May 2, 2018
Le 2 mai 2018
Association News / Nouvelles des associations
Report to Membership - April 2018
Professional Surveyors Canada
New Year
2018 is off to a busy start as we continue our efforts to broaden the public’s understanding of the professional surveyor’s role as an agent, advisor, and advocate for the public’s interest both on the home front, and on issues and policies of national and international scope. Below is a brief summary of some of our current efforts. Read more

Rapport aux membres - Avril 2018
Géomètres professionnels du Canada
Nouvelle année
L’année 2018 est bien entamée et nous poursuivons nos efforts en vue de faire mieux comprendre au public le rôle de l’arpenteur‑géomètre professionnel en tant qu’agent, conseiller et défenseur de l’intérêt public, tant à l’échelon local que sur des questions et des politiques aux répercussions nationales et internationales. Voici un résumé de certains de nos efforts en cours. Lire plus
In the Media / Dans les médias
Dispute over Conrads Beach brings community association to court
CBC News Nova Scotia
A group of Eastern Shore residents are concerned an application by a private landowner to review their property boundary could hurt public access to Conrads Beach, N.S.
Aaron MacNeil, president of the West Lawrencetown Residents' Association, said the situation concerns a strip of beach between the landowner's current property line and the water.
"It's a bit strange as an application, because they're asking for something that is already within the designated beach area," he said. "As an organization, our residents are concerned that it's going to set a precedent in Nova Scotia where landowners are going to be aggressively trying to gobble up pieces of beach, and that's not something I think most people want to see." Read more
Does Cryptic Code Hidden in Beale Ciphers Reveal Secrets of the Freemasons?
Ancient Origins
The Beale Ciphers have challenged treasure hunters for almost 200 years. Is the Declaration of Independence the key to finding the gold, silver, and precious stones that Beale buried near Bedford, Virginia? Can the puzzle of the ciphers be solved? A woodshop teacher has found a solution but not the treasure....
Mento’s first impressions led him to process the numbers from C1 as road bearings and distance surveyor coordinates. The plotting process produced a graphical representation that looked to be a road or river traveling in a North Easterly direction. Fascinated by the results, Mento located a map of Montvale, Virginia. Read more
County Board brings in surveyor to help with Morrill-Hillman property lines
Morrison County Record
With work continuing on a solution to the confusion over just where property lines should be in a section of Hillman and Morrill townships, the County Board has approved bringing in an expert.
The issue is that over the years, different surveyors have used different locations where a monument established in the 1800s is supposed to be to define property lines.
Because different property owners went with different points, their property lines are in dispute when they sell, transfer or attempt to build on land. Read more
L’aéroport Montréal-Trudeau évoque des plans d’expansion
Le Devoir
La forte croissance de l’achalandage à l’aéroport Montréal-Trudeau fait en sorte que la direction évoque le besoin de construire une nouvelle aérogare, dont les travaux pourraient commencer dans un horizon prévisible.
Aéroports de Montréal, qui prévoit aussi des travaux de 2,5 milliards d’ici cinq ans pour améliorer ses infrastructures et accueillir le Réseau express métropolitain, affirme que la première section de cette nouvelle jetée verrait le jour entre les deux pistes. Elle serait ensuite rattachée au reste de l’aérogare. Lire plus
Five tips for buying a property by the sea
BanklessTimes
Always wanted to have a home by the coast? Living by the sea can be expensive and there are other factors to consider such as the risk of flooding. Here are some tips for finding the perfect property by the sea. Read more
Dataflow: The Role of Data in Keeping Pipeline Infrastructure Safe and Sustainable
The American Surveyor
Moving product--oil, gas, petroleum--over land via a pipeline is the most economical method of transportation today--but the environmental impact when accidents occur can be catastrophic. This risk has driven an increase in regulations, resulting in more tasks required during pipeline construction.
....
The answer should be evident: the importance of getting good data recorded during the pipeline construction process is critical to reducing and preventing future issues. This changes the role of the surveyor during pipeline construction. Why a surveyor? Typically, the surveyor is the last person to "touch" the pipeline assets prior to a dozer covering it in dirt. Because a surveyor's primary role is to record the accurate position of the underground asset it makes sense to store all the important data that was captured. This helps to ensure the integrity of the data; as well as the pipeline. Read more
'It took up all my time': Parents move mountains to get in the zone
The Age
Sally Connor fought long and hard for a state school in Beaumaris.
