A HUGE welcome to Jay Sidhu from Perth, Western Australia! Let’s learn a bit more about him:

Where did you study? Curtin University, Perth Western Australia. I studied Bachelor of Surveying and Bachelor of Commerce double degree.

What are the requirements to be a surveyor in your area? Surveying requires a Tertiary qualification from University or TAFE.

Curtin University offers two courses:

• A four year Bachelor of Surveying Degree will allow you to work in any field of surveying, and a 3 year Bachelor of Mining Technology (Mine Surveying) will allow you to be a mining and engineering surveyor. 

• An ATAR score of 70 is required for admission to the degree courses.

For entry to TAFE, you will need Year 11 maths at OLNA or NAPLAN 9 Band 8 at Certificate III level in Engineering and Mining Surveying. After that, you can then proceed through Cert IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma which will lead to a career in engineering and/or mining surveying.

To become a Licensed Surveyor, you will need a Bachelor of Surveying degree, followed by 2 years of experience in cadastral surveys, training, and assessments.

You can work as a survey technician on mine sites with a Diploma, but to become an Authorised Mine Surveyor, you will need to have an Advanced Diploma, 1 – 2 years on the job experience, a reference from a supervising surveyor and an interview with the Mines Registration Board.

How did you get into surveying? I got into surveying with the help of my mum who said that it would be a career with lots of job prospects and it was in demand, so I gave it a go and I have not looked back since. I love the surveying industry.

How long have you been in the industry? I have been working in the industry since I was a first year student in 2009. So I have been in the industry for 13 years and loving every moment of it.

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

Western Australian Institution of Surveyors  (Surveyors WA) – Link –https://www.surveyorswa.org.au/

Vision Surveys Consulting is a company that I am a Director/Co-owner of based in Perth, Western Australia. – Link –https://visionsc.com.au/

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? Getting the word out there for our beautiful profession is a must! Surveyors all have explorer blood through our veins, and we are all passionate of what we do and the new courses we chart.

Getting that all out there to kids and seeing a kids get involved and interested in what you do provides a great sense of satisfaction not only to yourself but to know that our profession will keep growing to bigger and better things as we advance into the future.

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry? The number of surveyors here in Australia is declining and we really would like to keep the industry thriving for years to come. It is important for kids to know early who we are so that they can find out more as they go through school and have a profession in surveying or the broader geospatial industry on their list to work towards. I am yet to meet a surveyor who didn’t love his or her job. That really is a fantastic statement, and you know anyone who joins our cohort will love every minute of it.  

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? I will keep doing what I do at career fairs and get more contact out in social media encouraging parents to share stories about surveyors – who we are – what we do and all the exciting aspects we are involved in to increase interest within our future leaders.

What are your hobbies? In my free time I enjoy playing tennis and I practice Taekwondo (working my way towards my 4th Dan next year)

If you/your company had a GKiS character, what would it be? Would like a “cool vibe” sort of character – I like to play with names that are catchy – that’s how I came up with the name Fresh Prince of Surveys which definitely grabs people attention. So perhaps something funky like that. 😊

Cool and funky – that grabs attention and it sticks.

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? More informative videos from the GKiS crew and more videos from all the members to be shared globally.

Welcome to Ciaran Laverty from Northern Ireland, UK:

Where did you study? I studied in Ireland at Ulster University Jordanstown, Belfast. My degree was a BSc Construction Engineering and Management and I achieved a 2.1. I am always looking into new ways to learn and improve my knowledge base. As they say, every day you learn something new is a good day.

What are the requirements to be a surveyor in your area? I believe there aren’t any black and white requirements. You do need to have a basic understanding and enjoy working outside. You can do further learning to help improve your knowledge and to contribute to professional registration with a chartership. 

How did you get into surveying? In all honesty, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do even when I started my University degree. It was only when I started in the industry that I learned just how enjoyable it could be. You are constantly meeting new people and experiencing new locations so every day really is a different day. 

How long have you been in the industry? I graduated University in 2018 but I have been involved in the construction/surveying industry since 2016. It is a fast paced industry and my first day on site in 2016 feels like it was yesterday!

Are you part of any associations or organisations you would like us to mention? I am currently working towards CICES and RICS membership.

