Introducing Belinda Willis our Brand Ambassador from Taranaki, New Zealand!

Where did you study? Otago University

What are the requirements to be a surveyor in your area? Registered Land Surveyor with a Degree

How did you get into surveying? Saw a video at a careers counselling session

How long have you been in the industry? Graduated in 1991

Are you part of any associations or organisations you would like us to mention? NZIS (now called SSSI)

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? I think what you are doing is really cool!

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry? Because its not something that is ever mentioned and it was only luck that I came across it

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? Spread the word via your comic book and posters.

What are your hobbies? Biking (both mountain and gravel) – skiing – cooking and reading.

If you/your company had a GKiS character, what would it be? A fiery redhead

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? Some of the more different things surveyors do – like I had a job once which meant photogrammetrically capturing a murder scene!

Introducing Frederico Bayonas from Alicante, Spain!

Where did you study? I started studying Surveying Engineering while finishing my compulsory military service in 1992 in Polytechnic University of Valencia.

What are the requirements to be a surveyor in your area? In Spain you must have a Surveying Engineering University Degree and be part of the official surveying institution. Something like RICS in the UK. Meanwhile, there are other technical professionals doing surveying jobs.

How did you get into surveying? When I was teenager I used to see those strange people with their tripods in many different places and wanted to become one of them!

If you are not a surveyor, what do you do? Nowadays, I’m in the building industry however in the purchasing department.

How long have you been in the industry? I have been civil works surveyor for almost 20 years

Are you part of any associations or organisations you would like us to mention? Not at the moment.

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? Because I love the work you make and also love kids! 

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry? I think most people arrive to the university without knowing exactly what are they going to work in the future while choosing this studies. 

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? Helping you to difuse your posters, and the rest of information and even translate into Spanish for non-English speakers. 

What are your hobbies? Road cycling, family hiking and learning languages 

If you/your company had a GKiS character, what would it be? For me I’d choose Cap. Alice. But for the company I’m working at.

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? While I was studying at the University (early 90’s) a teacher used to tell us that we will be the first surveyors on Mars…LOL But today’s next generations will! So what about a Mars surveying poster?

 Anything else you want to add that you think our audience (surveyors, teachers, parents) would be interested in? Encourage you to to keep on with your fabulous work for children!

Welcome to Bradley Cottington our latest Brand Ambassador from Berkshire, UK!

Introduce yourself: My name is Bradley Cottington and I work for NavVis in Business Development for the U.K. & Ireland market.

How long have you been in the industry? I’ve been working in the industry for a year after finishing a Business Studies with Enterprise & Placement degree at Bournemouth University.

Are you part of any associations or organisations you would like us to mention? I’m a part of the COMIT Community (Construction, Operation & Maintenace through Innovative Technology). They strive to be the Centre of Excellence for the exploration, development and implementation of innovation within the industry by encouraging and supporting collaboration to ensure best practice.

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? I want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador mainly to help to spread the word about the geospatial industry to our future generations. I’m also passionate about supporting U.K. & Ireland businesses and spotlighting their amazing work.

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? I’m already quite involved in holding demonstrations of NavVis tech and attending lectures at Universities, Colleges, and Schools around the U.K., and I’d love to get the word out to my educational network for GKiS. I’m also a proud promoter of the industry on social media platforms such as Linkedin and would leverage the power of network effects to bring more attention to GKiS.

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry? Growing up, my family was centered around the construction industry – my dad’s a carpenter and my step-dad’s a surveyor, so I was always interested in the built environment. This naturally led to my curiosity regarding how you gather and interpret data about the world around us, and what kind of technology you can use to do so. So, I think it’s important for kids of today to learn about these new technologies and how they can create new opportunities to better understand the world they live in.

What are your hobbies? In my spare time I enjoy watching Thriller films, Cooking (toasties mainly) and playing Golf with friends!

If you/your company had a GKiS character, what would it be? Someone wearing our dynamic NavVis VLX mobile mapping device. It looks really cool in real life and it would be equally as cool on my character – especially if my character had a StormTrooper suit on 🙂

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? I’d like to see a focus on the power of mobile mapping and how it fits into traditional surveying workflows, really emphasizing the point that picking the right tool for the job is crucial.

Additionally, I think SLAM technology should be highlighted – it’s such an important tool when using both static and mobile scanning.

Anything else you want to add that you think our audience (surveyors, teachers, parents) would be interested in? I’d point our audience to a list of some videos that shows places from around the globe that were captured with NavVis technology. These videos are tangible proof of the power of mobile mapping and point clouds and make what we do a bit more “real,” check them out here: Captured with NavVis.

Meet Joel East a licensed land surveyor from Michigan, USA!

Where did you study? Ferris State university in Big Rapids, MI. I am currently studying at Texas A&M for a Master’s in Real Estate and Construction Law

What are the requirements to be a surveyor in your area? My area requires a four year degree

How did you get into surveying? I got into surveying 20 years ago and I just fell into it. At the time I just needed a job, and 20 years later, here I am!

Are you part of any associations or organisations you would like us to mention? Yes, I am an active member of MSPS (Michigan Society Of Professional Surveyors)

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? I believe in being a part of the solution. Surveying is not a profession that is marketed that well and in order for us to grow we all need to do a better job of doing just that.

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry?They need to know about it as a future career option. Most kids grow up wanting to be a police officer or firefighter. I want Land Surveyor to be a part of that list.

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? Visit local schools as well as market GKis to my state organization to get more and more involvement.

What are your hobbies? Football, Golf, spending time with my daughter.

 Introducing Sonwabile Duda from South Africa!

