PennsylvaniaThe

SurveyorInside...

Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors Newsletter

Surveying Beyond Boundaries Winter 2015

What Does the Future Hold? What are the Challenges and Opportunities?

Continued on Page 23

President’s Message...3NSPS News...4 The Hermansen Series...6

PSLS Reaching New Heights ...8 Student Cafe...10

Equipment Education...17

Sustaining Firms...18Insurance Series.....20

Conference and Awards...24 Ramblings by Chuck ...31

by Dr. Joseph V.R. Paiva

Offering a keynote with such a question only leads to failure on my part, as I can’t possibly see everything, and even with everything I see, to address it all. So you can consider this as the highpoints. But I mean every bit of it as being relevant to surveyors, surveying businesses and government departments, and associations at the local, state, regional, national and international levels. Not equally to all, but I think one of the challenges to add to my talk at the conference is that each of these groups needs to develop its own set of priorities.

Surveyors, surveying businesses and departments, associations at the state and national level all need to work on integrating quality into their working vocabularies. That’s not to mean that we keep using the word quality, but that we keep using the word quality and understanding what we mean by it. This word can be used to describe the experience of our clients, the type of product or deliverable they receive, the work environment, the relationship with other surveyors, the relationship with our licensing boards, and so forth. To be truly quality oriented means to be committed to understanding the processes that are at play, so that we can use principles of continuous quality improvement in all our professional activities. It is not enough to have a goal of introducing quality after a period of introspection and determining it is needed. It is a process of looking at oneself and one’s processes repeatedly to see “how did we do?” and to keep making incremental improvements. It makes our associations better, our companies better, and our profession better.

The Pennsylvania Surveyor is published by the Pennsylvania Soci-ety of Land Surveyors (PSLS). Articles or opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of PSLS, but are published as a service to its members, the general public, and for the betterment of the surveying profession. Articles may be re-printed with due credit given. We welcome submissions via e-mail in MS Word format. Please forward to psls@psls.org or call 717.540.6811.

Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors

OfficersAdam Crews, PLS, PresidentMichael D. Kreiger, PLS, President-Elect Shaheed A. Smith, PLS, Vice PresidentScott R. Reeser, PLS, SecretaryMark E. Hummel, PLS, TreasurerKarl E. Kriegh, PLS, Past PresidentRobert R. Miller, PLS, NSPS Director

State DirectorsAllegheny Heartlands ChapterJoseph P. Hood, PLS & Bill Lehman, PLSBucks ChapterJonathan J. Tabas, PE, PLS & Brian Yorkiewicz, PLS Delaware Valley ChapterBruce E. Lewis, PLS & Richard A. Shewman, PLS

Harrisburg ChapterJames Hartman, PLS & Thomas W. Kimmel, PLS

Laurel Highlands ChapterRichard R. Bourg Jr., PLS & Charles L. Zelenak Jr., PLS

Lehigh Valley ChapterStephen D. Ombalski, PLS

Mid-State ChapterFred M. Henry, PLS

North Central ChapterK. Robert Cunningham, PLS & Charles G. Lang, PLS Northeast ChapterBrent L. Birth, PLS & Glenn L. Johnson, PLS

Northwest ChapterJeffrey P. Gilmore, & Edward E. Northrop, PLS

Pocono ChapterGregg A. Davis, PLS & William F. Schoenagel, PLS

Reading ChapterJohn G. Fuehrer II, PE, PLS & John M. Huck, PLS

South Central ChapterThomas E. Farcht Jr., PLS & L. Bradley Foltz, PLS

Southwest ChapterDonald R. Housley Sr., PLS & Terry R. Siefers, PLS

Susquehanna ChapterJames Creasy, PLS & David A. Drumheller, PLS

PSLS StaffLaurie L. Troutman, Business Manager EditorDonald E. Rife, PLS

AdvertisingContact psls@psls.org or call 717.540.6811.

Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors801 East Park Drive, Suite 107, Harrisburg, PA 17111 P: 717.540.6811 F: 717.540.6815 www.psls.org

2015 Board Meeting Dates

March 27, Camp Hill, PA

April 17, Harrisburg, PA

May 22, Camp Hill, PA

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PSLS MissionThe Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors, a statewide professional organization, exists for the purpose of supporting, improving and enhancing the profession, its members, and the practice of land surveying. To these ends, the critical work of the Society focuses on providing education, legislative involvement, enhancing the public awareness, and the promulgation of the ethics of the profession.

The PSLS board and staff extend condolences to the families of these PSLS members who passed away.

Charles F. Bitler, Jr., PLS, of Pottstown, Pa, a life member of the Delaware Valley Chapter passed on December 9 at the age of 87. Charles was a member of the Delaware Valley Chapter and was very active in the early days of PSLS. He was survived by his wife Anna Mae.

John Frederick Friden, PE, PLS, of Shickshinny, Pa, a life member of the Northeast Chapter passed on December 15 at the age of 84. Fred (as he was known to friends) held many positions during his tenure, including terms on State Board of Directors representing the Northeast Chapter, member of the PR Committee, Education Committee, Trustee and Treasurer of the PLS Foundation, multiple chapter offices, and Conference presenter.

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President’s Pen

A Look to the FutureAdam D. Crews, PLS

Good day everyone! As I’m writing this I still have the image of my thermometer this morning burned into my head: -9°F. That’s a bit cold for my tastes!

As a Society we’ve had a stellar year and this is due solely to the membership taking active rolls on committees. As we’ve read though the year and have heard from our State Directors, reporting back to our Chapters, we have a lot of awards and accomplishments to be proud of: PSLS being names Affiliate of the Year by NSPS, PA Surveyor earning a newsletter award, and John Fuehrer receiving the Earle J. Fennell award for distinguished educational contributions to the profession. Our accomplishments number many as well: the initiation of Pennsylvania Reaching New Heights, the successful passage of the Geospatial Coordinating Board legislation with PSLS named as a voting member, support of the Registration Board in finding Davey Resource Group in violation of our Registration Law, and an increase in total Society membership!

As National Surveyor’s Week fast approaches, please read further in this edition of the newsletter about how you can articipate either through PRNH or through other outreach means. Last year we had a wonderful level of participation and I anticipate this year will produce even more successful outreach and geodetic observations. This will be our second year utilizing a web-based mapping app to sign up for and report GNSS observations of vertical NGS control points. It has been upgraded and ready for another year of heavy usage.

New for this year will be our inaugural Summer Conference. To be held in State College, this Conference will be heavily focused on more hands-on topics that are impractical to instruct on during the winter months.

PSLS is proud to join with the PLS Foundation in providing financial assistance to Penn State students to enable them to attend the NSPS Student Competition this Spring.

As a profession, it’s our responsibility to reach out to the public to provide the education that they recognize us for what we do and the importance of our work. I firmly believe that only then will we be more thoroughly appreciated for the value our efforts have for our society.

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Director's Report

Fellow PSLS Members:

With the winter holidays and Surveyors Conference behind us and spring approaching, it is time to plan the PSLS/NSPS activities for the year.

Surveyors WeekThe first event will be National Surveyors Week, beginning March 15. PSLS has already begun the process of requesting a Proclamation from Governor Wolf for Pennsylvania Surveyors Week which will be published on the PSLS website and as many media outlets as possible. NSPS publishes a Surveyors Week volunteer kit for anyone who would like to add to the excitement of the event. In addition to the regular Surveyors Week activities, PSLS will continue its Reaching New Heights program as a part of the celebration.

Trig-StarThe invitations have been sent! Several schools with a history of participating in the annual Trig-Star program are expected to continue for 2015. Also this year we hope to add several schools in the Philadelphia area thanks to Richard Shewman and contacts he made on behalf of the program. The continued commitment of Penn State Wilkes-Barre in supporting Trig-Star is also expected to contribute greatly to the success of the program.

As you know, Trig-Star is an annual high school mathematics competition based on the practical application of trigonometry. Students that participate are not only provided with an opportunity to earn awards, but also leave with a better understanding of the technical profession of geomatics, which includes land surveying and mapping. Members of PSLS can use the Trig-Star program to advance communication with the communities they serve. If you would like to volunteer your time to explain how trigonometry is used to solve land surveying and mapping problems to Trig-Star participants, please contact me as soon as possible so that we can schedule the presentation and testing.

