Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast

As the FIG Congress 2022 winds down and the conference goers head for the exits, we felt it was a good time to bring another excellent guest to “Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast” and we found ourselves a great one. Claire Buxton, an FIG Young Surveyor and past leader of the Volunteer Community Surveyor Program (VCSP), joined Tim Burch to talk about the Congress, expansion within the FIG YSN, and ex...

Coming from a quiet meeting room from a hotel in Warsaw, Poland, we bring you the latest episode of “Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast” recorded during the recent FIG Congress 2022 and it was a way overdue interview. Your host, Tim Burch, finally caught up with Narelle Underwood, Surveyor-General & Executive Director of Spatial Services in New South Wales, Australia and the conversation did not disa...

As Labor Day passes, we say goodbye to summer breaks and hello to autumn, various conferences and meetings, and lots of things going on in the surveying and geospatial profession. This episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast finds us catching up from the long holiday weekend and bringing you this installment of “From the Director’s Desk” and your host, NSPS Executive Director Tim Burch. He sh...

This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast finds us back in “The Golden State” catching up with another surveyor who is making a significant “mark” on the profession. This week’s guest is Adrian Aguirre, a survey analyst with Guida Surveying in Fresno, CA who is also is the Secretary of the San Joaquin Valley Chapter of CLSA. Tim Burch was able to catch up with Adrian to discuss plan...

This week’s episode went from collecting a few sound bites about ongoing legislative efforts from our NSPS Lobbyist, JB Byrd, to a full-blown recording! We caught up with him on a late Friday afternoon to provide “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast and boy, are we glad we did! JB chatted with Executive Director Tim Burch about the ongoing Ligado saga, their presentation to the National Academy of Sc...

We have a winner! This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast finds us in Morgantown, WV at the offices of Triad Engineering as hosts for the presentation of the 2022 Trig-Star National Competition to Lauren Shen, a student at Morgantown High School. Kevin Brockett, PLS, who serves as Triad’s Surveying Manager, sponsored Lauren, and her classmates in this year’s competition. Tim Burch...

It is often said that surveyors don’t know how to retire and that they go on to do bigger and better things. This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast proves exactly that as we catch up with Steve Martin, a recently retired surveyor formerly with the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). He is a long serving CLSA member (2011 Member of the Year recipient) and dedicated stewar...

This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast finds us having a conversation with the US Forest Service discussing how vital surveyors are to their overall mission as stewards of public lands. Joining Tim Burch for the podcast is Gino San Paolo and Forrest Decker, both surveyors with the Forest Service heading up operations in California and Georgia, respectively. They discussed what a...

The age old question for our storied profession has consistently been for (literally) centuries, “What does a surveyor do?” Whether it be for an audience of fellow professionals (engineers, architects, etc.) or John Q. Public, the surveying profession has struggled with telling our story of who we are and what we do. This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast asked that question duri...

This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast catches up with the NSPS Trig-Star Program Committee as they complete their summer meeting. This session finds Tim Burch sitting down with the group during a break of test grading and strategic planning for the upcoming school year. Joining Tim is the Trig-Star Chair Jerry Juarez, Aaron Leach, John Chagnon, Mike Given, and Sherry Toutges to...

The NSPS Certified Survey Technician Program and increasing levels of certification provides real-world feedback on what a technician knows AND doesn’t know. This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast dives into two stories: one of a career that is just beginning, and another one who has taken advantage of the CST program and now gives back as a mentor to those just starting in surve...

This episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast is the next installment of “From the Director’s Desk” and shares many of the recent events happening within the organization. Your host, NSPS Executive Director Tim Burch, shares recent happenings on conferences, presentations, and upcoming events and promotions. Lots of exciting developments with new affiliates, experiences, and plans for the futu...

Eureka! While looking for a helping of Rice-A-Roni and a ride on a trolley car, “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast struck up a conversation with Warren Smith, L.S., Tuolumne County Surveyor and just happens to be the President of the California Land Surveyors Association (CLSA). He recently sat down with Tim Burch to discuss several topics central to surveying in the Golden State, including monumen...