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? There aren’t enough people doing their best to promote surveying and the geospatial industry. When I seen GKiS I automatically knew I wanted to join as an ambassador and play my part in promoting the industry. When I was making the decision to choose a career path, I didn’t know much about the industry and I want to help change that to get younger people into surveying as early as possible. I also believe that we need to educate and attract more people to the industry to help with the on-going skills shortage. 

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry? It’s important because we need to have future surveyors. I don’t believe that enough people are choosing surveying as a career path due to lack of knowledge and not being introduced to it. Surveyors and engineers will always be needed no matter how much the industry advances in terms of technology therefore it is vital that we are always attracting people to the industry. 

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? I plan on doing whatever I can do try and promote the surveying and geospatial industry. I plan on starting a YouTube channel for my business and use that platform along with my Instagram and Facebook to socially promote the industry. When COVID is no longer an issue, I want to organise with local schools both in Ireland and the UK where we operate to introduce the younger generation to the industry. 

What are your hobbies? I am really interested in drones for outdoor landscape photos and videos. I love playing golf and enjoy most other sports. 

If you/your company had a GKiS character, what would it be? A Matrice 300 RTK drone with a LiDAR sensor

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? A poster showing the power and level of detail that can be captured using drones and other survey methods. 

Anything else you want to add that you think our audience (surveyors, teachers, parents) would be interested in? I think its very important for us all to work together in raising awareness and helping to Get Kids Into Surveying by sharing our experiences and stories with each other through social media platforms, blogs and even YouTube!

Say a big hello to Letwin Pondo, our latest Brand Ambassador from Zimbabwe, Africa!

Where did you study? Midlands State University, Gweru, Zimbabwe

What are the requirements to be a surveyor in your area? A level passes in Pure Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry

How did you get into surveying? I loved issues relating to land laws and policies, boundaries, land dermacation, cartography etc and Survey was the best way to go.

If you are not a surveyor, what do you do? Currently working to complete my studies at University (student).

How long have you been in the industry? 3 years

Are you part of any associations or organisations you would like us to mention? Yes: 

African Surveyors Connect

Zimbabwe Institute of Geomatics

YouthMappers MSU Chapter 

SEDS MSU Chapter

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? To assist in nurturing the young minds, catch them young and watch them grow within the profession as they’re the future of any profession. I believe in kids, they’re intelligent, brave and adventurous and strongly stand with the notion that if they be educated earlier and left to grow….the future is very bright. 

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry? So that they have a wider range of options to consider from when they’re choosing careers. They need to be educated of what it is, how it works and why they need to be there.

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? Educate the kids in various schools. Promote survey in every corner I can reach. Organize survey weekend camps for kids, quizzes, Workshops, debates, essay and speeches competitions, promote GKiS on social media and many more.

What are your hobbies?

Mapping

Researching

Playing with or nursing kids

Listening to music

Nature walks

Writing poems

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

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? Ambassador handbooks, magazines, posters, t-shirts, stickers

Anything else you want to add that you think our audience (surveyors, teachers, parents) would be interested in? Adults please let the young ones explore! They’re still young and brave to venture more and bring new ideas on the table. Survey is not an outdated profession, it’s still there and still advancing amazingly and it is in the hands of these that the future of this profession lies. Let’s motivate and encourage them together after all it’s our world together….

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Introducing Nicolette Beggache from Buckinghamshire, UK!

What do you do? I’m an HDS Technical Support Engineering & Training Specialist

How long have you been in the industry? I’ve been in a support role since 2014, but I have been working in the industry since 2000. 

Are you part of any associations or organisations you would like us to mention? I am a member CICES and a brand ambassador for Hexagon. I am also on the top 40 under 40 nominations for Geospatial Influential Individuals in 2018. I am now the main Technical specialist trainer for our Reality capture survey equipment within Leica Geosystems. 

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? When I was growing up, the industry was always thriving on man-power in a male dominated workplace. My teacher told me that girls shouldn’t take technical drawings, because they could not understand 3D. I really wanted to prove him wrong, and excelled at 3D drawings and modelling, way above my peers. I now work with 3D pointclouds and survey as good as any other surveyor in the industry for laser-scanning. I really want to give children the positive reinforcement that they can achieve greatness in any industry, but even more so in industries that previously were not considered ‘normal environments, based on gender’. I also would like to help kids gain a better understanding of all the different opportunities that are available to them in this Geospatial era. 