We anticipate at least 20 schools participating, so please be sure to check out the sponsorship application on page 5 to support the program. Sponsors are matched with schools in their area when possible, so it is an opportunity to promote your business as well as the profession.

NSPS Annual MeetingNSPS will be holding its Spring Conference in conjunction with MAPPS April 12-17 at the Hilton Crystal City hotel in Arlington, VA. The conference will include presentations by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS); an exhibit hall; a joint General Session; and other presentations/meetings. NSPS business meeting will also be held so a report on those meetings will be submitted after the event. Considering the close proximity to the meetings from most PSLS members (3 hours), your attendance at any of the meetings would be welcomed. All committees are open participation to all members. As a PSLS/NSPS member, this includes you! Also, the more faces the better for the Lobby Day on Wednesday. See you there!

A message from Robert R. Miller, PLS, NSPS Director of Pennsylvania

April 13 NSPS Committee meetings in the A.M.NGS Geospatial Symposium in the P.M.NSPS Student Competition

April 15Capitol Hill Day

April 14NGS Geospatial Symposium in the A.M.NSPS Committee meetings in the P.M.Executive Directors meeting

April 16NSPS General Membership and Board meetings

If you have concerns or questions regarding NSPS or any of its committee’s please contact me by Mid-March so that I can properly prepare to discuss them in April. Thank you.

Robert R. Miller, PLS | RMiller@horizonengineers.com | P: 267-923-8673 ext. 117

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Trig-Star Sponsorship Form Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors needs your help to support the Trig-Star program! Your sponsorship provides monetary awards for the top students from each participating school district in Pennsylvania. First-place winners compete at a national level. Trig-Star Contest Levels:

Level 1 is given at local high schools (three winners). There is one top winner from each participating high school. Level 2 is the national test. The state winner from each participating state is eligible to compete for the National Trig-Star title.

Local Awards Local and state awards are provided by the local chapter or sponsors.

National Awards National awards provided by the National Society of Professional Surveyors Richard E. Lomax National Trig-Star and Teaching Excellence Awards.

1st place winner - $2,000 2nd place winner - $1,000 3rd place winner - $500

Winners and sponsors will be recognized in The Pennsylvania Surveyor newsletter. Donations for this important competition can be sent to PSLS at the address above. Yes, I would like to donate to Trig-Star! $50 $100 $______ (other amount) Name (individual or company) _____________________________ Address __________________________________________________ City, State, ZIP _____________________________________________ Make check payable to PSLS or provide credit card information below. VISA/MC/DISCOVERCard#________-________-________-________Exp.Date___/___ Amount$________Signature__________________________________________orCheck#______________

The Trig-Star program contest is an annual high school mathematics competition sponsored by the National Society of Professional Surveyors based on the practical application of trigonometry. The program recognizes the best students from high schools throughout the nation.

The purpose of the Trig-Star Program:

To promote the study of trigonometry in high school and to promote excellence in the mastery of trigonometry by honoring the individual student who has demonstrated superior skill among classmates at the high school level. To acquaint the high school trigonometry students with the use and practical application of trigonometry in the surveying profession. To build an awareness of surveying as a profession among the mathematically skilled high school students, career guidance counselors and high school math teachers.

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This is the first of five articles in a series written by Knud E. Hermansen. A new article will be published in each of the next four issues of the PA Surveyor.

Common Research Mistakes Surveyors Make(Seniority of Title) by Knud E. Hermansen, P.L.S., P.E., Ph.D., Esq.

I am often involved in litigation involving surveying services and research mistakes. (I must also admit that in excess of forty years of practice, I have made my share of mistakes performing record research.) There are five common mistakes often made by surveyors when researching the records. The first article will explain the common mistake made by surveyors when determining senior title.

Many surveyors are under the misunderstanding that once a person conveys property, they cannot subsequently convey good title in the same property to another person. This is never true. In fact, there is not a single state recording act that would place senior title with the first grantee unless the grantee took immediate steps to record the deed or take possession of the property.

The recording acts in all states fall into one of three general categories of statute: 1) Race, 2) Notice, and 3) Race-Notice. The general definition of each category is the following:

Race — The first person to record their deed has senior title regardless of the sequence the conveyances were made or the knowledge a grantee had of an earlier conveyance.

Notice — The last conveyance made where the grantee did not have notice of an earlier conveyance has senior title

Race-Notice — The first person to record their deed who was conveyed the property without notice of an earlier conveyance has senior title.

Consider the following example: Sam conveys a lot to Andy on 1 July 2010. A short time later, Andy tells Betsy that he purchased the lot from Sam. Betsy goes to Sam and offers to buy the same lot that Sam sold to Andy. Even after Sam explains to Betsy that he has already conveyed the lot to Andy, Betsy insists of paying money to Sam in order to obtain a deed to the lot. Sam, with marginal ethics, goes for the money and conveys the same lot to Betsy on 2 July 2010 that was previously sold to Andy. Sam now realizes he can make a considerable profit if he keeps conveying the same lot to other individuals without knowledge of an earlier conveyance of the lot. Consequently, Sam conveys the same lot to Cassie on 3 July 2010. On 4 July, Sam conveys the same lot to Daniel. On 5 July, Betsy records her deed. (Thereby providing “the world”

constructive notice of a conveyance of the lot from Sam.) On 7 July, Cassie records her deed. On 8 July Andy records his deed. Daniel never records his deed.

Even though Andy was the first conveyance from Sam, he does NOT have senior title under any of the recording acts. Under the “race” category of recording act, Betsy has senior title. Betsy was the first to record a deed to the lot. Under the “notice” category of recording act, Daniel has senior title. Daniel was the last person to be conveyed the lot without notice of an earlier conveyance. In fact, Daniel will have senior title under a notice category of recording act even though Daniel never records his deed. As can be seen from this example, without knowledge of the category of a state’s recording statute, surveyors will often terminate their record research prematurely or will mistakenly determine senior title resides with the wrong person in a situation such as an overlap.

A surveyor should take the time and determine what category of recording statute is effective in their state. At least two states have more than one category of recording act in effect.

Knud is a professor in the surveying engineering technology program at the University of Maine. He offers consulting services in the area of boundary litigation, title, easements, land development, and alternate dispute resolution.

The Hermansen Series

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Mail payment and form to: PLS Foundation c/o PSLS 801 East Park Drive, Suite 107 Harrisburg, PA 17111 Phone: 717-540-6811 Fax: 717-540-6815

Foundation Corner Become a Donor Today! PLS Foundation

• Create public awareness about land surveying career opportunities,• Provide financial assistance to individuals pursuing an education in land surveying, • Make grants and contributions to educational institutions to enhance a land surveying curricu-

lum, and• Offer financial assistance to individuals or educational

institutions for research in land surveying.

ThePennsylvania Land Surveyors’ (PLS) Foundationis yourguidetohelpingpromote,improve,andencouragethepracticeoflandsurveyingtofuturegenerations.Whenyoudonate,younotonlyhelpsupportyourprofession,you:

Aspartofitsmission,theFoundationoffersannualscholarshipstolandsurveyingstudentswhoexhibitacademicexcel-lenceandpersonalcommitmenttothebettermentofsociety.Eachyear,theFoundationawardsthousandsofdollarsinscholarshipmoneytoPennsylvaniaresidentswhoarepursuingabachelor’sdegreeoranassociatedegreeinlandsurvey-ing.Todate,totalfundsdispersedexceed$215,000.

PlayyourpartingivingdirectiontothesurveyorsoftomorrowandhelpingtoperpetuatetheprofessionbydonatingtotheFoundationtoday!TheFoundationwelcomessupportnotonlyfrommembers,butfromcorporationsandallindi-vidualswhobelieveintheFoundation’smission.VisitthePSLSwebsiteatwww.psls.orgformoreinformation.

