard of Wattles? If you read this blog and have never heard of Gurdon H. Wattles and you think that you know how to write a description, you are seriously mistaken. Immediately run out and purchase a copy of his book and do not write another description until you have read the entire thing front to back.
Now to the LS that let's an employee write a description without a fundamental understanding of descriptions and the English language.
I want you to fire yourself right away. You obviously lack common sense.
A little story about a case just like this. A year or so back I received a project in which a whole bunch of descriptions had been written for several parcels for a land division.
The LS being an obvious genius allowed a cad tech to write these descriptions in a metes and bounds format. Oh wait, I mean a metes format (or something) because there was not a call 1 in any of them while they are all surrounded by existing parcels.
Now the real good part of this is that he wrote all of these course descriptions in a grid format having calculated his section from a GDAC plat and never bothered to apply a scale factor.
Needles to say that this changed all of the square footage and dimensions of every parcel when I fix it.
When I called the LS, I was unable to reach him, however the tech did argue with me and tell me that I was wrong. Once again I say what the hell man??
I am a firm believer than one needs to know English very well if they are to be an LS or write descriptions.
I think an English class should be a required part of the curriculum in a survey program and now that CEU's are knocking on the door should be offered to all of us experienced people.
My biggest problem is that I have probably forgotton more about the basics over the years than I remember. My hand writting is terrible to.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
CEU's
"Education would be so much more effective if its purpose were to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they don't know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it."
-- Sir William Haley
This was obtained from an article I recently read.
"An estimated 75 percent of all the states across the nation deem it a requirement for land surveyors to undergo continuing education after they have been licensed. It is important to note that the number of hours required is not the same in every state. In the vast majority however at least 24 hours of continuing education units (CEUs) are expected of licensed surveyors in a three year period."
In lieu of all the adversity that everyone is spouting on Topica about ceu's I did a little research and have come to a personal conclusion.
Arizona is an archaic contradiction. In Arizona the primary focus of the BTR is enforcement of rules when it should be educating the masses to avoid getting in trouble and become more professional. The rules are made by big company and government people when small business is responsible for most of the surveying. The old guys fear change and fight it tooth and nail. People spend way to much time worrying about what the other guy is doing and trying to screw him over instead of working with and helping steer them right.
We allow other professions to dictate what we do.
Now on the flip side we are way ahead in some technology areas in Maricopa County and a couple of other counties in things likes GDAC and the information available to us through the assessors offices, recorders, cities, etc.
GDAC alone is such an advancement that it should be used as the example to pave the way for Arizona being a leader in the profession of Land Surveying.
The survey program at Phoenix College is another example. After looking around the USA I have seen very little mentioning that a person can get a 2 year degree in Land Surveying there. How come?? John Rose has done a fantastic job of spearheading that program and more people should know about it.
This state contains some of the greatest minds in the profession and we are doing a lousy job utilizing what we have.
Did you know that the Scottsdale Airpark alone contains over 5000 businesses? That's more than the entire city of Tucson.
Arizona is the leader in so many things and Land Surveying should be another. This is truly a great profession and it seams that all that is happening is people working against one another instead of forming a well oiled machine.
I have said this before "Land Surveying is a great job but is a lousy business to be in". My dream is to be able to say that both are great.
By becoming more professional through education we will finally be able to charge what we deserve to be paid.
Example: My attorney charges $325 an hour and is well worth it. My CPA charges $195 and hour and is well worth it.
I think an LS should be able to charge at least $225 an hour for themselves. A crew charge should be equal to that.
Why are guys out there charging only 50-80 an hour? I'll tell you why. Because they are scumbags that have absolutely zero professional integrity and go against everything that we should be fighting for.
Advancement through education and technology is the future for Land Surveying. We are in the information age. The industrial age ended a long time ago and it is time to progress. Future generations depend upon our actions today. This the only way to appeal to new great Land Surveyors and make the current ones better.
-- Sir William Haley
This was obtained from an article I recently read.
"An estimated 75 percent of all the states across the nation deem it a requirement for land surveyors to undergo continuing education after they have been licensed. It is important to note that the number of hours required is not the same in every state. In the vast majority however at least 24 hours of continuing education units (CEUs) are expected of licensed surveyors in a three year period."
In lieu of all the adversity that everyone is spouting on Topica about ceu's I did a little research and have come to a personal conclusion.
Arizona is an archaic contradiction. In Arizona the primary focus of the BTR is enforcement of rules when it should be educating the masses to avoid getting in trouble and become more professional. The rules are made by big company and government people when small business is responsible for most of the surveying. The old guys fear change and fight it tooth and nail. People spend way to much time worrying about what the other guy is doing and trying to screw him over instead of working with and helping steer them right.
We allow other professions to dictate what we do.
Now on the flip side we are way ahead in some technology areas in Maricopa County and a couple of other counties in things likes GDAC and the information available to us through the assessors offices, recorders, cities, etc.
GDAC alone is such an advancement that it should be used as the example to pave the way for Arizona being a leader in the profession of Land Surveying.
The survey program at Phoenix College is another example. After looking around the USA I have seen very little mentioning that a person can get a 2 year degree in Land Surveying there. How come?? John Rose has done a fantastic job of spearheading that program and more people should know about it.
This state contains some of the greatest minds in the profession and we are doing a lousy job utilizing what we have.
Did you know that the Scottsdale Airpark alone contains over 5000 businesses? That's more than the entire city of Tucson.
Arizona is the leader in so many things and Land Surveying should be another. This is truly a great profession and it seams that all that is happening is people working against one another instead of forming a well oiled machine.
I have said this before "Land Surveying is a great job but is a lousy business to be in". My dream is to be able to say that both are great.
By becoming more professional through education we will finally be able to charge what we deserve to be paid.
Example: My attorney charges $325 an hour and is well worth it. My CPA charges $195 and hour and is well worth it.
I think an LS should be able to charge at least $225 an hour for themselves. A crew charge should be equal to that.
Why are guys out there charging only 50-80 an hour? I'll tell you why. Because they are scumbags that have absolutely zero professional integrity and go against everything that we should be fighting for.
Advancement through education and technology is the future for Land Surveying. We are in the information age. The industrial age ended a long time ago and it is time to progress. Future generations depend upon our actions today. This the only way to appeal to new great Land Surveyors and make the current ones better.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)