But when the new Beaumaris Secondary College was finally announced, her excitement turned into disappointment: she wasn’t in the zone....
She went to extreme lengths to secure an enrolment at Melbourne Girls College after being told she wasn’t in the zone.
She forked out $1000 for a land surveyor who used satellite signals to determine the distance between her home in Kew and the sought-after state school. Read more
La vulnérabilité du marché de l’habitation demeure élevée
Le Devoir
Le marché canadien de l’habitation dans son ensemble conserve son degré de vulnérabilité élevé pour un septième trimestre consécutif. Il reste faible à Québec et à Montréal, cette dernière pouvant toutefois voir son statut révisé à la hausse.
Selon le rapport trimestriel de la Société canadienne d’hypothèques et de logement (SCHL) publié jeudi, le degré de vulnérabilité global du marché résidentiel canadien demeure élevé, surtout en raison des signes de surévaluation et d’accélération des prix observés dans des régions métropolitaines de recensement comme Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria et Hamilton.
Ce risque demeure modéré à Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon et Regina, « car les signes de construction excessive sont toujours élevés ».  Lire plus
Things That Matter: Surveyors’ compass was used to plat La Crosse
Things That Matter
Anyone who owns property knows the value of having an accurate record of the boundaries. Whether it is a small city lot or hundreds of acres, the legal description of the property is essential in assuring ownership and avoiding disputes with adjacent property owners.
The surveying of land in the U.S. is a result of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The ordinance required the government to survey U.S. territory into consistently measured parcels, a system strongly advocated by Thomas Jefferson. Read more
Preston House cleared for historical marker
Bristol Herald Courier
Eleven new historical markers recently approved for placement along Virginia roads will include a sign in Bristol, Virginia, to commemorate the Walnut Grove Plantation and its founder, Col. Robert Preston....
Ladd and Rainero explained that Preston worked as the first surveyor of Washington County, receiving the commission in 1779 from Thomas Jefferson, who at that time was Virginia’s governor. Read more
Tidbits, gleanings, and gossip from your Kentucky Gateway Museum Center
The Independent Ledger
It never ceases to amaze me what can be found in the KYGMC collections. Thanks to wonderful donors, we actually had stakes, a Gunter’s Chain, a surveyor’s tripod and a theodolite! For those of you, like me, who didn’t know what a theodolite is — it is a transit used by surveyors which provided a means of measuring angles over short distances. We take for granted that every place these days has an address. Every place has a name and every place is important to someone, but there was a time when that wasn’t the case.
Mapping and surveying were essential to the economic growth of American colonies and later to our new nation. It gave physical order in our new world and was integral in land development. Read more
Cincinnati State wins state approval for two applied Bachelor Degree programs
WLWT News
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College is one of three community colleges in Ohio to win approval from the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
They are one step close to offering a Bachelor of Applied Science in land surveying and a Bachelor of Applied Science in culinary and food science. Read more
Montréal appuie un projet immobilier de la STM près du métro Frontenac
LaPresse
Le comité exécutif de Montréal vient de donner son aval à un projet immobilier sur l'immense terrain de stationnement situé à proximité de la station de métro Frontenac, initié par la Société de transport de Montréal (STM). Le complexe immobilier comptera 298 unités d'habitation, dont 20 % sera du logement social. Lire plus
Warning - this is a very sad story : Haphazard History: Simon Fraser’s Son
The Williams Lake Tribune
Most of us have heard of the explorer Simon Fraser, who in 1808 navigated the great river which now bears his name....
The fourth of Fraser’s five sons, John, became a land surveyor.
Survey Markers to Aid Montecito Recovery Effort
edhat Santa Barbara
Key landmarks known as “survey monuments” will be established in areas destroyed or damaged by the 1/9 Debris Flow, in a project approved by the County Board of Supervisors on May 1.
“This is an important step in the Montecito recovery,” said Das Williams, Chair, Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. “The network will greatly assist private surveyors and may save residents some money in survey costs.”
The $104,000 Montecito Survey Control Network will survey and set about 70 monuments to help establish property corner monuments that were moved or destroyed by the Debris Flow. The project will provide greater consistency and efficiency in public and private surveys and may reduce survey costs to some residents, officials said. Read more
International News / Informations internationales