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry? The future generation has to be shown how surveying is an integral part of our technological journey. They are the future of tech evolution and have to feel inspired to innovate. 

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? Spread the word amongst children with STEM events and social media. 

What are your hobbies? I love photography, painting and reading, but also enjoy gardening. 

If you/your company had a GKiS character, what would it be? A cape wearing super-hero! We already have a green dragon on GKiS. 😊

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? I have noticed kids love games/apps on their devices. I know this is farfetched but an app based on the cartoon that you have in the GIS/ICES magazines – to give like a ‘story-line’ type scenario – would be great to get kids interacting and maybe something where you can use STEM activities to pass levels etc. A digital app resource would be good (unless one already exists for GKis and I just don’t know about it.) 

Anything else you want to add that you think our audience (surveyors, teachers, parents) would be interested in? We should focus on skills shortages to fill those gaps. After a discussion with some children from my daughter’s school – they are all researching their future jobs by popularity but are not realising that the jobs that are popular are the ones people with study for and there will be too many people applying for the same job – rather than focussing on the opposite spectrum. Also – children in year 8 and 9 are the ones that are choosing their ‘career paths’ by subjects, therefor inspiring at that age, is critical.

Welcome to Patrick Hedegaard from Jytland, Denmark! Here’s a bit about him:

“Im curently studying at VIA University College, a campus in Horsens, Denmark.

The requirements for becoming a land surveyor in Denmark are a high school diploma or another relevant 3 year education, and thereafter one can apply for the 2 year surveyor program with 10 weeks of fieldwork.

It was by chance that I started the education. When I started I quickly became aware that 95% of the students did not know what they had signed up for.or what a surveyor actually does. I want to help change that! “I have a dream” of making this wonderful education more understandable and attractive. So we can get the best of the best as our colleagues.

Being a surveyor is cool and the future is exciting. Feel free to follow my adventure on LinkedIn“

Introducing Ramon Labrador from Maryland, USA:

Where did you study? University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. Bachelor’s in science, Land Surveying and Topography Engineering.

What are the requirements to be a surveyor in your area? 

                          ORIGINAL LICENSE (by examination) – For an original license in Maryland, the applicant has five categories that are divided into academic and non-academic options:

1. Approved Curriculum Option (15.305 b) – This first option requires the applicant to
   complete a four-year degree from an accredited land surveying curriculum along with two years of approved experience.
2. Approved Curriculum Option (15.305 c) – This second option requires the applicant to complete a four-year degree from an accredited physical science curriculum along with four years of approved experience.**
3. Approved Curriculum Option (15.305 d) – This third option requires the applicant to complete any accredited four-year degree with a minimum of 30 credits in land surveying-related curriculum along with four years of approved experience.**
4. Non-academic Option – (15.305 e) – This fourth option does not require a college degree. Applicants can satisfy the licensing requirement with a high school diploma and a minimum of 30 credits in land surveying-related curriculum along with six years of approved experience.**
5. Non-academic Option (15.305 f) – This fifth option does not require any college at all. Applicants can satisfy the licensing requirement with a high school diploma and nine years of approved experience.

** The board may allow one year of experience credit for each 30 semester hours or its equivalent that an applicant completes in land surveying-related courses that the board approves, with a three-year maximum.

Application process:

Step 1 – Pass the Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Examination.

    Go directly to NCEES for the FS Exam. State approval is no longer required

Step 2 – Apply to the board for an original license based on one of the above categories.

    Once your application is submitted to the Board, you will receive further instructions.

Step 3 – Apply for the Principles and Practice (PS) Examination

    Go to NCEES and apply for the exam. Once the board approves your application NCEES will be notified that you are eligible for the examination.

Step 4 – Schedule and pass the State Specific Examinations.

    Note: Steps 3 and 4 can be completed in any order. Applicants who have already passed the PS Examination do not have to retake the exam as long as the scores are available from NCEES or sent directly to the board.

