For me, the fundamental question when discussing spatial data accuracy is "with respect to what?"

When Bruce Storrs first accepted his job as San Francisco City and County Surveyor 14 years ago, he was well aware of the challenges.

“Following the footsteps” is not just a clever phrase; it describes the responsibility surveyors take on when they work for the public good and under the public trust.

Limiting liability is a legitimate concern for surveyors and for professionals across the spectrum. However, the privilege of professional recognition brings with it a heightened level of responsibility that cannot be avoided by quick disclaimers or clever denials.

There’s an old line about perfect being the enemy of good. It is also paraphrased as perfection being the enemy of progress.

Beginning in 2022, points in the NSRS with defined coordinates will have epochs associated with them, based upon the time actual data were collected at those points.

As a whole, the profession has done little to project a positive image.

Finding where a property boundary line has become established on the ground requires gathering the best available evidence that the reasonably prudent surveyor would find, evaluating that evidence, and then rendering a well-reasoned opinion on the factual question of location.

Earl F. Burkholder, who was featured in June's Career Notes column, notified POB of an error in the article.