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The Continuing Adventures of the GEOSQUAD

AFTER AN ACTION-PACKED, TIME-TWISTING, REALITY-BENDING START, THE ADVENTURES OF THE GEOSQUAD CONTINUE IN CHAPTER 2! ALTHOUGH THE TEAM HAS MASTERED THEIR MECHS AND MANAGED TO SAVE THEIR (FUTURE) SCHOOL, THERE IS STILL MUCH TO BE DONE AROUND MIDDLETOWN. THE MECHS BEGIN A MASSIVE FIX UP EFFORT, SHOWCASING MANY OF THE AREAS WHERE GEOSURVEYORS HAVE SUCH AN IMPORTANT IMPACT. LET’S HEAD BACK TO THE FUTURE AND SEE HOW THE SQUAD IS GETTING ON…

The GeoSquad wastes no time putting their mechs’ super surveying equipment to good use. They straighten and stack skyscrapers, re-route roads and fix floors, sift sewer sludge, and even save stuck kittens from tall trees. ‘MIDDLETOWN GOES MAD FOR MARVELLOUS MECHS!’ the news announces. It’s a great start. However, trouble is brewing back in their own time. A large, imposing figure approaches the classroom door. He tries the handle, but the door won’t budge, so he starts to yank and shove at it, pummelling with his giant fists. Inside the classroom, Miles, Maddison, Kwame and Setsuko snatch off their VR visors. They recognise the voice… West Park High’s resident bully. The squad know they can’t let that lump of stupid find out what they are doing, so they make a break for it – out of the classroom window and onto their bikes and skateboards. They don’t get very far down the road before they realise they’re being followed…

Cut to a hair-raising chase through the local park. The bully is bearing down on the squad, until Maddy launches one of Kwame’s calculators into his path. It lands under his front wheel, sending the tyrant crashing to the ground as the squad race away. Miles, Kwame and Maddison follow Setsuko to the safety of her luxury treehouse. After their close call, they agree that they mustn’t let their important work in the future be interrupted again. The squad reconnect to the Timenet, only to be greeted by a panicking Last Surveyor, and an extremely alarming scene.

A devastating landslide has torn a hill in two, dragging trees and rocks from the farm above onto the road below. The tidal wave of dirt has cracked the concrete and engulfed the remains of a tractor – barely visible amongst the mud. And yet, from inside, the squad spots a hand. A robot hand. A robot hand belonging to a farmer, waving desperately for help. G.E.O. G.I.N.G.E.R warns the squad that it might not be safe to move the tractor; using GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar), she scans beneath the landslide. Their fears are confirmed: the area is highly unstable. The scan also reveals another potential landslide trigger: a herd of inquisitive robocows in the field above.

Kwame and Setsuko shoot off to deal with the bothersome bovines, while Miles and Maddison begin to delicately cut open the roof of the tractor. All is going to plan, until G.E.O. G.I.N.G.E.R points out the lone cybersheep that has wandered onto the edge of the hill. Its metal hooves send rocks tumbling. They build momentum, growing quickly into a giant wave of dirt. It all happens too fast to stop. The wave crashes down and hits with devastating power, suffocating the tractor completely…

Has the farmer’s fate been sealed? Did Miles and Maddison’s mech’s make it out? And what terrible truth lies beneath the farm on the hill? Click the link below to find all these answers in GeoSquad Chapter 2!

Mathew Sullivan, FRSA Teacher, Author and Educational Consultant

GEO SQUAD Chapter 2 – FULL DOWNLOAD

Get Kids into Survey Resources

Ambassador Spotlight “Paul Burrows”

In today’s Ambassador Spotlight, we discover a little more about our Brand Ambassador Paul Burrows from the UK.

How long have you been in the industry? I started working for Leica Geosystems in early 2007. Prior to this I worked for Birmingham Archaeology at the University of Birmingham in their Visual and Spatial Technology Centre

Are you part of any associations or organisations you would like us to mention? Get Kids into Survey!

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? Because I see how important surveying is and I know first hand that some customers are struggling to get the right numbers of qualified staff, and this is an industry which is growing.

