Presenter: Joe Paiva, PhD, PS, PE

This course covers at least 50 ways that it is possible to make outright blunders, or to include errors that could be important to the measurements you make. Not being aware of them or not considering them can decrease the accuracy of your surveys or make them just plain wrong. With the advent of one-person surveying, this issue becomes even more important. Who has the resources, time and ability to absorb cost on the job while training your field people to avoid these common and uncommon oversights which can have serious impacts? The presenter has had extensive experience teaching surveying to “newbies,” as well as experienced instrument-handling technicians; has done research on instrument accuracy; and studied how surveyors carry out their field operations. Coupled with his experience in instrument and software development and customer training at Sokkia and Trimble, he has put together a series of practical, easy-to-use tips for surveyors using total stations, including robots, GNSS, including RTK and static, UAS (drones), and even the lowly surveyor’s tape.  You may know about some of these, but you are guaranteed to go home with takeaways that you or your field team can put into practice right away.

By the end of this session, participants will:

• Understand how the science of surveying measurements applies to every surveying measurement you make, so that you can decide whether a particular error that may occur is significant or not.
• Learn about common oversights that can lead to blunders (mistakes) in surveying measurement.
• Be able to develop concrete procedures and operations for your surveying operations have better quality measurements.
• Take away a list of items that you can use for periodic training opportunities with your team.

Joe Paiva is CEO of GeoLearn an online continuing education company; he is one of the faculty and teaches courses on state plane coordinates, errors analysis and unmanned airborne systems or drones (his favorite). Longtime educator, past and current of undergraduate surveying courses and continuing professional education for 35 years. President of Surveying and Geomatics Educators Society (SaGES).

Presenter: Robby Christopher, PRLS, LSLS

Professional ethics have existed in land surveying since ancient times. We often use the phrase "follow the footsteps" when talking about retracing original surveys. This course will explore how the concept of ethical behavior has shaped, and will continue to shape land surveying, even after we have left the profession, and our footsteps, to our successors.

Objectives to be taught:

• To consider how ethics has been an integral part of land surveying's history.
• To consider how professional ethics impacts our day-to-day decisions.
• To consider how our use of professional ethics will be viewed by those who will follow our footsteps.

Robert (Robby) Christopher is a Registered Professional Land Surveyor and Licensed State Land Surveyor in Lubbock, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Donna and his two lap dogs. He is a partner in the firm Hugo Reed & Associates, Inc. where he started in 1981 under the guidance of the late Tommie Anderson. He currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Engineering Surveying and Special Survey Projects. Mr. Christopher is a founding instructor for the High Plains Experience boundary retracement seminar held annually at Channing, where he teaches Professional Ethics and Surveying the Gradient Boundary. He is a past presenter of the TSPS course “Professional Ethics; a Facilitated Discussion”. Mr. Christopher is a long-time member and past president of TSPS Chapter 1 and has served at the state level on various committees, as well as chapter representative and as an elected director for two terms. He is the current Vice President of TSPS.

Presenter: Robby Christopher, RPLS, LSLS

Professional ethics have existed in land surveying since ancient times. We often use the phrase "follow the footsteps" when talking about retracing original surveys. This course will explore how the concept of ethical behavior has shaped, and will continue to shape land surveying, even after we have left the profession, and our footsteps, to our successors.

Objectives to be taught:

• To consider how ethics has been an integral part of land surveying's history.
• To consider how professional ethics impacts our day-to-day decisions.
• To consider how our use of professional ethics will be viewed by those who will follow our footsteps.

Robert (Robby) Christopher is a Registered Professional Land Surveyor and Licensed State Land Surveyor in Lubbock, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Donna and his two lap dogs. He is a partner in the firm Hugo Reed & Associates, Inc. where he started in 1981 under the guidance of the late Tommie Anderson. He currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Engineering Surveying and Special Survey Projects. Mr. Christopher is a founding instructor for the High Plains Experience boundary retracement seminar held annually at Channing, where he teaches Professional Ethics and Surveying the Gradient Boundary. He is a past presenter of the TSPS course “Professional Ethics; a Facilitated Discussion”. Mr. Christopher is a long-time member and past president of TSPS Chapter 1 and has served at the state level on various committees, as well as chapter representative and as an elected director for two terms. He is the current Vice President of TSPS.

Presenter: Joe Paiva, PhD, PS, PE

This course includes how to be legal with FAA, understanding local jurisdictional laws and regulations for your localities, we’ll cover some of the new changes that have just occurred or that might be on the horizon including flying over people, flying at night, and use of drone transponders; and also we’ll touch on some other legal, insurance and licensing board issues that as a business owner, manager or crew chief you might want to consider.

By the end of this session, participants will:

• Know the best sources to go to for information on statutes, rules and regulations that apply to flying drones.
• Be able to determine if their drone needs to be registered with the FAA and how to go about doing it (and renewing registration).
• Understand the process for the FAA Part 107 drone pilot license, the general topics to be covered and suggestions on how to study for it.
• Be able to integrate the rules for drone flight in the U.S. into operational issues, company management and being in compliance with insurance, licensing board and other legal requirements.