Step 5 – Pay licensing fee

    Once you have passed all of your exams, you will be notified that you are eligible for licensure. Please follow this link to pay for your licensing fee here.

License Period: Two-year period from the date of issuance.

How did you get into surveying? When I graduated from high school, I knew I liked math and I had no clue what to do. Someone suggested getting into the Land Surveying and Topography Engineering program and I just fell in love with the profession.  

How long have you been in the industry? I have been Surveying for 14 years in Maryland and Washington DC. 

Are you part of any associations or organizations you would like us to mention?

District of Columbia Association of Land Surveyors (DCALS), (Board Member)

Maryland Society of Surveyors (MSS)https://www.marylandsurveyor.org/default.aspx

Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute’s Maryland Section Chapter (UESI)https://uesi.ascemd.org/

 Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? I want to help spread the word about how amazing this profession is and, I want to help provide options to our future generation.

 Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry? It is important to understand what Surveying is and how important it is in our daily live. As professionals and mentors we must share, explain and train  what and why we love this industry. Why is important. What can be achieved as a Surveyor. All the different levels and areas we can work as Surveyors. Again, to me is all about knowledge and opportunity.

 What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? Not very clear yet, I want to look for ideas and then execute. All I know is that I want to be part of it and I will work on a plan of action after I get some ideas.

 What are your hobbies? Love traveling with the family, Sports and Working out.

If you/your company had a GKiS character, what would it be? Could you explain? I would like to see a Hispanic super smart, understanding, strict, funny, and kind Surveyor.

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has so many Natural Resources and a lot to show.

 Anything else you want to add that you think our audience (surveyors, teachers, parents) would be interested in? Surveying as an opportunity for our children. Surveying is a real profession that needs to be seen as a real option.

Welcome to our Brand Ambassador Rhian French from Hampshire, UK! Let’s get to know her in this quick fire Q&A:

If you are not a surveyor, what do you do? I provide PR services for geospatial organisations – I help surveyors in National Mapping Agencies explain why what they do is important.

How long have you been in the industry? Since 2000

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

Professional Ambassador and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers (FRGS). 

Proactive Member of the Association for Geographic Information (AGI)

Enthusiastic supporter of Women in Geospatial

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? I think it’s brilliant and a really engaging way ti inspire to next generation of geospatial professionals. I already attend careers fairs, schools and universities in the local area talking about my job and trying to inspire people to consider at as a career.

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry? It actual makes a difference to climate change, creating a fairer world, responding to and preventing disasters – all highly visual and easy to understand solutions to the challenges they will face as the next generation.

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? What ever you need me to but also happy to promote via my AGI membership and involvement in RGS

What are your hobbies? I love exploring new places, meeting new people (I’m very nosy!) I love maps and use them to explore outside, I really enjoy nature – from wildlife watching to gardening.

If you/your company had a GKiS character, what would it be? I have one – 3T the Polar Bear (thanks Elly!)

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? A little GIF for use in social media/presentations would be great.

Introducing Thomas Herbert from Wisconsin, USA! Let’s get to know him in this quick fire Q&A:

If you are not a surveyor, what do you do?  I am a paleontologist and run a nonprofit science foundation.  Earth Sciences Foundation Inc

How long have you been in the industry?  I have been digging dinosaurs for 10 plus year now. 

Are you part of any associations or organisations you would like us to mention? The Earth Sciences Foundation Inc  

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador?  We integrate geospatial mapping and data curation into our programs for kids and veterans.  We need more young people engaging in these fields. 

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry?  There are so many new applications and technologies coming out that we will need to engage the youth to keep advancing as well as keep them engaged into a career path.  All building and infrastructure begins and ends with surveyors. 

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS?  We will be including materials in our programs with kids to introduce them to surveying as well as when we do speaking engagements to create more brand awareness as well increase engagement. 

What are your hobbies?  I enjoy fishing and being outdoors.  But I am fortunate that my favorite hobby is my job, digging dinosaurs. 

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

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS?  Not sure, maybe an interactive online activity to engage kids in surveying.  Almost video game like. 

Anything else you want to add that you think our audience (surveyors, teachers, parents) would be interested in?  As a foundation our focus is outreach and awareness.  We strive to get more people, especially kids, involved in geospatial and geoscience careers.