Surveying is more than a profession, it’s a trove of fascinating history and knowledge – from the Egyptians to the Romans to Thomas Jefferson, surveying has been an integral part of the growth of civilization and economic development.

Most people don’t really think about how geographic information provides the framework for our entire existence. We exist as living organisms in time and space. Our minds may be occupied with far-way thoughts, but our memories are inextricably tied to the place where they were created. As long as we live and breathe, we always have a location. Shakespeare’s Hamlet said “To be or not to be, that is the question.” Surveyors say, “To be is to occupy a position relative to two axes.”

Roger Sherman He was descended from the Shermans of Yaxley, in the county of Suffolk, England, who were landed gentry who had helped to frame the British Constitution. Born in 1721, the second of seven children of William and Mehatabel Sherman, Roger became farmer and a cordwainer (a person who makes shoes and other items from leather) like his Puritan father.

I’m a real history buff and I will use almost any excuse to dig into the past and learn something new. So guess what? Earlier this month we celebrated Columbus Day, which is increasingly being celebrated as Native American Day, which leads me to a related surveying question – How are Indian Trust Lands surveyed?

As promised in my National Parks Month blog, I said I’d be posting from my vacation to tour just a few of our national treasures. We finished a great time at Mount Rushmore, and then we visited Zion National Park.

The Oxford Dictionary defines "breathtaking" as: astonishing or awe-inspiring in quality, so as to take one's breath away.

To say Zion National Park is breathtaking is an understatement. Words just cannot describe and pictures just don't do it justice. I’ll try with a few, though – sublime, magnificent, glorious, mind-blowing , splendid, and my favorite – divine!

Surveyors have been doing their job for millennia, and the ingenuity (and accuracy) of ancient instruments is mind-boggling. My last blog was focused on the surveyors of ancient Egypt, who were responsible for laying out temples, palaces, pyramids, boundaries for the Pharaoh to be able to levy taxes accurately.

In the US, everybody knows a little bit about the Declaration of Independence. This document was the formal announcement of the split between the Colonies and the British Crown – ultimately creating the United States of America.

Berntsen International, the leader in infrastructure marking solutions, announces that it has earned the Esri Release Ready Specialty status. This designation recognizes companies, products and solutions that integrate with Esri technology and are created by partners with expertise in leveraging Esri solutions and software.

As a surveyor, did you ever have the opportunity to be part of a historic project? Jack Savlan, now of Milwaukee, did. He was one of the surveyors on the original Cadastral Survey of the Navajo Nation that began on June 21, 1982 at the corner of the sections 35 and 36, T24N, R14W, New Mexico Principal Meridian. Jack’s going to take over the blog for today and share this incredible experience.

It’s well-known that a number of our presidents were surveyors – Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and even Roosevelt (kind of).

Did you ever wonder how the early surveyors learned how to survey? Many biographies say these men were “self-taught” . . . for Washington and Jefferson, this means they got a copy of “Geodaesia,” the first surveying book created for the New World surveyor.

In 1632, Maryland (governed by the Calvert family) was granted “that part of the Bay of Delaware which Lieth under the Fortieth Degree of North Latitude”. Unfortunately, the fortieth parallel ran right through the middle of Philadelphia, cutting it off from its only harbor. Pennsylvania (governed by the Penn family), didn’t think this was fair, and the case dragged out in English courts for decades. By 1750, a boundary was agreed upon - on paper.

I was on the back ridge of maples where a large 30” hemlock stands; the branches were covered with snow – it looked like a Christmas card! Birds were chirping and the tracks of deer, fox and snowshoe rabbits were outlined in the pristine, crunchy snow. An eagle made a slow, silent arc overhead. I couldn’t think of anywhere in the world I’d rather be than on this plot of land in the forest.

Looking back at the start of our nation, there are those that stand out for their singular contributions that laid the foundations of democracy. Surveyors, including Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln, literally set the boundaries of our country and its ideals. Other surveyors made significant and lasting contributions, including Benjamin Bannaker.

As any surveyor knows, our nation was built on surveying, with many of our early leaders getting their start as surveyors (Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson, to name a few). Early surveyors laid the essential groundwork for land records that have served us well for many years. Unfortunately, land records in many states are based on original surveys done in the 1800s or even earlier. That’s fine when land remains unchanged for decades . . .

As a member of the Point of Beginning (POB) Advisory Board, I have a unique opportunity to reach out to a larger audience about surveying and geomatics subjects that are of great importance.

One of the most important subjects to me (and to the surveying profession) is letting young people know about our exciting and fulfilling profession.

I was chatting the other day with a colleague from my surveying days, Bob Beilfuss, a surveyor from Germantown, Wisconsin. Since I’m now working for Berntsen, Bob shared some of his favorite stories about the Berntsen products he uses. It was an interesting and informative chat, so I asked him to share his stories with you.

More than anyone, surveyors understand the importance of location. We master many types of tools to generate the specific data required for boundary lines, construction grids, laying out developments, creating 3D models of buildings and topography and more.

Did you know that Thomas Jefferson was not only a surveyor, but he was actually instrumental in the design of the United States itself? The story of Jefferson’s career is the story of nation-building, with surveying as its foundation.

Inaccurate FEMA flood maps affect many property owners – even if the property isn’t located near an ocean, lake or river.

If property is located in the area FEMA has designated as floodplain, higher rates for insurance and difficulty selling the property is a common result.

Additionally, owners run a higher risk of experiencing a flood event. Flood maps are issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These maps are used as the basis for property insurance rates, permitting for construction, and are part of the documentation mortgage lenders require.

I’m proud to be a surveyor. Surveying is the foundation of my career and has taught me a lot about the world. It has improved my ability to think analytically, helped me understand underlying principles, and shown me how to use data to solve problems help people find common ground (pun intended).

Today, as Berntsen’s business development manager, I’m relying on those skills to help Berntsen better serve surveyors. Long before I joined the Berntsen team, I was a Berntsen customer – I could count on their products (and support) to be top-notch.