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HEIGHTSand National Surveyors' Week 2015

by Brian Naberezny, PLS, GISP

PSLS Reaching New

In preparation for National Surveyors Week in 2014, The Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors (PSLS) launched a new initiative known as PSLS Reaching New Heights (PRNH). The long-term goal of PRNH is to prepare for the release of the new vertical datum that will be based on GRAV-D and released in 2022. In the short-term PRNH is focusing on providing the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) data needed to improve future hybrid geoid models and serve as a basis for the transformation tool which will convert NAVD88 orthometric heights to GRAV-D based orthometric heights and vice-versa. This is being accomplished through an all-volunteer GPS on Bench Marks campaign.

PSLS is asking volunteers to recover bench marks published in NGS database and occupy them with dual-frequency GPS receivers for a minimum of four hours and to document the occupation by taking photographs. The data and photographs are ultimately processed using NGS’ Online Positioning User Service (OPUS) and if the results satisfy criteria established by NGS they are to be published as shared solutions. This will provide NGS with additional points used to create the next hybrid geoid model which will increase the accuracy of GPS-derived orthometric heights in Pennsylvania.

While PRNH is a year-round effort, we are once again publicizing and ramping up our efforts during National Surveyors Week which will be celebrated during the week

of March 15-21. In the next few weeks, we will be updating the website with information on how to contribute to the GPS on BM campaign as well as how to assist with the public relations effort. We will be providing a template press-release which you can customize with your company information as well as a list of media contacts which it can be sent to. This will allow you to publicize your company’s participation in these activities.

• Participation of over 60 individuals representing over 40 organizations

• 100+ Bench Mark Recoveries• 76 Bench Mark Occupations• 50 OPUS Shared Solutions• Governor’s Proclamation of Surveyors Week in

Pennsylvania• Press Release Template – picked up in three

national publications and several local• Six newspaper articles with accompanying

photographs• One featured story article in a national surveying

magazine.

2014 Accomplishments:

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For 2015 we are looking to replicate our success in 2014 and we will need your help to do it. Watch your email for an update on this year’s activities. This email will outline the opportunities available for participating in NSW and PRN, minor changes implemented to improve the process, and where to go to find the information you need to volunteer. We appreciate all the support in 2014 and look forward to your continued support in 2015.

PSLS Reaching New Heights & National Surveyors' Week 2015

Share your solutions...

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GIS’s and GIERS’s

The Use of GIERS in Disaster and Emergency Management Abstract

Student Café

By: Logan Mack

Disasters come in many forms. In this paper a disaster is regarded as an event that happens with or without warning causing a serious disruption to a community or society, causing or threatening death, injury or disease, damages to property, and impacts on the economical or environmental state of the community or society to the point where it is not possible recover without aid (S.H. Abbas, et al. (2009) page 33). The purpose of this paper is to discuss Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and their role in responding to Natural or Man-Made disasters and emergency situations. The management of a disaster will be broken down and analyzed from four different parts, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. Each of the four categories will be analyzed to see how a GIS can be applied to them to assist in or improve current emergency management practices.

A GIS is a computer-based system that is capable of obtaining, storing, sorting and displaying information graphically. GIS technologies support spatial data handling and analysis efficiently and can be used to create an integrated geo-database on biological (agricultural), meteorological (rainfall), hydrological (water resources), socio-economic (population), indicators for their subsequent use in modeling the simple/complex disasters and related indices to reflect the vulnerability of an area to the disaster (S.H. Abbas, et al. (2009) page 38).When using a GIS for emergency management, there are two separate parts of a GIS and the functional use of each of the parts needs to be looked at. The first of these parts is the Emergency Management Information System or EMIS. The EMIS is a decision support system that integrates all phases of emergency management and response (Kwan, M., & Lee, J. (2005) page 95). So in essence, an EMIS is incredibly important in all the phases of an emergency, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. It will tie the information together for emergency managers to access information much easier. This makes decision making, under the stressed environment of an emergency, much faster and with fewer mistakes being made because all the information about what preparations that may or may not have been made, where all available resources are located such as, fire stations, police stations and cars, hospitals, and shelters, and the impacted area from the disaster, will be gathered into a database that is readily available and easily accessed. In the event of a disaster response, time is one of the most important aspects of emergency

management; the speed with which emergency responders can access a disaster site can mean the difference between life and death for some victims.

The second part of the GIS is a GIERS or a GIS-based Intelligent Emergency Response System and it deals directly with the response to emergencies and disasters. A GIS-based intelligent emergency response system, which is similar to an EMIS, is a decision support system but it focuses on the coordination and implementation of quick emergency response operations such as evacuation and rescue (Kwan, M., & Lee, J. (2005) pages 95-96). In the event of an emergency, all normal traffic patterns will be disrupted and the infrastructure surrounding the disaster may be damaged. The use of the GIERS will help keep the flow of traffic under control and provide information to the responders trying to access the disaster site.

In developing the evacuation and rescue, GEIRS is designed to address two critical aspects; Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) and Intelligent Building Systems (IBS). An ITS focuses solely on the use of advanced communications and transportation technologies to efficiently and safely control traffic flows. (Gunes, A., & Kovel, J. (2000) page 137). An example of one such disaster is the bombing of the Alfred P. Federal building in Oklahoma City Appril15, 1995, In a disaster like this, not only is a multi-level building impacted but it also impacts the street level in ways that critically reduces the speed of emergency responders (Kwan, M., & Lee, J. (2005) page 94). An ITS helps manage a situation similar to this by receiving information from the Disaster site and processing it through predetermined programs to provide

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an accurate depiction of the disaster site and to provide the fastest route through and possible debris and any evacuating populations.

The second aspect of the GIERS is related to the biggest factor that causes emergency responders and rescuers to be slow. That is navigating a multi-level building to preform search and rescue operations. An Intelligent Building System (IBS) is a component that will identify the safest and fastest routes through a multi-level building in the event of a disaster (Kwan, M., & Lee, J. (2005) page 97). Finding the fastest and safest way into and through a multi-level structure presents a new type of problem, data are not easily accessed inside the actual structure unlike it is with the exterior where real time traffic updates can be found. But if an IBS is in place with known routes throughout the building then it is easier to find likely routes that will be open. Studies have shown that response delays in a multi-level structure can be longer than the delays caused by ground transportation, and that GIERS have the potential to greatly reduce these delays (Kwan, M., & Lee, J. (2005) page 93)

Data CollectionGathering data is essential to the production of a GIS in emergency response situations. However, the environment surrounding a disaster is chaotic, often hazardous, and usually possesses insufficient infrastructure to support the rapid collection and consolidation of key disaster data (Morton, M., & Levy, J. L. (2011)). Because of the chaos surrounding a disaster data will have to be gathered in any way possible and in multiple formats such as internet surveillance networks, data repositories, and personal digital assistant-based platforms. Another challenge with data collection is the cultural difference and language barriers and the need for translators in the event that the aid giving agencies do not speak the local languages (Morton, M., & Levy, J. L. (2011)). An example of this situation is the 2010 Haiti earthquake, an internet database was created and used where data was acquired in multiple forms such as text messages, photos, emails, phone calls, Facebook posts and other social network posts such as Twitter. Once this data was acquired it was made available worldwide over the internet where anyone with the skills to translate the native Haitian language into the languages that were understood by emergency responders. Once translated, the information was then placed into a GIS where it could be viewed and accessed by emergency responders in several forms such as graphically on a map or tabular representation. This data included information on

infrastructure, medical needs, locations of trapped victims and the need for food, shelter and water.

The types of data that are gathered must be inserted into and processed by a GIS comes in several forms and must be acquired and structured into a usable format if it is to be a tool used in disaster management. A GIS helps with this aspect by having several internal algorithms and architectures to structure the incoming information. Service-based GIS in particular is designed with architecture that aims to serve both data providers and end users through a series of Web services that are accessible through as many platforms as possible (Jun Zeng, & De Zhang. (2012) page 23). This could be a very powerful tool in emergency management. With the new age of the internet and the ease with which information can be shared, a GIS user could transmit data in attribute tables to reliable internet sources that could automatically update information shown in the GIS. Some of the services that a GIERS provide are Web Map Service. A WMS is a standard for generating maps on the Web for both vector and raster data, and rendering images in a number of possible formats. Web Coverage Service (WCS) provides a standard interface for requesting the raster source (raw images) and information over Internet protocols. Web Feature Service (WFS) is the interface for vector data sources, which include plotting definitions for features, such as geometrical definitions. Web Processing Service (WPS) provides rules for standardizing inputs and outputs (requests and responses) for geospatial processing services (Jun Zeng, & De Zhang. (2012) page 23). These services provide an easy to use network integrating Web applications and harnesses the GIS’s processing power.