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry? It impacts everything you do/see, in almost every way – roads, buildings, infrastructure… it will also prove of even greater importance in the future as all this data is used for analytics, machine learning and AI to help power the autonomous infrastructure of the future

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? I will use my various platforms and industry connections to help drive adoption of the GKIS tools and thus get more kids interested in this varied discipline

What are your hobbies? Running, Walking, Reading (yawn, I know, but it relaxes me), Gaming (I have 3 kids who are PS4/XBOX obsessed!), and I love cars also.

If you/your company had a GKiS character, what would it be? I think Leica Geosystems already has one… (Indeed, it’s Draco Dragon).

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? How surveying is powering our autonomous future…

Augusts Interesting Articles

Augusts Interesting Articles compiled by Erin Hull

Here is a collection of articles that our team have read this month which we thought you would like to read too!

Educating Children on Water Management:

Community Water Management for a Liveable London (CAMELLIA) is working to create a more sustainable future for water, working with schools to empower the next generation with the understanding of the water cycle. With the prospect of a more unpredictable water supply due to the effects of climate change, a strategy needs to be in place for when the city comes into difficulties. This will be achieved by working together with environmental, engineering, urban planning, socio-economic and organisational experts, along with institutional and industry stakeholders and citizens. One point is clear, we will all have to work together to create a sustainably managed water system and environmentally friendly city.

“Having a society that understands how ensuring good water quality in their local rivers and streams begins in their house, backyard, and street, and are knowledgeable of the current problems across the water sector, could be the key for securing the UK’s water future.” Read more on why it is important to educate the next generation on water based issues.

Young Workforce Initiative for Geospatial Skills

“From satnavs to smartphones, location data underpins almost all our everyday activities making geospatial research a valuable industry that informs many billions of pounds of global investment. Whilst the sector offers endless career prospects, it is hampered by a low profile, particularly among secondary school pupils, and subsequently a shortage in skills and workforce.”

The Spatial Information Service (SIS) is working in partnership with West Lothian Council and geospatial software provider ESRI UK. Made especially for 15 to 16 year olds this young workforce initiative provides a hands on approach to fundamental geospatial skills at secondary school level. Targeting children whilst they are in school (like our Get Kids into Survey initiative for primary school pupils) could encourage a greater uptake of advanced study and future careers in the industry! Click here to read more about this interesting initiative.

Surveying in Crime Scene Investigation!

With the release of Get Kids into Survey CSI lesson plan last week, this article is rather on topic.

Do people perceive surveying as just measuring points around buildings? Because that is definitely NOT the case! As the police describe, the Leica Geosystems BLK360 massively helps to speed up the investigation process as the scene can be captured in such detail before any of it is disturbed. This data can then be revisited months, even years down the line if the case were to bring another question to light. As Russ Gardner explains, recording a scene in this way instead of using traditional photographic and videography ways, the data can be used to explore a witnesses viewpoint or track the height of a bed. Leaving a much more accurate representation and many more possibilities to work out the truth of a crime.

In the article South Wales Police describe how the use of the 3D reality capture has been useful in two scenarios, a buried victim and an in-vehicle murder! An interesting read for those who are excited by forensics, find it here.

For more Get Kids into Survey CSI Resources, see here:

CSI Poster

CSI Q&A

Get Kids into Survey Resource Page

Character Spotlight “Bowman Consulting”

In today’s Character Spotlight, we discover a little more about one of GKiS’s amazing sponsors “Bowman Consulting” in our latest interview with good friend Phil Fedor.

Company Name – Bowman Consulting Group

Location – Headquarters are in Reston, Virginia. I work in Tempe, Arizona.

Why did you get involved in Get Kids into Survey? I got involved as a way to evangelize on behalf of my profession. However, Elaine and I hit it off on LinkedIn.com as she fell in love with my horse. That gave me the inside track to become a Brand Ambassador. Don’t let her tell you differently! LOL

What do you do? I’m currently a Survey Project Manager. I research, prepare calculations for the field crews, guide the drafting personnel, and write legal descriptions for subdividing new parcels, or for new utility easements.

How long have you been in the Survey Industry? I began my surveying career in 1991, so almost 30 years.

How did you get into the Industry? I went to college to become a forester. I enjoyed the woods and waters of my native New York State. While enrolled at the SUNY ESF Ranger School in Wanakena, NY, I learned some basic land surveying techniques as it seems forest technicians need to know how to survey to some degree. After school, forestry jobs were not plentiful at all, so I started applying for work at local land surveying firms until I was hired.