Personal stories of Snowy Hydro workers to be told in new film project
The Sydney Morning Herald
"The seven years that I spent in those tents were the most magnificent of my life. The pay was good, and life was terrific because we didn't drink but we did smoke though. That was important to us."
Carlo Aggio was just one of thousands of people who put their blood, sweat and tears into working on the Snowy Hydro scheme.
After fleeing from war-torn Italy as a refugee during the 1940s and coming to Australia, Mr Aggio began work on the project in 1951 as an assistant surveyor, helping to build trig stations across the mountains. Read more
Surveyors in bid to cut £300k a month crime bill
Scheme will use Smartwater technology
Building
The Survey Association and crime prevention firm Smartwater have teamed up to share information on stolen equipment which costs the surveying industry an estimated £300,000 a month. Read more
Tonga PM launches regional strategy for surveying
Pacific.Scoop
Nuku’alofa, Tonga- The Honourable Prime Minister of Tonga Samiuela ‘Akilisi Pōhiva officially launched the Pacific Geospatial and Surveying Council Strategy 2017-2027 last week in the presence of surveying and geospatial specialists from around the region and the globe.
The 10-year strategy represents a global first, as it is the first geospatial and surveying strategy to be collectively produced and endorsed by a regional advisory body- the Pacific Geospatial and Surveying Council (PGSC). Read more
Tech News / Nouvelles techno
The hi-tech car on a mission to map out Hong Kong as part of smart city bid
Data collected will help in government work and land surveys, including creating 3D maps of the urban landscape and terrain
South China Morning Post
A slow-moving white SUV which costs HK$5 million has covered more than 200km of Hong Kong’s roads since December, collecting 400,000 panoramic images on its mission to map out the city.
But the vehicle does not belong to internet search giant Google, known for its use of a similar method to gather data for online maps. The car is a new acquisition by the local government in efforts to create a smart city.
Fitted with the latest mobile mapping technology, the vehicle can scan the environment and record the city’s physical features while on the move, collecting crucial spatial data.
....
Senior land surveyor Leung Ho-ming said the car, a new addition for the government in its surveying and mapping work, was a better tool than traditional equipment for collecting data along stretches of roads, motorways or large infrastructure projects. Read more
La Chine en première place mondiale de l'industrie automobile
Le Devoir
La Chine, qui accueille l’industrie automobile mondiale au salon de Pékin à partir de mercredi, est en train de s’imposer comme la première puissance du secteur et le pays où s’invente la voiture autonome et connectée du futur.
....
La Chine fait la course en tête dans le déploiement de la 5G, l’Internet mobile ultrarapide, une technologie clé pour la voiture du futur, selon une étude de l’association américaine des opérateurs de télécommunications. Les Chinois ont « à la fois des mastodontes de la production automobile et des géants des hautes technologies », relève Guillaume Crunelle, responsable automobile chez Deloitte. Leur écosystème est même « meilleur que celui de la Silicon Valley », juge M. Dudenhöffer, selon qui les procès autour des accidents de véhicules autonomes aux États-Unis vont y freiner l’innovation au moment où la Chine accélère. Pour lui, l’Europe est déjà décrochée… Lire plus
Ground-Penetrating Radar Meets Virtual Reality Augmentation
engineering.com
Before taking a backhoe to an empty lot, builders need to ensure they’re not going to puncture forgotten sewage lines, expose pockets of toxic gas or damage major historical sites. Investigating the ground before digging a foundation can take months of surveying, which costs time, money and the patience of those who live near the construction site. Now, a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technique is making this formerly time-intensive phase of construction the work of a single afternoon.
....
Rather than sending out pulses, pushing the data packet to the cloud for analysis, collecting more data and repeating for hours or days until a full map is generated, the goal is to have a surveyor looking at the map of the ground below his or her feet in real time. A team at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, led by Professor Dalei Wu, is developing the edge computing platform to make this vision a reality.  Read more
Upcoming Events / Prochaines activités

UESI Pipelines 2018 Conference
July 15-18, 2018
Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
Toronto, ON

2018 MGUG Fall Conference
October 17, 2018
Club Regent Event Centre
Winnipeg, MB
Registration is now open!

Advertise with PSC /
Annoncez par l’entremise GPC
Please contact Ria van der Veen, Executive Assistant for ad specifications and rates. Horizon is distributed to over 2500 readers. 

Pour de plus amples renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec Ria van der Veen, Adjointe exécutive. Horizon est distribué à plus de 2 500 lecteurs.