Data Content and Structure

Continued on Page 13

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MitigationNow that the parts of GIERS have been determined, the steps of managing emergencies can be discussed. Mitigation, or the effort to prevent a disaster, is the first step to all emergencies. The best defense against any disaster is to plan ahead, identify, and prevent possible disasters. A GIERS can be used in mitigation procedures by emergency planners to display and analyze spatial relationships between possible event locations such as hospitals, shelters, federal building, schools, transportation routes and general populations at risk (Kwan, M., & Lee, J. (2005) page 95). The identification of areas that are threatened by potential disaster and emergency situations itself is a big step in mitigation; it makes the population along with official and emergency managers aware of current problems. The spatial relationship between events can then be used to determine the best possible ways to prevent disaster. Mitigation efforts could include relocation of the facility, reinforcement of the facility, or construction of protective structures (Gunes, A., & Kovel, J. (2000) page 146). For example, if a town or city that is located in frequent flood area, a GIERS would be useful by overlaying or intersecting the different graphical layers, e.g. flood periods, one, five, ten and 50 year flood zone, structures, and infrastructure, and creating a map. Then from those maps one could see what portion of the population is at risk, identify important structures at risk such as schools, hospitals, fire departments, and possible risk areas of the infrastructure (S.H. Abbas, et al. (2009) page 37). Then using that knowledge one can relocate or strengthen structures, and build preventive measures such as levies and damns. If mitigation is not at all possible then the next step would be to develop an emergency plan in the event of a disaster and to have regular drills to prepare the public and officials.

PreparednessThis leads to the next step in an emergency management plan, preparedness. One way to be prepared for a possible emergency or disaster is to have a GIS in place and to use aerial and remote sensing methods to prepare maps of the possible event locations. These maps will then become useful in assessing damages from disasters. Even though it is almost impossible to know when and where a possible disaster may occur, it is still possible to prepare and build many of the elements that will be needed in a GIS response system in advance. Data models can be constructed and ready for information to populate them as soon as details are known, links to online sources can be created and regularly checked

and updated (Goodchild, M. F. (2006) pages 229-1). This is crucial to being prepared for possible emergency events, the faster the incoming information can be processed and then shown in a cohesive, manner the faster emergency responders can understand the situation and respond in a timely and efficient manner. Another important aspect of GIERS to remain operational is to be built on a highly flexible architecture where a 3D GIS data base and decision support functions remain accessible to emergency personnel through multiple channels via wireless and mobile communications technologies (Kwan, M., & Lee, J. (2005) page 99). The more flexible the GIERS, the easier it is to adapt to the changes in the disaster situations. This is highly important because no two disasters are exactly the same. So the GIERS user will have to be able to handle unforeseen situations. Also, if GIERS is built flexibly for one type of disaster, e.g. flood planning and control, the easier it is to change that model of GIERS to adapt it to a different type of disaster such as a bombing, wild fire, or high wind storm.

Response

In the event of an actual disaster or emergency event the mitigation and preparation steps will fit together to work with the next step in managing emergencies using a GIS to respond to the disaster. Response is the efforts taken immediately before, during and immediately after a disaster or emergency to minimalize property damage, save lives, and improve the future recovery of the event area (Gunes, A., & Kovel, J. (2000) page 137). After an emergency or disaster, there will be confusion on information and data. It will take a certain amount of time before any control is reasserted, but a GIS can be used to counteract and shorten this period of chaos by taking the information entered and assembling it in a coherent manner. There are several types of uncertainty that emergency responders and rescue teams face, the first of these is the transportation uncertainty. This uncertainty exists because normally the quickest route in time to a disaster site would be the shortest path to it, by having to take into account the evacuating population (Kwan, M., & Lee, J. (2005) page 106). The normal traffic routes and patterns will be distributed and sometimes blocked by both the sudden evacuation of the victims, unexpected traffic and even debris from the disaster. A GIS can access dynamically changing data and datasets for emergency response (Lembo, et al. (2008) page 64). Then using these data sets a GIS can graphically display the new information by overlaying historically known information or maps to better represent the situation.

Continued from Page 11

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So a GIERS can be used by having a direct feed to any real traffic data sets and then using these data sets, determine where the blockages in traffic flow. A GIS can be used by employing shortest path algorithms to guide emergency responders around and through the traffic on the quickest path to the disaster site, thus shortening the time spent in transit and bringing help to victims more quickly.

Once responders have gained access to a building hit by a disaster, a new uncertainty must be faced that leads to the greatest delay in time, route uncertainty within the multi-story building, Similar to the route uncertainty in the transportation of emergency responders to the disaster site. Route uncertainty within a building is the uncertainty about which route through the building will lead rescue crews from the ground the any point of interest in the building. The experimental reconnaissance of a building can take up important time needed to find and rescue victims of the disaster, when dead ends are found and rescue teams must turn back and find new routes through the building. A GIS can help reduce this time by tacking historically known building maps and using quickest route algorithms to find ways around blockades.

Before emergency responders can enter a building that has been struck by disaster they need to face another uncertainty that is the uncertainty in the entry point to any structure hit by a disaster. For example there is uncertainty about which point of the building hit by the disaster could be easily accessed. Without prior knowledge, emergency responders cannot know what ground entry points have been blocked in a disaster, this may lead to responders arriving at a blocked entry point and causing them to have to circle the building to find an open entry point and causing time to be lost (Kwan, M., & Lee, J. (2005) page 106). A GIS can help prevent this by having historical maps showing entry points on a building, then knowing the location or direction from which the disaster hit emergency responders can best determine the most probable open entry.

So, a GIERS can be a very useful tool throughout the response process of an emergency management plan. There are several steps throughout the response process where the use of a GIS or GIERS and the technologies involved are very beneficial. Whether it be accessing and processing dynamically changing data, identifying ground route anomalies and traffic blocks to avoid, and finding the quickest route to the disaster site, finding plausible points of entry, or once in the multi-level structure finding the quickest way to points of interest and around blocked corridors, rooms and stairwells using quickest route algorithms.

RecoveryThe next part of an emergency response plan to be discussed is the use of GIS in the recovery of a community after the event of a disaster or emergency. Recovery includes the immediate and long-term activities that restore a community’s or societies vital systems to minimal operations after the event of a disaster (Gunes, A., & Kovel, J. (2000) page 137). This includes restoring power and water to homes, hospitals, shelters and if necessary relocating portions of the population. A GIS can be beneficial to this process, with its help maps can be constructed that show the locations of relief camps and shelters, the needs of each area can be graphically shown whether that be food, water, clothing, required relief, medical aid or shelter (S.H. Abbas, et al. (2009) pages 49). These maps can also setup or depict graphically lines of communication or transportation from different areas of the disaster event. This is important information for responders to know where relief aid is needed most. With the help of GIS the shortest route between camps can be found and a network of aid can be developed and the status of each relief shelter and camp can be monitored, rescue activities and authorities can then provide a map to all rescue agencies that are engaged with helping the victims of the disaster (S.H. Abbas, et al. (2009) page 48-49).

The use of GIERS technologies can help manage the flow of information and set up useful networks in the recovery events of a disaster. This information can be easily viewed and accessed on maps and distributed quickly and easily to responders to quickly provide needed aid to areas that require help. Food, blankets, water and shelter can be delivered to camps and shelters as necessary. In places such as hospitals and where medical aid is being given, the networks will help show where victims are located so medical care can be found and responders can transport and deliver

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medicines. Also in areas where there are no hospitals or medical facilities near-by, the GIS-based maps will show where these areas are so that emergency responders can focus efforts there first to ensure everything that can be done to help those areas is being done.

