Survey Earth In a Day Planet Earth has never been measured with great precision in its entirety from thousands of points simultaneously during the course of a single day. On Survey Earth Day, geospatial professionals of the world will have a chance to change that. — by Scott Warner and Justin Farrow
On the day of the summer solstice June 20th, 2012, geospatial professionals around the world and members of Land Surveyors United (a global support network for land surveyors) will simultaneously record survey grade GPS data from thousands of points around the globe, in order to gain a more accurate understanding of the earth’s surface. If you are a geospatial professional with access to survey grade GPS equipment, consider helping set a world record, right from where you live and work! Only surveyors can provide the kind of precision that will be needed to truly understand the dynamics of the shape of planet Earth. Just imagine how much this could reshape our understanding of the mathematical models we have built to better measure the world around us... Let’s retrace the genesis of this truly remarkable concept. For us, it began in March 2010, when members of the Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors (WSLS) celebrated National Surveyors Week with
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a statewide survey project called “Survey Wisconsin in a Day.” During this first-of-itskind event land surveyors from around the state simultaneously gathered data from GPS receivers set up at various points throughout Wisconsin, recorded the data, and transformed them into information useful to the public. The goal, of course, was not merely to provide a unique set of data but, importantly, to increase public awareness of the role of surveyors in the national economy and in the private lives of each of us individually. To participants, the event demonstrated, beyond any shred of doubt that more accurate mapping of the world can be achieved when land surveyors unite behind a given task. The data WSLS collected were processed into a single precise latitude and longitude location for each point measured. Every point was post-processed to within 1 centimeter on the surface of the Earth. Wisconsin surveyors plan to re-measure these same monuments in the near future in order to determine any shift in position.