August 1, 2018
Le 1 août 2018
Nouvelles de PSC-GPC News
Bill C-69 – Position of Professional Surveyors Canada
Amendments to enhance Canada’s management of underground infrastructure
Professional Surveyors Canada
After consultation with PSC Members, PSC has prepared a Position paper regarding Bill C-69 – An Act to enact the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, to amend the Navigation Protection Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts. This is a very large bill that required extensive review and consideration. PSC sought legal advice on the viability of each proposed change to the bill. Thank you to the Bill C-69 Committee volunteers and a special thank you to Michael Thompson for leading this initiative!

PSC recently apprised the sponsor of the bill, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, as well as the Minister of Natural Resources, Amarjeet Sohi, of PSC’s positions and the paper.

PSC is seeking support for its positions on Bill C-69 from other leading groups. Consultation will be done with the associations on this topic and a briefing kit will be provided.

Report to Membership - July 2018
Professional Surveyors Canada
The second quarter of 2018 saw steady progress on PSC initiatives and activities 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.  Read more for a brief summary of some of our current efforts.

Rapport aux membres - Juillet 2018
Géomètres professionnels du Canada
Le deuxième trimestre de 2018 est marqué par des progrès constants dans les initiatives et les activités de GPC à mesure que nous poursuivons nos efforts pour aider le public à mieux comprendre le rôle de l’arpenteur géomètre professionnel en tant qu’agent, conseiller et défenseur de l’intérêt du public, tant à l’échelle locale que sur des questions et des politiques de portée nationale et internationale. Lire plus pour un résumé de quelques-uns de nos efforts en cours.
Are Surveyors Insurers?
Professional Surveyors Canada
This is the age of do it yourself. The internet has a vast amount of information that helps the public with all sorts of issues. You can find a video on how to do any number of things. In general, this is a good thing. For professionals though, it can make things difficult. Doctors often have patients coming in who have already self-diagnosed. Lawyers see clients who have strong opinions on what the law says regarding their issues. As surveyors, we sometimes face similar circumstances. Clients can obtain co-ordinates for their property corners and then use hand held GPS or the GPS on their tractor to do their own surveying. As professionals, we know that there is much more to surveying than that. Read more

Comments, questions can be sent to info@psc-gpc.ca, the PSC Board or PLIC members:
 
Dave Gurnsey, Chair plic@psc-gpc.ca
Derek French, Director Liaison derek@psc-gpc.ca
Derik DeWolfe derik@psc-gpc.ca
Kevin Swabey kevin@psc-gpc.ca
Michael Kidston kidston@psc-gpc.ca
An article from a PSC Member:

Self-Insurance, Challenge or Opportunity?
Jim Gunn
Pretty soon the professional liability insurance program established by CCLS will be 30 years old. Perhaps it’s time for a tune-up or a trade in. Back in the late 1980’s, surveyors were pretty much an unknown risk. There was little alternative but to go to the market place as a group, under the CCLS banner, and negotiate the best possible deal. There were certainly few options available to surveyors in Canada who wished to take advantage of any sort of self funded liability insurance program on a national basis. Read more
GENEQ NET20 Plus CORS GNSS Receiver
Association News / Nouvelles des associations
Association of Canada Lands Surveyors
New ACLS Book
The Association of Canada Land Surveyors' is excited to announce the production of its first publicized book written by acclaimed author Charlie Wilkins. He has also published other reputable publications including: Association of Ontario Land Surveyors' book, Great Lengths: A Celebration of the Surveyors of Ontario. The prime focus of this ACLS publication will concern the areas of Canada lands, which are relevant to the Association, such as Canada’s oceans, Northern Territories, National Parks and Indigenous Lands.  Read more