GIS and GIS-based maps are powerful tools that when properly applied to emergency management plans, can greatly help responders to efficiently manage disaster and emergency situations. The capabilities of the GIS include finding the fastest routes to reach a disaster, respond and adapt to real-time traffic, providing navigation to emergency personnel inside multi-level buildings using quickest route algorithms. Also by providing the safest routes for evacuating the affected population and assessing the various risks involved in the rescue and evacuation plans. By providing this information and spatial data it can be displayed graphically for the use and distribution among emergency personnel and agencies responding to the disaster event. All the information in the GIERS is assembled using flexible and highly adaptable architecture with various mobile ways of accessing the information. This also helps users and responders to set up communication and networks needed in the recovery efforts in post-disaster situations to distribute aid. Finally GIS-based emergency response and management plans can be adapted to fit several different forms of disasters easily; there are many parts of the GIS that will essentially stay the same in all disaster situations.

Conclusion

References avalable upon request at psls@psls.org.

The Pennsylvania Surveyor NewsletterAdvertising Rate Schedule

16

PSLS PAC Membership Application Become a member of the

Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors Political Action Committee (PSLS PAC) today!

Your crucial donation provides the necessary funding to help PSLS cultivate political support from legislators who take interest in issues that are important to Pennsylvania surveyors. PSLS PAC is bipartisan and operates with full transparency in compliance with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Election Campaign Act and applicable laws. PSLS PAC’s strength comes from you and your commitment to the surveying profession.

For a $50 PAC Membership, you will receive a polo shirt with the PSLS logo and PAC Member embroidered on it so you can proudly show your support of PSLS legislative initiatives.

With your commitment, together we can make Pennsylvania a better place to practice land surveying for today’s and tomorrow’s working professionals. Thank you!

Questions? Contact Mark Hummel, PLS, PSLS PAC Chairman at mhummelpgh@comcast.net

PSLS PAC Membership Voluntary Contribution Form I support the work of the PSLS Political Action Committee!

Make personal checks payable to PSLS PAC and remit to:

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17

With the major changes to the total station over the past 10 years it is important to understand how the instrument adjustments affect its overall performance. With almost all new instruments having dual axis compensation and most surveyors using a data collector it is even more critical. Both vertical and horizontal angles are affected by this adjustment and if you do not observe the reading on the instrument, which is what is recorded, it may have a major effect. Most of the major instrument manufacturers have in the owner’s manual the procedure to perform this adjustment. If the manufacturers feel that it is important enough to list it in the end user’s manual they must fell that this is an adjustment that you will have to do. There are a few precautions that you should be aware of prior to performing this adjustment.

First always use a good tripod and secondly never do it on a windy day. Since the adjustment effects the compensator calibration of the instrument any wind will not allow you to obtain the best results. The procedure is actually very easy to perform. First select an area where you can obtain a line of sight near level and one greater or less than 10 degrees. If the instrument has a cross level vial manually level the instrument with that. If you cannot get the manual level to be level all the way around it will be necessary to adjust that first. Some of the newer instruments do not have a cross level vial anymore. On these instruments you must level the instrument to where you get the same readings on the tilt compensator, X1-X2 and Y1-Y2 axis, when the instrument is rotated 180 degrees. The following procedure can be used to adjust the manual cross level vial. Also after adjusting the cross level vial you can adjust the circular level vial on the tribrach to correspond to it.

To start the adjustment sight the target that is near level in the instruments face 1 position, the normal operating position. One thing that you should do when sighting

the vertical target is to use the top side of the cross wire. This will reduce any sighting error caused by the distance of the shot and thickness of the reticle wire. You must also take care to sight the same point both horizontally and vertically. I would recommend that you take an odd number of readings in each of the steps, i.e. 3 or 5. Once face 1 is done rotate the instrument 180 degrees and sight the target in face 2. Once this is done you must sight a target of greater than or less than 10 degrees in face 2. This point does not have to be in line with the first setup. Rotate the instrument 180 degrees and sight the target in face 1. Most instruments will show you the amount of the adjustment X axis, Y axis and Tilt. You should now be able to sight a point in face 1 and face 2 and be within the accuracy of the instrument. You should be able to also set your horizontal angle to zero, then rotate the telescope up to about 35 degrees and the horizontal angle should not move more than 5 seconds.

Electronic Total Station by: John BoydBoyd Instrument and Supply Co., Inc.

Checking the 3 Axis Adjustment of anEquipment Education

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Thank you to our Sustaining Firm Members

Berntsen International, Inc. Attn:SusanNorbyPOBox8670Madison,WI53708-8670P:608-249-8549F:608-249-9794surveymark@berntsen.comwww.berntsen.com

CarlsonSoftwareAttn:MichaelHyman357BaldwinRoadFulton,VA13069P:585-737-1800mhyman@carlsonsw.comwww.carlsonsw.com

CivilTraining,LLC/SmartDraftAttn:JohnCooke5300WellingtonBranchDrive,Suite100Gainesville,VA20155P:732-859-8353F:732-377-5454john.cooke@civiltraining.comwww.civiltraining.com

Kapur and Associates Inc. Attn:ChristopherM.Shanko240LantryDriveRedLion,PA17356P:717-286-4396cshanko@kapur-assoc.comwww.kapurengineers.com

Keddal Aerial Mapping Attn:BradleyPiper1121BoyceRoad,#3100Pittsburgh,PA15241-3918P:724-942-2881F:724-942-2885l.castelli@keddalaerial.comwww.keddalaerial.com

Keystone Aerial Surveys Attn:KenPotterPOBox21059Philadelphia,PA19114P:215-677-3119F:215-464-2889kpotter@keystoneaerialsurveys.comwww.kasurveys.com/index.xml

Keystone Precision Instruments Attn:GeorgeAllportJr.1670EastRaceStreetAllentown,PA18109P:800-833-9250F:610-266-3240sales@keypre.comwww.keypre.com

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Thank you to our Sustaining Firm Members

Klein Agency, LLC Attn:MarkAmiraultPOBox219Timonium,MD21094P:410-832-7600F:410-832-1849mamirault@eakagency.comwww.kleinagencyllc.com

Nor East Mapping, Inc. Attn:RonHenry,CPPOBox270Kylertown,PA16847-0270P:814-345-1167F:814-345-1176noreastmapping@verizon.netwww.noreastmapping.com

Oswald Companies Attn:PaulaM.Selvaggio,RPLU3401EnterpriseParkway,Suite101Beachwood,OH44122-7340P:216-839-2815F:216-839-2801pselvaggio@oswaldcompanies.comwww.oswaldcompanies.com

Precision Laser & Instrument Attn:RobertJ.Barth8511thStreetAmbridge,PA15003P:724-266-1600F:724-266-8161rjb@laserinst.comwww.laserinst.com

Print-O-Stat,Inc.Attn:LouMazero1011WestMarketStreetYork,PA17404P:717-854-7821F:717-846-4084lmazero@printostat.com www.printostat.com

Szalankiewicz Engineering, PC Attn:JamesJ.SzalankiewiczBox206Elderton,PA15736P:724-354-4852F:724-354-4273sellc@windstream.net

Trimble Corporation Attn:KellyLiberi10355WestmoorDriveWestminster,CO80021P:720-587-4606F:720-887-6101kelly_liberi@trimble.comwww.trimble.com

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Over the course of the year, the Klein Agency will provide insight on insurance and other business topics that are important for the land surveyor. In the first installment, we are going to discuss a key element in the Professional Liability coverage form – how defense costs affect the limits of liability when the insurance carrier responds to a claim.

For most Professional Liability policies, the insurance limits are reduced by claims expenses (i.e. lawyer fees, cost resulting from investigation, etc.). Therefore when the insurance carrier hires an attorney to defend your claim, all of the fees associated with the defense will decrease the limits of available insurance. This clause can expose the land surveyor to costs that are in excess of the policy limits if they are exhausted when it comes time to settle or pay a claim.

Since this clause in the policy may put the land surveyor in a position of paying over and above the deductible, there are a select number of insurance carriers that will address this issue and offer defense coverage that is outside the limit of insurance. The best way to see how this works and protects the surveyor is through an actual claim from a Klein Agency account with an insurance carrier that had the defense costs outside the limits:

A Land Surveyor (with policy limits of $1,000,000 each claim / $1,000,000 aggregate; $10,000 deductible) was named in a suit with an insurance carrier that offered defense coverage that is outside the limits of insurance. The plaintiff’s lawsuit against the Land Surveyor was for damages in excess of $1,000,000. This was a messy case and aggressively defended by the insurance carrier for three years, at which point the Land Surveyor settled and agreed to pay damages of $825,000. As part of the insuring agreement, the carrier made the $825,000 payment on the Surveyor’s behalf. Total defense costs and legal bills in the case were $438,223.