Funny Fact about you? I’m a Pony Express messenger! I also have been playing guitar since the late 70’s, mostly mid-80’s rock n roll. Just for my own creative outlet, not performing at all.

Favourite piece of kit and why? The metal detector and shovel because they reveal the history of who has gone before me.

Favourite Survey technique and why? RTK GPS. Arizona has me spoiled with the open vistas and minimal vegetation cover which allows the field surveyor to use RTK GPS very accurately and reliably.

Your website: Company website: www.bowmanconsulting.com

How did you choose the character and what does he/she/it represent? Mean to you? What’s his/her name? My character is myself, Phil Fedor and my trusty horse, Booty Boonsmal.

Ambassador Spotlight “James Gager”

In today’s Ambassador Spotlight, we discover a little more about our latest Brand Ambassador James Gager from Sherburne, New York.

What do you do in the Geospatial Industry? I partner with regional Geospatial professionals (e.g surveyors) to understand the current workflow and match the workflow with the software and hardware they need. I sell all the necessary industry peripherals that our geospatial professionals need to get the job done.

How long have you been in the industry? I have been in the industry for 14 years

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

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador? I believe getting in front of kids with the idea of being a geospatial professional give them the opportunity to see the world of Geospatial and how diverse its offerings are.

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry? The introduction to the geospatial community at a young age will increase the number for interested people in the industry and securing a better tomorrow for the industry as a whole.

What are you going to do as an ambassador for GKiS? I will get in front of classrooms and create and introduction to the geospatial community. Hands on applications and brief on the many opportunities in the geospatial community.

What are your hobbies? Horse back riding, Hiking, adventure and finding new places for those adventures to occur.

If you/your company had a GKiS character, what would it be? Professor Solutions, he would scour the planet looking at modern day workflows and finding, creating building software and hardware to meet the needs of all who seek to capture geospatial data set.

What poster or resource would you like to see next from GKiS? CADD technicians at work to take field data and put into 2D, 3D and 4D applications to create asset management tools.

Eco Heroes…Assemble – Bringing Geography and Geo Survey to Life –

In a primary school in Manchester, a group of key worker children were set a lofty challenge… to save the planet! Using the Get Kids into Survey Forestry Exploration Poster as their starting point, they would explore the importance of ecological study and natural resource management, the global effects of deforestation, and the ways in which they could employ their geo-survey skills practically to do their part to make the Earth a little more green!

Introducing the Project

Pupils used the forestry-themed exploration poster to find out about all the hard work that goes into maintaining, managing, protecting,
using and replenishing forests around the world. However, they also learned that not every forest around the planet is managed with such care. This discovery prompted a fact- finding mission, where pupils used their research skills to discover the impact of global deforestation…

What Trees Need… and Why We Need Trees!

Pupils used similes to help them remember the functions of the different parts of a plant, e.g., “The roots hold the plant in place, like a ship’s anchor!”

Having garnered a more thorough understanding of the problems caused by deforestation, the group soon became determined to do something to help. Before they could get started, though, it was important for them to expand their knowledge when it came to all things green! So they began to create their own guides to plants, starting with the basic anatomy and functions of the various parts of a plant, then moving on to study the oxygen / carbon dioxide cycle as it exists between animals (including humans) and plant life.

The group also created interactive pull-tab diagrams to show the absorption and expulsion of gases between humans and plants.

The group added a ‘What Plants Need’ guide to their growing resource bank, detailing five key factors that affect the healthy growth of plants, and the potential consequences that might occur if any of these needs are not met.

“Time – a plant grows in stages. First the roots expand and take hold, then the stem shoots up. Then the leaves and the flower grows. This process cannot be rushed.”

– Year 5 Pupil

The group also managed to take what they’d learned into the virtual environment, creating animations using a computer coding programme to illustrate the growth process of a plant:

Who’s Helping?