Association des Arpenteurs des Terres du Canada
Nouveau livre de l’AATC
L’Association des arpenteurs des terres du Canada est heureuse d'annoncer la production de son premier livre publié par l’auteur, Charles Wilkins qui a écrit le livre intitulé « Great Lengths : A Celebration of the Surveyors of Ontario » pour l’Association des arpenteurs-géomètres de l’Ontario. Bien entendu, l'AATC a l'intention de développer sa propre publication distincte. L'objectif principal de cette publication concernera les régions du Canada qui sont pertinentes pour l'Association, tel que les océans du Canada, les territoires du Nord, les parcs nationaux et les terres autochtones. Read more
In the Media / Dans les médias
Crooked Missouri
You Asked and We Leaned In
Flatland
David Bonebrake describes himself as the kind of guy who likes order. If he sees a crooked picture on the wall, he wants to fix it.
When Bonebrake, a Kansas native, saw an aerial picture of Kansas City from 438 miles above — a photo he still keeps on his phone — he noticed that the Missouri roads were not parallel with the Kansas roads. He began to wonder why the roads on either side of the state line were not parallel. Read more
Holland Marsh isn’t named for the Dutch
Simcoe.com
If you enter Simcoe County through Bradford, you’ve made your way through the Holland Marsh.
You might think Holland Marsh takes its name from the Dutch farmers who helped create the productive little squares of vegetable crops. You’d be wrong.
It’s named in honour of Sam Holland, a surveyor — the first chief surveyor for British North America. Read more
If an algorithm draws lines on a map, is that the same as land surveying?
Vizaline says its service is not surveying, but Mississippi authorities disagree.
Ars Orbital Transmission
“When does drawing a digital line on a satellite map cross an ethereal threshold into the centuries-old practice of licensed land surveying? This is the existential question now before a Mississippi state court.
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But Mississippi’s Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors says that it should be the state entity solely responsible for land surveying.” Read more

The Bloomberg Opinion:
Land Surveyors Are Paying the Price of Progress
Once the sole purview of licensed professionals, drawing lines on a map is getting the startup treatment — and regulators aren’t happy about it. Read more
Espoirs et craintes envers le futur Club Med dans Charlevoix
Radio-Canada
Attendu à la fin de 2020, le Club Med qui sera situé dans le Massif de Charlevoix veut créer 300 emplois. Dans la région, si l'on se réjouit des futures retombées économiques, on se demande cependant si l'entreprise parviendra à pourvoir tous les postes qui doivent être créés.
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Ce projet de 120 millions de dollars sera financé à 30 % par des fonds publics, grâce à des prêts provenant des gouvernements provincial et fédéral. Lire plus
Best of the blogs
Spatial Source
Library of Congress
Worlds Revealed: Geography and maps at the Library of Congress
Post by Ryan Moore, a cartographic specialist in the Geography and Map Division.
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Cartonerd
It took probably around 30 hours to build in total and dominated the dining room table for over a month…but it’s finished and it is mighty impressive.
Post by Kenneth Field
Historical marker commemorates survey line
The Herald
Local history buffs gathered on the west side of U.S. 231 just south of Haysville Saturday for the unveiling of a new historical marker.
The marker, which is a project of the Dubois County Historical Society, commemorates Buckingham’s Base Line, an east-west survey line that Ebenezer Buckingham, Jr. drew in 1804 to help establish a land grid on the lands the U.S. government acquired in the 1803 Treaty of Vincennes.
“It was so important because this was one of the main reasons people came to Indiana,”.... Read more
ETSU’s land surveying program wins education award from national council
Johnson City Press
The Surveying Program at East Tennessee State University has been named the recipient of a $10,000 education award by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying.
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Land surveying is a rapidly growing profession that focuses on the location of various land use rights and the boundaries between them. Licensed surveyors are in high demand across the county. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the employment of surveyors will grow 11 percent between 2016 and 2026. Read more
' Like living in a spy movie': Bitcoin-demanding hackers cost Ont. town $250K
CTV News
Officials in an Ontario beach town spent several weeks unable to access government data because their computers had been taken over by hackers.
The Town of Wasaga Beach says all of its data was locked April 30 as part of a ransomware scam, in which malicious software is utilized to block users from using computers until a ransom is paid.
The scammers initially demanded 11 Bitcoins, worth approximately $144,000 at the time, to release the 11 servers. Read more