Since defense costs were outside the limits of liability, the carrier paid the entire loss of $1,263,223

About the author: Mark Amirault, Account Executive, Klein Agency, LLC

Mark Amirault is an Account Executive for the Klein Agency, LLC. Mark is responsible for providing insurance coverage and risk management services to all facets of the design community. He is a frequent presenter of continuing education sessions on contract language, insurance, risk management, and related business topics for surveyors and engineers throughout the Mid-Atlantic.

Klein Agency, LLC backed by the support of most major insurance carriers plus a couple of unique carrier relationships, is a leading writer of professional liability and business insurance for surveyors, engineers and other design professionals in the Mid Atlantic area with a current customer base of more than 900 firms. The Klein Agency is the endorsed insurance broker for the Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors, Maryland Society of Surveyors, and Virginia Association of Surveyors.

($825,000 settlement + $438,223 defense costs), with the Land Surveyor responsible only for the $10,000 deductible.

If the Land Surveyor was insured by a carrier that does not offer defense outside the limits, the Land Surveyor would have paid a sum of $263,223 out-of-pocket, in addition to the $1,000,000 policy limits paid by the carrier. The indemnity payment ($825,000) plus legal fees ($438,223) exceed the $1,000,000 coverage limits and the carrier’s obligation ceased when the total payments reach policy limits. That large payment by the Land Surveyor would have had a lasting effect on profitability for years to come.

In review of the above scenario it becomes obvious what is the better policy form. Unfortunately, with the potential for increased exposure by the insurance carrier, the defense outside the limit policy is not readily available for land surveyors. When analyzing the coverage, the land surveyor should raise this question with his agent to see how the policy responds to defense costs. The agent’s ability to offer detailed insight on the policy form will show his expertise in providing coverage for the land surveyor. If the policy does not have the defense outside provision, then it would be best for the land surveyor to seek out a policy that will provide that coverage.

Insurance Series, Part 1

What is Defense Outside the Limits?by: Mark Amirault, Account Executive

Klein Agency, LLC

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2015 PSLS Summer ConferenceThe Penn Stater Conference Center

August 27 & 28, 2015

The Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors will hold its inaugural Summer Conference August 27 & 28 at the Penn Stater Conference Center, State College, PA. The conference is designed to allow for a more hands-on atmosphere than is possible at the winter event. This event will have four educational tracts and allow attendees to earn up to 14 CE Credits. Registration will be limited on a first come-first served basis.

Tract 1: Global Positioning SurveyingTract 2: Geographical Information SystemsTract 3: Specialized TopicsTract 4: Exam Review

Workshops will begin at 8:30 AM and end at 4:30 PM, with a break for lunch, giving participants 7 hours of continuing education each day. Overnight rooms at the hotel are available at the Conference rate of $109 per night. Complete details and registration information will be available soon.

Mark your calendar and watch your email for details!

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To introduce quality is to be willing to be honest and forthright. Lip service has no play here. But neither does beating each other with what we’ve not done well in the past. The present and the future is all we have to work with, it is enough to understand what was not adequate in quality in the past to make improvements. It does mean identifying where there has been lack of quality and what needs to change to improve the situation.

Leadership at all levels plays a huge part in this activity, as the “troops” will only do what the leaders model. So saying what needs to be done is not enough; leaders have to “walk the walk” in very visible ways. There’s no such thing as a perfect measurement; neither is there a perfect business or other organization. So there’s plenty to honestly identify and then do.

One of my favorite areas to look at is how we re-engineer ourselves. This should be a constant activity, not one that’s done after a century of changes. I would begin with “what are we perceived as?” Very often the answer is “nothing.” Meaning most lay people have no idea who we are or what we do (as compared with other professionals). If we want to be professionals, we first have to demonstrate that we are, and that begins with communicating. We are lacking in efforts to demonstrate how we add value to society and how we improve the value of projects or land that we work on. We may need to come up with new ways not only of doing and charging for our services, but describing what we do…as most think of us as nothing but interference in their goal of achieving something for themselves.

Some other things to think about that surveyors in other parts of the world have started to address with quite a bit of energy: how do we remain relevant to those we serve? How do we maintain our technical know how in this world of button pushing technology? How do we differentiate ourselves from the button pushers? How do we make sure that our work force down to the lowest levels is well trained in the principles of responsibility that go with carrying out the duties of a professional?

As we search to maintain relevance, we must also look for ways to expand our expertise and the advice and products that we can deliver to our existing base of clients and new clients who have not considered that we can deliver geospatial information that perhaps is not traditional. This also includes how we view ourselves and what we do. Let’s move away from saying we deliver quality data to our clients. We need to move up the curve to geospatial information and geospatial

knowledge that we deliver. That’s how we charge more and differentiate from others who don’t have the understanding to convert mere measurement data to information and knowledge, which leads to expert opinion and professional advice.

Finally let’s take a close look at: the way we educate ourselves, our relationship with boards of licensure, and our relationship with our professional associations. The key is involvement. Not necessarily deciding to becoming an officer of a society but starting incrementally. Our present situation would be completely different if each of us committed to performing one significant act per year that helps the profession. That could be talking to a high school class about surveying. It could be making a presentation at a social or charitable club about what we do. It could be interacting on a regular basis at professional meeting of allied professionals such as lawyers, realtors or engineers.

If we can all participate rather than sitting back and letting “George” do it, we’d be in a far better place…and people would actually know what we do. Our lack of recognition by the public, the lack of willingness to pay for our services, the public’s perceived lack of value of what we do…these problems would all be much less. In addition to educating the public, let’s get behind better education for ourselves. That includes continuing education that is meaningful, having active employee development programs even for those who will never seek licensure, and supporting strengthening and expansion of our university programs for those entering the profession. It is not longer a valid statement to say, “I am a professional without a college degree, so why require it of new people coming in?” This would be the same as acknowledging that there have been no changes to the way we practice our profession in the last 100 years.

Across the nation, only about one-half of the licensed surveyors belong to state professional societies. Let’s work on understanding what this is all about and seek to improve how our surveying colleagues become more committed to the practice of a profession rather than a trade. Embrace change, encourage it in your workplaces, urge your societies and associations to do that same, indicate that you are not satisfied with the status quo and then do your part by walking the walk.

The future is ours to lose.

Continued from Page 1

Dr. Joseph V.R. Paiva is principal and CEO at GeoSpatial Associates, LLC., and was the Keynote Speaker at the 2015 PSLS Surveyors' Conference.

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2015 Surveyor's Conference Exhibitors

Carlson Software

CaronEast

Civil Training, LLC

Datumate

eGPS Solutions

Keddal Aerial Mapping

Klein Agency, LLC

Leica Geosystems, Inc.

Nor East Mapping, Inc.

Boyd Instrument & Supply Company

Keystone Precision Instruments

Land & Mapping Services, LLC

LandMarker Geospatial, LLC

Precision Laser & Instrument, Inc

Productivity Products & Services, Inc.

Soil Services Company, Inc. / Mountain Wastewater

The Underground Detective

Penn College of Technology Students

Penn State Wilkes-Barre Students

Pickett Aerial

Print-O-Stat

PA One Call System

UPS

AFLAC

Thank you for

your support!

Thank you for

your support!

25

AwardsPSLS Founders' Award

Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors (PSLS) is proud to announce that Charles D. Ghilani, Ph.D. is the recipient of the first PSLS Founders' Award. The PSLS Board of Directors created the Founders' Award as a way to recognize individuals who have made a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the Profession of Land Surveying but are not licensed members of PSLS. As an associate member of PSLS, Dr. Ghilani has made significant contributions to both the profession of Land Surveying and to the society.