With the pupils’ understanding of the severity of deforestation around the globe – and the importance of plants to support animal life – growing with each activity, they were relieved to hear that organisations have been established the world over to tackle this crisis. One such initiative, with which some of the pupils were already familiar, was #TEAMTREES. This planting project was set up by two YouTubers with the goal of planting twenty million trees to help in the fight against deforestation; a goal that they managed to reach with the help of mass public donations. Not only did the #TEAMTREES initiative succeed in reaching its target, it managed to surpass it, and its work continues today. In response to this, the group produced posters to be displayed in school, in an effort to further increase awareness of the project. They looked at interesting iconography around reducing, reusing, recycling and conserving, and put their own twist on them to create some highly impactful pieces…

Mapping Out Our Mission

With the group fully immersed in forestry, plant biology and deforestation awareness, the time came to turn study into action! This would be where the pupils’ survey skills came in handy – in particular their knowledge of mapping.

The group began a study of global coordinates; more specifically, they began looking at the decimal degree system for finding extremely precise locations anywhere in the world. This study began with a look at basic coordinates, which expanded into work on four-quadrant coordinate readings. With that under their belt, the pupils went on to look at how the decimal degree system built on the idea of segmenting an area of land into smaller and smaller grids, based on lines of longitude and latitude, to provide precise positioning data. This linked with and reinforced their previous work on map-making and use of satellite data in geo survey work.

Once the pupils understood the format and function of decimal degree coordinates, they were set a challenge – a virtual treasure hunt – with the goal of locating famed landmarks across the globe.

The pupils became so adept at this so quickly, that the following day they came back to school with their own examples of landmarks which they had pinpointed using the decimal degree system!

As a final challenge, the pupils were asked to locate the position of their own homes using the decimal degree system. Once they had completed this task, they were asked to pick a specific location in their garden – one that they knew, according to all the work they had done around what plants needed to grow well, would be a suitable place to add a little more green to the world…

Making the World a Greener Place

With their perfect plot picked out, the pupils noted down the decimal degree coordinates on a piece of paper and created a marker for their planting spot, which would allow them to keep track of the exact position of their plant. This would hopefully mark the first of many planting efforts, all of which would be logged with precise positioning data that could be used to track growth rates and the effect of factors like weather and care regimes.

Thanks to the Get Kids into Survey Forestry learning project, these pupils were able to increase their awareness of global conservation issues, and at the same time, use the skills they learned to do something practical, however small, to help redress the ecological imbalances they encountered on their learning journeys.

Report compiled by Mathew Sullivan, FRSA Teacher, Author and Educational Consultant

The Origins of the GEO SQUAD

One year ago, work began on a comic that would shine a light on the shrouded yet fascinating world of geo survey, the importance of surveyors, and their work around the world. The comic had some important questions to answer: what is a surveyor? What do they do? And most importantly, what would the world be like without them? This is where we start our story – a story that begins with an above-average gang, in an average school, on a below-average day…

While attending a totally tedious and dismally disheartening school careers exhibition, four friends discover a set of mysterious virtual reality headsets. The group put them on, and in an instant they are transported thirty years into the virtual future. There, they discover a city – their city – in utter ruin. All four are horrified, but they manage to convince themselves that what they are seeing is just a figment of someone’s disturbed imagination. That is, until a mysterious cloaked figure appears before them and tells them that this is no imaginary scene; it is real. It is their future…

Before Kwame, Setsuko, Miles and Maddison can respond, the hooded figure vanishes – tasking them to contact him again when they are sure no-one is listening in. Barricading themselves inside an empty classroom, they leap straight back into the virtual world. Only this time, the four find themselves in a vast, dark cave, littered with technology: strange electronic devices, huge computer banks, and a half-finished, oddly human-looking robot hanging from cables in the corner. But the gang are completely mesmerized by something else… A hologram stands in the centre of the cave. It’s the time traveller, welcoming them to ‘the home of the Last Surveyors…”

At this point, it’s safe to say that the gang have some questions… the first one being, what on Earth is a surveyor?

The hologram explains that surveyors were mappers, explorers and masters of technology, and their job was to keep both people and the environment safe – a job they’d been doing very well for over two-thousand years. That was, until powerful, greedy people began turning cities into chaotic, dangerous wrecks by building whatever they pleased, wherever they wanted, to make as much money as they could – silencing and eliminating any surveyors who got in their way… until there was only one left. That one became the Last Surveyor, and he used the technology of the surveyors to build four special machines, as well as a computer programme that could search through datatime, giving him access to digital time travel. Then, as his final human act, he uploaded his consciousness into a supercomputer so that he could live as a digital being, searching for a special team to help him save his world.