Where did you study? CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (CPUT)

 What are the requirements to be a surveyor in your area? You must study a national diploma in surveying or Batchelor of Science in Geomatics

 How did you get into surveying? By mistake. I was excluded from Uct Bsc construction studies due to academic poor performance send to technion in 2003 which was Cape Technikon now CPUT. When I got there construction studies was full not admitting new students, there were spaces at surveying that’s how I become a surveyor. I graduated in 2005 December.

How long have you been in the industry? Since 2004 doing my inservice training

 Are you part of any associations or organisations you would like us to mention? Yes I’m a member of (SAGC) SOUTH AFRICAN GEOMATICS COUNCIL 

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? To contribute to the development of future Surveyors 

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? Positive contributions in spreading Geospatial news, technology,  and opportunities for young people 

What are your hobbies? Sport: Soccer, rugby, cricket,  tennis (Knovak Djokovic fan), F1, road running, chess, table tennis etc

If you/your company had a GKiS character, what would it be? Rhino

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? Africa big five

Anything else you want to add that you think our audience (surveyors, teachers, parents) would be interested in? In south Africa there still kids learning under trees, mudschool without any facilities but they have big dreams to be Surveyors let us help them realise their dreams

Introducing Brand Ambassador Gale Shea from Wisconsin, USA!

A bit about you: I am a UW-Madison Geography/GIS grad and GISP, and a Geospatial Sales Rep at the Midwest Trimble Dealer in the US – Seiler (a long-time sponsor.)

I have been in the industry since 1985, coming up through the ranks as GIS technology first came online and then became mainstream.

Any associations you’d like to mention? Yes, I’m part of https://www.gisci.org/ and WI Land information Association https://www.wlia.org/  

Why get involved as a Brand Ambassador for GKiS and what do you plan to do? Because our world critically needs GIS/Surveyors and the Geospatial Infrastructure they enable as underpinning almost everywhere!

My plan is to work under the umbrella of 4-H with local schools/families in my area.  Rural Sauk County, WI. 4-H has a Geospatial Program with National reach.  https://www.facebook.com/4hgisgps As a 4-H Mom, I raised my 3 kids as (4th generation) 4-Hers and it is a very logical fit in my area.

Anything else to add? As you know Seiler is already quite involved.  I plan to use your existing resources.

Meet Faical El Adlouni from Casablanca, Morrocco!

Where did you study? I have a specialised diploma in geomatics & surveying, and an academic course in real estate valuation accredited by the RICS, I am currently pursuing my Masters in Business Administration at HEC Liège (Belgium).

What are the requirements to be a surveyor in your area? In Morocco practiced as a surveyor requires registration with the order of topographic surveyors engineers (ONIGT), and to do this, the condition is to have the diploma of state engineer in topography issued by the IAV Hassan II or its equivalent supported by the favorable result of an equivalence commission led by ONIGT.

How did you get into surveying? It is not by chance that I landed in surveying, because since young I have been passionate about geographical maps.

How long have you been in the industry? 18 YEARS

Are you part of any associations or organisations you would like us to mention? BIM Inspire, I’m the CEO of this startup.

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? I like the field of 3D reality capture, it is a field that brings together a lot of technological innovation such as the static and mobile 3D scanner as well as the drone. At home in Morocco, the children like technology and I personally like to share and inspire the children of my country.

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry? In my opinion, there are new roles that will be created in the years to come concerning the derivatives of the surveying professions, moreover this industry remains vital to the development of all countries, for the fields of infrastructure, industry, mining and construction.

So we need motivated and passionate young people to meet the craziest challenges.

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? Visit schools and participate in events for young people in order to offer GKIS posters and to be able to inspire children to love the surveying and cartography professions.

Proposing a computer development hackathon related to the maps would also be interesting.

What are your hobbies? I am sporty and I like hiking and climbing mountains, I also like to travel and discover several countries.

In the near future, I would like to discover Tanzania, Peru and Iceland.

 If you/your company had a GKiS character, what would it be? I see BIM INSPIRE as an orca, a cetacean that combines intelligence and strength

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? crime scene

Anything else you want to add that you think our audience (surveyors, teachers, parents) would be interested in? Surveying is an industry where technological innovations are evolving exponentially, and applications are constantly diversifying because all disciplines can benefit from surveying and 3D reality capture.

Our children are thirsty for learning, put a little surveying in their breakfast menus.

Introducing John Perrott from Cardiff in Wales, UK!

Where did you study? University of South Wales / University of Kent

What are the requirements to be a surveyor in your area? A good background in mathematics, engineering and construction have served me well!

How did you get into surveying? By accident. I ended up getting to work placements, one in the RAF working on Jaguar Fighter Jets and once with the local council surveying; it was love at first sight.

How long have you been in the industry? Around 17 years.

Are you part of any associations or organisations you would like us to mention? GCInstCES | MCIHT

 Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? I want to share the passion of surveying with the younger generations.

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry? They may just catch the survey bug too. We get to carry out important tasks, travel lots and my favourite bit; we get to work outdoors.

 What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? Once COVID eases enough I will visit my local schools and hep spread the good word through some interesting practical activities and games

What are your hobbies? I enjoy spending time with my family, going on nice walks and day trips

If you/your company had a GKiS character, what would it be? It would have to be me!

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? Maybe some sort of coding / programming activities

 Anything else you want to add that you think our audience (surveyors, teachers, parents) would be interested in? Why not get the next generation of excel users coding in a fun “Coding a LEGO Maze” activity from the guys at Coding a LEGO Maze – ResearchParent.com