Presenter: Gary Kent, PS

This program provides an overview the state’s ethics statutes and rules with discussion of various scenarios that surveyors may find themselves in. The state’s laws relating to standards of practice will be reviewed with input and interpretation sought from members of the audience. The speaker will draw on his 17 years as a state board of registration member and liaison to the state Attorney General’s office to explain problems and issues that surveyors encounter (or create) no matter what state they practice in. 

Objectives to be taught:

• Outline Texas rules and statutes related to professional conduct and associated potential sanctions in the event of their violation.
• Explain and interpret Texas statutes and rules related to standards of practice.
• Give examples of some ethical dilemmas that surveyors might encounter in their practice and provide some thoughtful solutions to those dilemmas. 

Gary Kent, PS served as Chair of the NSPS and ALTA Committees responsible for the ALTA/NSPS Standards since 1995. He served on the Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Surveyors since 2004 and has presented programs in all 50 states and two European countries and regularly serves as an expert witness in survey/title related cases.

Presenter: Coleen Johnson, RPLS

An update on the latest rules relating to surveying, a summary of the tasks performed by the Surveying Advisory Committee and what we may expect moving forward.

Objectives to be taught:

• Provide information on the latest rules.
• Discussion of changes in the surveying act.
• What we may expect moving forward.

Coleen Johnson, RPLS is Regional Manager Survey, Geospatial for WGI, Inc. in Austin. She currently serves as the RPLS member on the TBPELS Board. Ms. Johnson is a past RPLS member of TBPLS and is a past president of TSPS.  

Presenter: Gary Kent, PS

• Outline the purpose of an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey and its relationship to title insurance.
• Explain the purpose and importance of each required element of the fieldwork.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose for each field-related Table A item.

Presenter: Clint "The Snake Man" Pustejovsky

In this session participants will learn about the four types of venomous snakes in Texas as well as the major types of dangerous insects and spiders that surveyors should be aware of when working in the field.

Objectives to be taught:

• Identify venomous snakes from nonvenomous snakes.
• Understand proper safety measures around snacks and insects.
• Learn proper procedures when bitten by venomous snakes.

Clint Pustejovsky commonly referred to as "The Snake Man" has studied snakes in the field for over 40 years. He is the author of many regional snake guides published throughout the US and a member of the East Texas Herpetological Society. 

Presenter: Gary Kent, PS

• Outline the purpose of an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey and its relationship to title insurance.
• Explain the purpose and importance of each required element of the fieldwork.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose for each field-related Table A item.

Presenter: Joe Paiva, PhD, PS, PE

Quality Control (QC), Quality Assurance (QA) and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) are terms not frequently used in land surveying and other geomatics activities. This course will help surveying professionals understand the overall scheme of quality management, and why such a structured approach is essential to maintaining consistent quality in their survey. 

As the final use of spatial data is so reliant on accurate and high-quality processes so that the end user(s) of that data can reliably use and apply such data and information, having systematic ways of ensuring quality can be a decided benefit to a typical spatial data professional's practice. In this course, the basics of QA, QC and especially CQI are covered. Then, suggestions are given on how to concretely apply them to a geomatics practice. Benefits of using the aspects of quality management and continuous quality improvement are presented together with the risks of not using them. It is likely that many course attendees will see in the described risks many negative outcomes they may have experienced. It is also possible that they may recognize these outcomes as a result of failure to apply basic quality management techniques to their businesses. 

By the end of this session participants will: 

• Understand the difference between QA, QC and CQI.
• Know how to break down their work into components that are QA, QC and CQI.
• Develop some takeaways on how to develop more robust ways of ensuring quality in the work output of the organization.
• Understand some of the real costs they may be paying currently without having a systematic approach to ensuring quality in their organization’s work.
• Appreciate how it requires active personal and group involvement in quality in an organization, leading to a workplace shift in understanding that it everyone’s responsibility to ensure quality, but that various positions have more or less of that responsibility.
• Learn how to shift from assigning responsibility for quality to assigning accountability and real authority for specific quality processes to each and every position in the organization.
  

Joe Paiva is CEO of GeoLearn an online continuing education company; he is one of the faculty and teaches courses on state plane coordinates, errors analysis and unmanned airborne systems or drones (his favorite). Longtime educator, past and current of undergraduate surveying courses and continuing professional education for 35 years. President of Surveying and Geomatics Educators Society (SaGES).

Presenter: Gary Kent, PS

After two years of work on the part of the Joint ALTA/NSPS Committee, the 2021 ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey Standards were approved by ALTA and NSPS in October, with an effec1ve date of February 23, 2021. This program will outline the many changes from the 2016 Standards and provide an explana1on of what each means to the surveyor. In addition, an overview of the entire set of 2021 Standards will be provided including a detailed outline of the relationship between Land Title Surveys and Title insurance. Finally, the answers to some frequently-asked questions will be discussed.

Objectives to be taught:

• Outline the purpose of an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey and its relationship to title insurance.
• Explain the field data collection process and preparation of the plat/map of an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey including the certification.
• Interpret the 19 Table A items and understand their application, including revised item 11 addressing utilities.

Gary Kent, PS served as Chair of the NSPS and ALTA Committees responsible for the ALTA/NSPS Standards since 1995. He served on the Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Surveyors since 2004 and has presented programs in all 50 states and two European countries and regularly serves as an expert witness in survey/title related cases.