Revealing a collection of super-surveying robots, the Last Surveyor unveils his plan. His technology; their talents. Together they could save the future! The Last Surveyor doesn’t have to wait long for a reply to his challenge. Soon enough, four formidable robots are sent soaring towards Middletown at full speed. As the chaotic urban mess comes into view, a new figure appears. G.E.O G.I.N.G.E.R is the team’s onboard digital assistant, and she gets right to work, using LiDAR tech to scan the area. The results do not look promising. Collapsing buildings, perilous roads, craters in pavements and houses hanging by a thread from the side of tower blocks… the team have their work cut out for them already. Wherever should they start?

“You could start by saving your school,” G.E.O G.I.N.G.E.R suggests, “That hanging house is about to fall right on top of it…”

Will the GeoSquad make it in time to save the perilously positioned pupils in the school playground? Will the Last Surveyor’s marvellous mechs be up to the task? And will the gang manage to keep their future-saving activities secret from their schoolmates, teachers and parents!? Click the link below to read the adventure and find out for yourself!

Mathew Sullivan, FRSA Teacher, Author and Educational Consultant

GEO SQUAD Chapter 1- Direct Download

Get Kids into Survey Resources

Ambasador Spotlight “Jose Pedraza”

In today’s Ambassador Spotlight, we discover a little more about our latest Brand Ambassador Jose Pedraza from Houston, Texas.

What do you do and what company do you work for?

I am a land surveyor working as Survey Director at Stuart Consulting Group, Inc. We do a lot of work for the local cities, counties, and flood control district, mostly focused on civil engineering.

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

I am very active in the Texas Society of Professional Surveyors (TSPS) – currently a local chapter director. I am also the east region coordinator for the Texas Young Surveyors (TYS).

Why do you want to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador?

I would like to be a GKiS Brand Ambassador to make a bigger impact on the growth of the geomatics/geospatial industry. I have previously coordinated a booth for the TSPS/TYS at a local student career fair here in Houston as well as participated in the technical advisory committee at a school district developing a geomatics program.

Why is it important for kids to know about surveying and the wider geospatial industry?

I think that exposing students to the opportunities in the geomatics field is important to help encourage growth. There are multiple opportunities for motivated and talented individuals to fill which are currently vacant due to the lack of talent. We have to encourage students into the field since not many educators know about the career opportunities available as geospatial professionals.

What are you going to be doing as an ambassador for GKiS?

I will strive to continue presenting at local careers fairs, schools, and other education avenues available locally. I will also encourage my peers to become more involved in spreading awareness of land surveying. My wife is a teacher, and I can work with her to find more opportunities to share our industry.

Texas Society of Professional Surveyors at the Houston Hispanic Forum 34th Annual Career & Education Day!

How did you get into surveying?

I got into surveying through luck. I enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard while in my first year of college studying civil engineering. My recruiter asked me what job or specialty I would like. I had no idea there were additional roles on top of just being a soldier, so I asked him to place me in the closest role to a civil engineer that he had. Next thing I knew, I was learning drafting, soils testing, and (most importantly) land surveying as a technical engineer specialist. I didn’t pursue surveying as a full-time career until a few years later after a couple of life-changing surveying missions with the Guard to Chile. (I actually wrote a post about it on LinkedIn a few months ago (see post here)).

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy learning. My hobbies include finding new ways to improve myself and sharing that knowledge with others. I also enjoy working out and binge watching TV shows with my wife.

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

Our GKiS character would have to be an investigator (almost Sherlock Holmes but not quite…). Since a big part of our job is searching for the small details, I think that would be fairly accurate.

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

It would be interesting to develop some sort of simple learning game that kids can play, highlighting surveying somehow… I remember playing Math Blaster as an elementary school student and that really got me into math. Not sure how much work that would take, but I think that would really get some interested!

Anything else you want to add that you think our audience would be interested in?

I’m just trying to make a positive impact in our community. I think there’s a huge lack of awareness of our industry and know it won’t get better with inaction. I also know there’s a big opportunity to grow our talent pool by looking to diversify our recruiting efforts.