A 1989 graduate from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Dr. Ghilani began his time at Penn State as chair of the, then, two year surveying degree program. He immediately began attending meetings with the PSLS chapters, board, and education committee. It soon became apparent that the program was not fulfilling the needs of the profession in its current state, so Ghilani began a campaign to create a four year surveying degree program. The new program began in 1994 with three student transfers from the two year program. The program, which also began accepting freshman, was run by Dr. Ghilani often working with only one part-time instructor. In addition to his other duties, Ghilani created the Industrial Advisory Committee for the program in 1995. This committee is still working hard to keep the surveying program producing high quality graduates for the profession. In 1998, Ghilani was able to hire three stable, committed faculty members for the program; Dr.'s Thomas Seybert, Wesley Parks, and Frank Derby. In 2000, the program was accredited by ABET and in 2006 it the program was fully accredited. Shortly after receiving accreditation, Ghilani stepped down as chair of the program and put it in Dr. Seybert’s capable hands.

Dr. Ghilani has been a member of the PSLS Education Committee since 1989, giving workshops, seminars and more recently, webinars. He has been a faculty advisor for the conference, as well as hosting and presenting. Ghilani is also a member of Surveying and Geomatics Educators Society (SaGES); American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM); National Society

of Professional Surveyors (NSPS); and the American Association for Geodetic Surveying, Inc. (AAGS). He was honored with the Earle J. Fennel Award from ACSM in 2001 and the Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching at Penn State in 2013. Ghilani is the author of Adjustment Computations: Spatial Data Analysis and Elementary Surveying: An Introduction in Geomatics in addition to writing over 100 papers.

The greatest proof of Dr. Ghilani’s contributions to the profession lies not in the memberships and awards,

but in the results of his hard work and commitment. The countless number of committed, high quality professional land surveyors who have graduated from the program over the past 20 years. There are currently three graduates of the program on the PSLS Executive Committee; Adam Crews, Michael Kreiger, and Scott Reeser. Brian Naberezny, Geospatial Committee Chair and Penn State Instructor was in the first freshman class of the four year degree program. The students' respect and admiration for Dr. Ghilani is obvious in the way they respond to him and in the way they strive to live up to the professional standards and commitment which he taught them.

PSLS is proud to be able to honor Dr. Charles D. Ghilani, educator, friend, and mentor to the profession of land surveying.

Dr. Ghilani accepts the Founders Award from PSLS President Adam Crews.

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AwardsSurveyor of the year

Jonathan J. Tabas, PE, PLS, Langhorne, Pa., received the Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors' (PSLS) 2014 Surveyor of the Year Award during the society’s annual conference in Hershey, Pa., January 13. It is the society’s most prestigious award presented to a surveyor who has displayed exemplary service to the society, and whose work has benefitted the land surveying profession and the public.

Jonathan Tabas has been a leader, volunteer and active member of PSLS for over 30 years. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and National Society of Professional Surveyors.

For the past several years, Jon has been serving as State Director for the Bucks Chapter. He is also a member of the Occupational Advisory Committee for the Civil Technology Curriculum at the Lower Bucks Technical High School. In 2013, Jon volunteered at the Surveyors Historical Society annual meeting in Philadelphia, helping at the Surveyors Picnic and assisting in the setting of a historical monument to mark the location of the Mason & Dixon observatory at the Harland Farm in Embreeville, PA. In 2014, he represented PSLS at the Fall Meeting of the PA Association of Flood Plain Managers in Philadelphia. Jon has also developed a presentation and slide show on the Mason-Dixon Survey which he first

presented in the Planetarium of the Franklin Institute for the David Rittenhouse Astronomical Society in 2013. He has since retold the story of the Mason-Dixon Survey to the Doylestown Masons, Northeast Philadelphia Rotary, and most recently, students at the Lower Bucks Technical High School in Fairless Hills, PA.

Jon has an impressive resume of public service and charitable activities. He served on the Building Board of Appeals for Lower Southampton Township, Bucks County. Jon is Chairperson of the House Committee and a member of the Board of Directors

of Beth Sholom Congregation in Elkins Park. He is part of the organizing committee for an annual charitable bicycle ride, Tour de Shuls, which, in three years, has raised more than $100,000 for the benefit of a children’s summer day camp in the Poconos.

Jon is a Certified Professional Ski Instructor, an avid road bike rider, and captain of an adult softball team.

When not involved with his many activities, Jon enjoys spending time with his wife Linda. Jon is also the proud father of two daughters Lauren, an attorney in Philadelphia, and Lindsay, a software designer and systems engineer in New York City.

Jonathan J Tabas, PE, PLS accepts the Surveyor of the Year award from 2013 award winner G. Windsor Tracy, PLS

Tabas at Lower Bucks County Technical High School

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New

Members

Allegheny Heartlands Kirby A. Gardner, PLS

BucksBrian Turner

Delaware ValleyShaka DavisJohn F. Savarese III

HarrisburgChristy KreigerMichael Wakefield

Laurel HighlandsRalph J. Winkelvoss, PLS

Lehigh ValleyKim William Moore, PLSBruce Pysher, PLS

Member At LargeKraig Heinrich Diener, PLSJeffrey R. GellenthinMichael Shackelford, PLS

Mid-StateDavid W. Butterbaugh, Jr., P.L.S.

NorthwestThomas J. RevakJon T. SmithMatthew L. Swanson, PLS

Penn State StudentJonathan AstonCarlos J. CandelarioCatrina C. CoppolaTyler J. CummingsBrian LiepinisAaron R. MartinezJoseph MurrayDan OttRyan Jameson PatrickJonathan A. SantosCarrie A. SedeskiLewis J Strunk

PoconoNicholas Lopatofsky, PLSWilliam T Senapedis, PLS

ReadingDylan Brett Sites, PLS

South CentralKyle T. BurgessKeith A. Erb, PLSKevin D. Werner, PLS

SouthwestDonald G. Groesser, PLSCharles E. Shields, PLS

SusquehannaDaniel William Dummeyer

Welcome

Please join us in welcoming these new members

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Distingiushed Service Awards

Chapter of the year Award

President's Award

Allegheny Heartlands ChapterGreg FaccianiHorace McAnuff

Northeast ChapterBrian NabereznyChris Vincelli Reading Chapter

Charles GhilaniWesley Parks

Penn State Student ChapterThomas Seybert

Delaware Valley ChapterCharles KaratRichard Kline

Bruce LewisThomas Smith

PSLS created this new award in 2014 in order to recognize PSLS Chapters that have demonstrated excellence in providing opportunities to their chapter members, service to the public and/or any activity which promotes the profession in a positive manner.

And the award for Chapter of the Year goes to….

Delaware Valley Chapter!

President Adam Crews, PLS recognized Brian Naberezny, PLS, GISP by bestowing on him the President’s Award. This award may be given each year at the discretion of the president. The award recognizes one person (or group) whom the president feels has contributed to his term in office beyond expectations. Brian Naberezny accepts the President’s

Award from Adam Crews.

The Distinguished Service Award is presented to those members who have provided an exceptional contribution or service to the surveying profession, and have been nominated by an active PSLS Chapter.

Awards

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PLS Foundation Scholarship Award

Student Paper Competition Winners

PSLS Executive Committee

Standing L - R

Vice President— Shaheed Smith

NSPS Director—Robert Miller

Secretary—Scott Reeser

Treasurer—Mark Hummel

Seated L - R

President Elect— Michael Kreiger

President — Adam Crews

Past President—Karl Kriegh

College Level

Gregory Copelli, Penn State Wilkes-Barre

Theodore Frear, Penn State Wilkes-Barre

Ross Nelson, Alfred State College

Zachary Root, Alfred State College

Alexander Wood, Penn State Wilkes-Barre

High School Level

Zachary McGonigal, West Branch High School

Justin Paglianite, Pittston Area High School

Joshua Piestrak, Northwest Area High School

The 2015 Student Paper Competition was a success with seven entries by Penn State student members. The winning papers are as follows:

1st: Kevin Katchko - GRAV-D

2nd: Ted Frear - Height Modernization

3rd: Heather Nicholson - Feeling the Effects of Glacial Isostatic Adjustment

Look for these winning papers in the 2015 issues of the PA Surveyor starting with Kevin Katchko’s GRAV-D entry in the summer edition.