Une ville contrainte de payer une rançon pour accéder à ses serveurs informatiques
TVA Nouvelles
 La petite ville de Wasaga Beach, en Ontario, a été contrainte de payer l'équivalent de 35 000 $ à des pirates informatiques qui avaient pris le contrôle de ses serveurs informatiques.
Dans un rapport présenté mardi par le directeur financier et trésorier de la Ville, Jocelyn Lee, on apprend que le système informatique de Wasaga Beach a été touché par un virus informatique le 30 avril dernier qui a complètement paralysé sa capacité d'accéder aux données contenues dans ses 11 serveurs. Lire plus
Southeast Tech fills industry void by offering the only land surveying program in 4 states
Argus Leader
A Sioux Falls two-year technical school is taking on an unconventional role by filling an industry void for three other surrounding states.
But it's not because the job market is shrinking. It's because qualified graduates and students willing to enter the field are becoming difficult to find. Read more
Residents Object, but FEMA Recovery Map Will Stand
edhat.com
As most of the South Coast braces for the next fire, Montecito is focused on the next flood.
An advisory flood map released in June by the Federal Emergency Management Agency easily doubles the area of Montecito that is likely to flood during a 100-year storm; the new flood plain, or “high hazard area,” now covers roughly half the community, and it predicts higher flood water elevations than in the past.
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The FEMA recovery map is now the county’s best flood map, said Tom Fayram, director of county Flood Control. For one thing, he said, FEMA based its calculations on aerial LIDAR data, or remote sensing imagery, a 21st-century technology that recorded the elevations of Montecito’s changed topography, post-Jan. 9. Read more
Engraved Wood and Resin Tables Designed With Glow-in-the-Dark City Maps
My Modern Met
Warsaw-based Woo Designs creates incredible statement piece coffee tables from laser-cut wood and resin. The custom oak tables are engraved with maps of international cities like New York, London, Paris, and Berlin and can be filled with a crystal resin that glows in the dark. It's even possible to request a custom map if your favorite city isn't available. Read more
Making Drone Technology Credible for Surveyors and Engineers
Commercial UAV News
It wasn’t so long ago that the only time a surveyor or engineer would ever operate a drone was in their free time. In industries like surveying and engineering, accuracy and reliability are absolutely essential, and so surveyors have been rightly skeptical to adopt the technology until it can be proven to be reliably accurate. Today though, surveyors are doing more with less, and have quantified a 90% time savings when using the technology. ..... I’ve seen many people burned by getting bad data out of drones.  Read more
International News / Informations internationales
Government accesses UK’s underwater mapping program
Cayman Compass
The Lands and Survey Department is getting a better feel for the local underwater topography of the region thanks to a seabed mapping program undertaken by the U.K. Hydrographic Office. Read more
Liberty of Furness map could make £100 at auction
The Westmorland Gazette
A MAP of the ‘Liberty of Furness’, copied in 1772 by a T Richardson, from a survey by map maker William Brasier, could make £100 when it comes up for auction.
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“We understand William Brasier was a land surveyor to His Grace the Duke of Montagu, and he made hand coloured and decorated maps.... Read more
Jordan, China Discuss Cooperation In Surveying And Mapping Field
UrduPoint
Director General Royal Jordanian Geographical Center (RJGC) Awni Khasawneh discussed with Deputy Director General of the Chinese National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geo information Min Yiren, joint cooperation in aerial and satellite photography, production of digital maps and spatial data, and exchange of expertise in the field of surveying. Read more
New digital Local Land Charges Register launched
The HM Land Registry has launched a new digital Local Land Charges Register, in an effort to make the home-buying process simpler, faster and cheaper
Planning & Buildng Control Today
HM Land Registry has launched its new digital Local Land Charges (LLC) Register. Warwick District Council’s data will be the first to be available. Anyone requiring local land charge searches in the local authority area of Warwick will need to get them from HM Land Registry rather than going to the council. Read more
Create your own map in a new museum
What would it look like if the powers that created our planet had modern computer technologies at their disposal?
The Slovak Spectator
The Slovak Museum of Maps opened its doors in May 2018 in the village of Kyncelová, close to Banská Bystrica. As the name suggests, you can discover interesting facts on the history of mapping and get to know various types and forms of maps. Its founders have opted for interactivity, playfulness and modern technologies.... Read more
Tech News / Nouvelles techno
Virtual reality is the way forwards for this Essex company
A specialist surveying company based in Essex is undertaking futuristic experiments in virtual reality (VR) with the help of university experts.
East Anglian Daily Times
Geocurve, in conjunction with the University of Essex, has developed a room-scale virtual reality suite at their base in Kelvedon. With this resource, using drone-captured imagery, the company is developing 3D models by geo-referencing and stitching together many high-resolution images. Read more
Un premier cryptocafé ouvrira ses portes à Montréal
Radio-Canada
À première vue, le cryptocafé a tout d'un café normal. Un comptoir pour commander y est installé avec quelques tables et des chaises. C'est à l'arrière que la différence est perceptible, là où se trouve la salle des serveurs pour produire de la cryptomonnaie.  Lire plus