This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast stays local with a short trip to the “District.” Our guest is Ramon Labrador, PLS, who was recently named as Deputy Surveyor for the District of Columbia. Tim Burch sat down with Ramon to trace his roots back to his native Puerto Rico, taking a chance on surveying when the engineering program was full, and his path to licensure in Maryland a...

In continuing with our “What is Surveying?” series, this week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast takes us down to the parishes of Louisiana and the land of the tigers, specifically LSU Tigers. Our guest this week is J. Anthony Cavell, PLS, CFedS, who current serves as President of American Association for Geodetic Surveying (AAGS). He is also a Past President of NSPS and the Louisiana...

This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast is the next installment of our “What is Surveying?” series and focusing on the complementary geospatial service of aerial photography and LiDAR data collection. Tim Burch recently sat down with Bill Johnson, VP, and Stephanie Beckham, Director of Business Development for DAS Geospatial, providers of aerial photogrammetry and LiDAR services w...

Once again, “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast connects with our fellow surveying contemporaries from around the globe with this week’s guest, Michelle Blicavs, CEO, Association of Consulting Surveyors based in Sydney, Australia. Tim Burch caught up with Michelle to discuss the current climate for surveying in Australia, how one becomes a registered surveyor, and how technical surveyors are a large...

Hello from Texas! This episode “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast finds us in the Dallas suburb of Farmer’s Branch and catching up with an energetic survey technician who “found” surveying through a unique job opportunity after high school. Our guest today is Allie Sparkman, a born and bred Texan who works for Lina T. Ramey and Associates. After traveling the world with her father measuring buildin...

This week’s episode “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast goes straight to the top of the officer list and features a conversation with our new President, Amanda Allred, PLS. She recently joined up with Tim Burch to share her story on starting in the surveying profession, finding benefits of participating in professional associations, and networking with other surveyors. Amanda also shared her views o...

ATTENTION SURVEYORS! ALTA/NSPS LAND TITLE SURVEY STANDARDS ARE HERE TO PROTECT YOU! A recent inquiry from a surveying professional posed the following question: can a plat be titled a "ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey" without doing any field work? We bring in our resident Land Title Survey expert, Mr. Gary Kent, to pose this question and others as surveyors nationwide are under fire for cheaper survey...

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS ALERT! The Department of Labor has issued proposed rule changes that will include surveying under the Davis-Bacon Act, so we asked John Palatiello, NSPS Legislative Consultant, back on the podcast to discuss the issue. He shared the history of the Davis-Bacon Act and why including surveying under rules typically established for labor is a negative for the profession. John talks...

This episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast is the next installment of “From the Director’s Desk” and shares many of the recent events happening within the organization. Your host, NSPS Executive Director Tim Burch, brings the latest news from the national surveying fronts on conferences, presentations, and upcoming events and promotions. He also shares information on what the mission and ch...

After a short break to coordinate National Surveyor’s Week and Global Surveyor’s Day, we are back! We think we made up for the absence with this week’s offering. This informative episode covers the importance of contracts with our resident Land Title Survey expert, Mr. Gary Kent, PLS. He recently sat down with Tim Burch to discuss why a signed contract is particularly important when performing and...

Ever wonder what it takes to be a CFedS? Do you want to know what makes a CFedS? This episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast dives into the deep end of the Certified Federal Surveyor program with the program manager and actual CFedS, Mr. Glen Thurow, PS, CFedS. Glen is part of the team working with the Bureau of Land Management to upgrade the existing program and provide new materials for st...

This episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast begins a new informational series appropriately named “From the Director’s Desk” and shares the latest news and insight on upcoming events. The inaugural installment features information about the upcoming “NSPS Day on the Hill” taking place on March 30, 2022, and related activities along with more details about National Surveyor’s Week (March 20-2...