Dear UCLS Members,

I hope this message finds you all in good health and high spirits as we emerge from a very wet winter and spring. I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the members of this great organization, for without you, it would not exist.

First and foremost, I want to extend my sincerest appreciation to each one of you for your unwavering commitment and dedication to the surveying profession. The efforts of individuals, committees, the executive board and the founding members have helped make the UCLS an organization I am proud to be a part of. The committees are working to educate, promote and protect the profession while working to increase membership. The Historical and Education committees are working together on a project at This is The Place Heritage Park to set an Initial Point so the park can educate school groups from around the region on surveying, along with a plaque commemorating the start of the Haden Survey. The Membership committee is starting to meet and discuss its role in the UCLS, and the Legislative committee and Standards and Ethics committees are meeting regularly to review the changes to the state code affecting surveyors and making sure everyone is adhering to those codes. The Publication committee is working hard to bring you the newsletter and this magazine, UCLS Foresights.

I have had a couple of thoughts bouncing around my head about what to write for this article; both are vastly different, but I believe worthwhile.

In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing world, it is crucial that we continue to embrace innovation and understand the tools available for us to survey and understand our professional responsibilities. I encourage each of you to stay current on your Professional Development Hours (PDHs) with some time allotted to an ethics course. This will hopefully keep us informed and knowledgeable of why we are professionals holding a license. Is it just so the state can collect a fee? No, there is more to it than that. Do you know your professional responsibilities? Did you know the Utah Department of Professional Licensing (DOPL) has adopted rules for professional conduct? I encourage you to click the link below to review them if it’s been a while.

https://dopl.utah.gov/engineering/resources/

I would also encourage some time focused on new technology. I know we are tasked with following in the footsteps of the previous surveyor. However, I don’t know of a client that is willing to pay for a five-person survey crew to reset the boundaries of a quarter-acre parcel because that is how it was done in the past. This may not be possible if we do not keep up-to-date with the latest technologies. They are coming at us faster than ever, and we should understand them before we are forced to because of an error. Let us strive for excellence in every survey we do. Whether it is for a single lot or a large multi-million dollar development, we should be precise in our measurements and accurate in our determinations. These types of PDHs will help us accomplish this.

As I look ahead, there are undoubtedly new challenges awaiting us. With challenge comes opportunity. I feel the biggest challenge is a dwindling labor force and an aging population of Licensed Surveyors which, because of technology, is being magnified with the single-person crew — something that is a reality across the country. How do we combat this while maintaining profitability and production and avoiding burnout? I feel that a single-person crew is fine in certain situations; however, it is not the answer to a reduced labor force because we are not training the next generation. Our ability to convey the knowledge we gained used to take years of the technician being out with the crew boss before they were allowed to run a crew — which is not the case, currently. The opportunity I see from this challenge is figuring out how to convey all those years of experience in a much shorter time frame.

I do not want to be negative but do want to get everyone thinking about where the profession should be in 10 or 20 years. Is it just button pushers or skilled technicians who understand what is happening when they push the button? What opportunities do you feel the profession has as it moves forward? As technology advances, the surveyor’s ability to perform a survey will undoubtedly change, but our ability to be professional and determine property boundaries and protect property rights should not.

In conclusion, I am honored to serve as your Chair, and I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished and will accomplish together. As we move towards our next observation point, let us preserve our history, while keeping our eyes open for opportunities to strengthen and expand the profession we love. Working together, we can create a bright future for surveying and leave lasting monuments across this wonderful state.

Thank you for your continued support, for being a member and for being an integral part of the success of the UCLS.

Warm regards,

Andy Hubbard
Chair, Utah Council of Land Surveyors