The growing demand for cloud computing, along with surging use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) is driving investment in data centers – the facilities that house and operate the servers, storage devices and networking equipment that make powerful computing possible.

As we step into 2025, the drive for simplicity, efficiency, and connectivity is reshaping the technological landscape. Three major trends—Artificial Intelligence (AI), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)—are converging to create a connected world where innovation drives smarter, faster and more intuitive solutions.

It’s been a busy year, and a very good year for the US economy. In fact, according to RSM, over the past eight quarters, the American economy has grown at an annualized 2.9%.  This performance is striking in comparison to other countries. For example, the EU’s growth during this same period was just 1.9%. The biggest economy in the EU is Germany, and its economy shrunk by 2% during the same period.

In 1996 Georg Rothbucher was visiting a customer at a construction site who was facing a difficult problem. Two thousand square meters of concrete had been poured incorrectly for the Finished Floor Level (FFL) of a new building. This surveyor was trying to recover the original reference point used to set the FFL – a chalk mark, pencil line or a nail.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology uses radio waves to identify virtually anything. It is a wireless system consisting of an RFID tag and an RFID reader. RFID tags store data that can be read, even from a distance—without making any physical contact or requiring a line of sight.

A recent survey revealed that many people believe that natural disasters are more frequent and severe than in the past. It turns out that this observation is backed up by facts. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the frequency of natural disasters is increasing year-over-year. There were 28 weather and climate disasters in 2023, surpassing the previous record of 22 in 2020, tallying a price tag of at least $92.9 billion.

Many of our founding fathers started their careers as surveyors. Along with providing an essential service, surveying was a very profitable trade in eighteenth century America. Surveyors would purchase newly opened land from the Crown and sell tracts to settlers at higher prices. This led to some resentment and suspicion by settlers – but one surveyor remained popular throughout his surveying career – and beyond.

Did you know that surveyors played a key role in creating our national parks? Our first park, Yellowstone (founded 1872), introduced the national park concept to the public and other parks soon followed – all this when most people still lived east of the Mississippi and most would not have the opportunity to see these natural wonders in person.

More than 90% of organizations use cloud computing to run enterprise applications[1]. That means that everything from hospitals and first responders to Fortune 500 companies and governments rely on the cloud. Soon, air traffic control and police departments will be cloud-based as well. Society won’t be able to function without the cloud.

Before paleontologists began scouring indigenous lands for proof of evolution in the fossil record, Native Americans had long since incorporated these “new discoveries” into their cultures. Centuries before Europeans arrived, native inhabitants of the Americas understood that the land had once been teeming with massive creatures that ruled the earth, water and sky.

If you’ve taken a trip recently, you’ve probably noticed the construction – on roads, bridges, dams, airports, railways and other large projects – causing frustrating backups and bottlenecks. Unfortunately, this inconvenience is one of the costs for years of infrastructure neglect.

A recent article highlighting the 25 Technologies that have changed the world lists the usual blockbuster inventions, such as the Apple iPhone, Wi-Fi, AI, facial recognition, drones, DNA testing, social platforms, quantum computing and bitcoin. However, not all of these world-changing technologies are so famous. Who knew that Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a world-changing technology?

April is recognized by Congress and most Governors across the U.S. as National Safe Digging Month as shovels (and backhoes) hit the ground for a busy season. It’s well known that excavation is a dangerous business. Excavation strikes on public utility lines lead to more than 2,000 injuries and 400 deaths each year[1]. The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) states that accidental utility strikes cost the U.S. at least $30 billion annually, based on self-reported data by stakeholders and state 811 call centers. And it looks like things are getting worse, not better.

President’s Day has been a federal holiday since 1879 when it was instituted to memorialize the birthday of George Washington, born on February 22, 1732. By the 1970’s, the holiday had evolved to commemorate all US Presidents.

In the 1920s, a historian for the state of South Dakota came up with the idea of creating a massive sculpture that featured heroes of the American West to increase tourism in the area.

For more than 50 years, Berntsen has worked alongside federal agencies to provide useful and quality products. From monuments that can be set in wetlands to RFID markers that integrate with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), federal agencies rely on Berntsen to deliver quality products that help them fulfill their missions.

Surveyors tend to be rugged, outdoorsy folk with an interest in geography and a passion for precision. Three of our presidents and many of the nation’s founders were surveyors; scores of America’s first explorers were surveyors. It’s part of our national story, and of course surveying has played a role in many of the stories told by Hollywood. According to licensed Australian surveyor and movie buff John Brock, 428 movies include surveying content — and that doesn’t include documentaries.

Back in February 2021, 15-year-old Henry Spoering asked Berntsen to help support his Eagle Scout project creating an Orienteering Course at Camp Waluhi'yi in Duncan, Oklahoma. He’d heard about Berntsen’s support for young surveyors from his project sponsor, Marcus Heilman, PLS, of Section 37 Surveying and Mapping. Henry is a seasonal employee of Section 37, so Henry approached the project like any other, applying the skills he’d already learned.

British land surveying traces its roots back more than a thousand years to a king in desperate need of funds to pay for defending the empire against Viking invasion. In 1086, William the Conqueror commissioned a survey of the entire country to assess the extent of the land and resources in England at the time, so that he could tax them properly. The information collected over a years’ time was recorded by hand in two huge books – the Domesday books.

Berntsen International, a leading manufacturer of infrastructure marking products, announces that its InfraMarker RFID App now supports Near Field Communication (NFC) and is available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Surveying is continually leveraging new technologies to do the job faster and even more precisely. Through it all, Berntsen is right beside surveyors, providing trusted, innovative products – including our Rothbucher line. These products are designed to streamline surveyor’s work by ensuring that all measuring points represent clear, permanent, and unmistakable records – for boundaries, monitoring, construction, mining, roads, rail lines and more.