Why the House Agriculture Committee cares about cryptocurrency
Yahoo! Finance
Congressional committees held two separate hearings on Wednesday about cryptocurrency.
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Huh? You might ask: Why is the agriculture committee doing hearings on crypto? Read more

Cryptomonnaies : le tarif dissuasif d’Hydro-Québec suscite l’indignation
Radio-Canada
L'imposition d'un tarif dissuasif par Hydro-Québec pour le secteur des chaînes de blocs et des cryptomonnaies fait réagir non seulement l'industrie, mais également plusieurs municipalités et la Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ). Elles n'y voient ni plus ni moins qu'une façon de bloquer ce secteur au Québec.

Hydro-Québec croule sous les centaines de demandes d'entreprises qui souhaitent établir au Québec des chaînes de blocs, ou blockchains, une technologie rendue célèbre par l’émergence des cryptomonnaies.

Seul hic : ces entreprises consomment tellement d'électricité que leurs projets pourraient accaparer au total 40 % de la capacité de la société d'État, qui veut dans ce contexte imposer plus de conditions. Lire plus

Malta Stock Exchange Inks Deals to Build Security Token Exchanges
Yahoo! Finance
MSX, the newly launched fintech arm of the Malta Stock Exchange, has inked several new deals aimed at creating new marketplaces for tokenized securities. Read more
The Top 7 Drone Visionaries in 7 Commercial Markets – Surveying & Mapping
Commercial UAV News
The impact drones are having in the surveying & mapping sector is arguably more significant than anywhere else.
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To highlight how this value is being created, we’ve put together a list of 7 drone visionaries who are working in this field along with a bonus visionary whose interest goes beyond this specific application of the technology. Read more
Upcoming Events / Prochaines activités
2018 MGUG Fall Conference
Manitoba GIS User Group
October 17, 2018
Club Regent Event Centre
Winnipeg, MB

FIG - 3rd Young Surveyors North America Meeting
National Society of Professional Surveyors - NSPS
October 17-18, 2018
College Park Marriott and Conference Center
East Hyattsville, MD

Geomatics Atlantic 2018
Geomatics Atlantic 2018
Theme - Oceans of Data
Geomatics Association of Nova Scotia
November 14-16th , 2018 
Lord Nelson Hotel & Suites
Halifax, NS

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