When I was a child, my dad, a civil engineer and surveyor, would regularly tell my brother and me, “Heads down and butts up,” referring to digging a trench or hole, but the meaning is to get in and get to work and don’t stop until you get the job done. It has been great advice over the years, and I certainly learned to work hard from my dad. But I have also learned over the years that occasionally we need to STOP and take a little time to “stand up,” if you will, and look around to see where we are, where we’ve been and where we want or need to go. For me, experiencing new and different people and places has often led me to change the way I see things. Perspective is critical. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Speed is irrelevant if you are going in the wrong direction.” Because our profession is facing such a serious qualified labor shortage, I have been trying over the past several months to see surveying and mapping differently while asking the question, “How can we get many more young people interested in our profession?” I have learned several important things during this time and this past week helped me see our surveying and mapping world differently — I now have a different perspective.

The International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) held its annual Working Week conference in Orlando, Florida, this year. This annual meeting takes place in various countries around the world. The last time it was held in the United States was in Washington, D.C. in 2002 and previously in New Orleans in 1993, and in Washington, D.C. in 1974. So, the Utah Council of land Surveyors (UCLS) board thought it was a good opportunity for us to participate and learn without spending too much money. Spencer McCutcheon, our UCLS-YSN Representative, and I received authorization to participate.

This conference further expanded my perspective of the surveying and mapping profession. There were many great presentations by surveyors and land professionals in over 80 different countries with 300+ presentations to more than 1,500 attendees. Taking advantage of many networking opportunities, I got to know people in the academic, public, and private sectors from South Africa, Ghana, Trinidad, Tobago, Germany, England, Ireland and the Netherlands, to mention only a few.

Seeing how and why the surveying profession plays such a vital role in people’s lives around the globe really opened my eyes. It is also incredible knowing where everything is along with where those things move and how much knowing that information impacts not just property boundaries, but also all navigation systems, weather patterns, agricultural conditions, environmental sustainability, military actions and much more. Today, people want to know more than just “what” something is, they want to know “where” it is — where everything is and where they are relative to it. This means surveying and mapping touch nearly every physical aspect of our lives. Surveyors around the world are playing a critical role in the future of geospatial data collection and management and are involved with technologies like “Digital Twins,” VR, AR, and 3D models. A few quotes I heard at the conference might help you also see the world differently:

• “65% of school children today will work in jobs not yet created.”
• “We have more people living longer in fewer places wanting more economic, social, and environmental sustainability.”

Dr. Diane Dumashie, a native-born Ghanian, a Registered English Surveyor, trained in England, and the current President of FIG gave a keynote presentation titled “Serving Society: Benefiting People and the Planet, Tackling the Global Challenges.”

Just the title alone tells you she and the FIG organization have some lofty goals. They are looking at the world of surveying and mapping in a much broader sense. They really see how much impact we as surveyors and land professionals have on our society and the whole planet.

By way of recruiting new people to this great profession, and as a result of what I have been learning and having freshly obtained a “new perspective,” I plan to “frame” the surveying and mapping message in some different and creative ways which should attract more 16- to 30-year-olds. More to come!

If you want to know more about the 2023 FIG Working Week conference, its presenters and presentations, along with its mission and goals, click the link below. The conference has not yet been published but you can still learn and perhaps change your perspective.

https://www.fig.net/fig2023/index.htm

Let’s remember, recruiting young people into this unique and amazing profession benefits the whole profession.