Awards

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Surveyor's Conference

Thanks for the

memories!

Learningfriendship

lau

gh

ter

exploring New Ideas & New Places

2 0 1 5 More photos

available on the PSLS Website Conference page!

Ramblings by Chuck

by Charles D. Ghilani, Ph.D.

Methods of Analyzing Data: Part 1

IntroductionMistakes and blunders are an inevitable part of being human. In fact a wise person once told me that the only people who don’t make mistakes are those that do nothing. Since a least squares adjustment of a plane survey is nonlinear, it will not arrive at a solution if a large blunder, such as a misidentified station, is present in the data. So before we adjust the data, we must first remove any large mistakes. These can come in the form of station misidentifications to recording and transcription errors. As an example in one of my early classes at Penn State, I had a group of students who were turning an angle eight times using the repetition method with a repeating theodolite. While doing this they were also listening to a local radio station by the name of ROCK 107. When it came time to average the accumulation of the eight angles they proceeded to write in their field book that the angle was 107°…. Of course, the angle wasn’t even close to 107° but obviously the note keeper heard the radio call sign of 107 at the same time he was recording the average angle. This transcription error slipped all the way to the least squares adjustment where it was identified and corrected by reviewing the field book notes. Fortunately the use of data collectors today avoids this type of blunder but others still occur. So what methods can we use to identify blunders in our data and eliminate them?

Graphical MethodsWhen a blunder occurs in a traverse survey, one of the first techniques that can be used to identify the blunder is graphical. To do this plot the traverse in a CAD program using the raw observations. The misclosure line can then be used to help identify a single, large blunder in a traverse. For example, assume an angular blunder is made at station E in the traverse shown in Figure 1. As shown in the figure, the dashed line represents the remaining traverse courses, which have been rotated by the angular blunder resulting in a misclosure line

AA’. What the misclosure line now represents is the chord of the circle that was generated by rotation with the angular blunder at E. Thus the perpendicular bisector of AA’ will point at the station with the angular blunder. To verify that the angle at E has a blunder, assume coordinates for station E and an azimuth for the

Figure 1: A traverse with an angle blunder

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course EF. Now proceed to compute the traverse as would be done typically but use the raw observations again. When doing this, the angle at E is never used in the computations of the traverse misclosure since an azimuth was assumed for course EF. Again do not adjust the angles prior to the computations. If the misclosure of the traverse is acceptable when starting the computations at station E, the angle at E definitely has a blunder and needs to be discarded or reobserved. It should be pointed out that since there are other random errors in the observations, the perpendicular bisector will not point precisely to E but will appear to do so in the graphics software until you zoom very close to the station.

The effects of a distance blunder are shown in Figure 2. The distance blunder will translate the remaining part of the traverse in the same direction as the course containing the blunder. In this case a distance blunder occurred in line DE, which is shown as a dashed red line. This blunder translated the remaining part of the traverse, such that the misclosure line AA’ matches the direction of DE closely, and its length matches the blunder closely. Thus, to identify the course with a distance blunder find the course that most closely matches the forward or back azimuth of the misclosure line. Again, due to random errors in other observations, the direction and length of the misclosure line will not match precisely the blunder in the course but they will be very close. Unfortunately in this case, the course with the distance blunder must be reobserved to verify it is a blunder. Unlike angles, there is no mathematical procedure for verifying the blunder

in the office with a simple closed traverse. This speaks to the need to measure the distance of each course on both the foresight and backsight as you perform the traverse survey, and keep track of these observations separately so that blunders can be identified without reentering the field. Today’s survey controllers provide options for this procedure and checks on backsights at each instrument setup so that such errors can be identified and removed immediately in the field.

For those of you who believe that distance blunders seldom occur, I relate the following evidence to the contrary. On the campus before the Academic Commons building was constructed there was a property corner pin that was visible from an NGS second-order monument, Hayfield SW, at a distance of approximately 400 ft. Between the property corner and the NGS monument were two rows of crab apple trees. The lower branches of the trees prevented visibility of a normal rod with prism on the pin so students would typically invert the prism on the property corner and observe the distance. In this position, the lay of the ground was such that the line of sight between the two stations was just above the grass. Within a foot or two, the ground has a microclimate, which refracts the line of sight differently than at the normal instrument and rod heights. Year after year, students would proceed in this fashion and end up with distances that were typically off by about a foot. I would send them back out where they would repeat the process, get a different length because of changes in atmospheric conditions, and again have a bad length for the course. It wasn’t until I reminded them about the problem of a microclimate that they recognized what they had done incorrectly. It should be pointed out that they had heard about this condition in earlier lectures but the information never seemed to sink in until they experienced it. A unique scenario, well I have seen students do the same thing near parked vehicles and buildings. In this case the line of sight is close to the side of the object and again passing through a microclimate that refracts the line of sight differently. In fact, my experience over the past 30-plus years of teaching surveying is that distance blunders occur more frequently than angle blunders because of the lack of field checks. Since you need to backsight your instrument anyway, always check your distance on the backsight, record it and use it later as a second observation in a least squares adjustment. This procedure costs little in time but will save huge amounts of time if you failed to do this and need to re-enter the field to reobserve a distance.

Figure 2: Traverse with a distance blunder

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Elementary Statistical Procedures after a Least Squares AdjustmentThe t distribution can be used to help identify blunders and outliers in observational data after a least squares adjustment. (Ghilani, 2012) However, this method is based on valid uncertainties for each observation. Valid estimates of uncertainties for observations can be obtained as presented in Correctly Weighted Least Squares Adjustment. (Ghilani, 2013) If this is done then the critical value from the t distribution can be used to determine an acceptable range for residuals after the adjustment. This method is crude but also very quick. For example, assume that the estimated error in an angle observation

is ±4.0“, and that the overall least squares adjustment has 9 redundant observations, which are also known as the degrees of freedom for the adjustment. The residual

for the observation is 9.8“. Typically statistical blunder detection is performed at a level of 95% to 99.9%. I will use 95% in this example. From the t distribution, range for this observation is

|v| = ta/2,dfS

where v is the residual after the adjustment, tα /2,df the

critical t value based on upper-tail percentage points,

which is simply (1-0.95) / 2=0.025, df represents the degrees of freedom or redundant observations in the adjustment, and S the estimated uncertainty in the angle observation before the adjustment. In this case, S equals

±4.0“ and t0.025,9 is 2.26, which is the critical value for t from t distribution for an α level of 0.05 or (1 – 0.95). Since the residual for the observation was 9.8“, we can see from Equation (1) that

|9.8″| > 2.26(4.0″)=9.04″

Thus we see that the residual of 9.8“ for this angle is greater than what we would expect at a 95% level of probability given the estimated error of ±4.0“. The observation should be removed as a blunder or reobserved. However, it should be noted that if we had done this test at 99%, the critical t value would be t0.005,9, which is 3.25 and the allowable range for the residual is 3.25(4.0“) or ±13“. At a 99% level, an observation with a residual of 9.8“ would not be detected as a blunder since |9.8“| is less than 13“. With this test it really depends on the accuracy of the estimated error in the observation, and the probability level that is chosen to perform the test. While not a particularly

strong method of identifying blunders in observations, it can help identify large blunders and is easy to perform.

You can use your spreadsheet to determine the appropriate critical t value. As an example, if I wanted to determine the t value for the previous example at 95% level of probability, which is also called a 0.05 level of significance (1 – 0.95), simply type into Microsoft Excel “=tinv(0.05,9)” without the quotes. Excel will then determine the critical t value as 2.262.

ConclusionsThis article looked at methods that are used to isolate blunders in observations. However, anyone that has used an advanced least squares adjustment package knows that such software often uses a post-adjustment statistic known as the tau criterion. The tau criterion is a modification of a method known as data snooping, which was introduced by Willem Baarda in mid-1960. In the next article, we will look at these two post-adjustment blunder detection techniques.

ReferencesGhilani, Charles D. 2012. “Sampling Statistics: The t Distribution.” The Pennsylvania Surveyor, Summer.

–––––. 2013. “A Correctly Weighted Least Squares Adjustment.” The Pennsylvania Surveyor, Winter/Spring.

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