Introducing: The “Grizz” by California Land Surveyors Association (CLSA)

The newest member to the Get Kids into Survey family, representing:

1. Company Name – California Land Surveyors Association (CLSA)
2. Location – Sacramento, California – The heart of the land survey world, in my opinion!
3. Why is it important for your company to help Get Kids into Survey? Because the world needs more explorers, innovators, and mapmakers! Surveying combines the spirit of adventure with cutting-edge tech, offering kids a career that’s as rewarding as it is exciting. Plus, who doesn’t want to measure up to greatness?
4. What do you do? We help surveyors stay sharp, stay informed, and stay connected. From legislative advocacy to education and professional growth, we ensure surveyors across California are always at their best—whether they’re mapping cities or conserving nature.
5. How long have you been in the survey industry? Let’s just say we’ve been holding the line (and leveling it!) for almost 60 years.
6. How did you end up getting into the geospatial industry? We were lured in by the perfect combination of technology, the outdoors, and problem-solving. Surveying isn’t just a job—it’s a treasure hunt where every map is a victory!
7. State a funny fact about you: “They” say I’m extinct, but clearly, they haven’t seen me hitting the trails or double-checking boundary lines. I’m the life of the topo party!
8. Favorite piece of kit and why? Drones, because who doesn’t love flying high while getting the lay of the land? With a bird’s-eye view and high-tech sensors, drones make surveying smarter, faster, and way cooler.
9. Favorite Survey technique and why? The SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) It’s like magic! Grizz loves how SLAM turns tricky terrain into digital masterpieces in real-time, making him the king of the (data) forest.
10. Your website
11. How did you choose the character and what does he/she/it represent? Mean to you? What’s his/her name?

Grizz was inspired by California’s iconic Grizzly Bear, a symbol of strength, exploration, and resilience.

• What does Grizz mean to you?

Grizz is the ultimate field companion, blending California’s wild spirit with the precision and creativity of surveying. He’s the bear who proves that surveying is bear-y exciting!

• What’s his/her name?

Grizz, it’s short, memorable, and packed with character (just like a perfectly mapped plat!).

• More about Grizz:

Grizz is the last of the legendary California Grizzlies, and while most think he’s retired, he’s thriving in the surveying world. When he’s not measuring parcels or chasing coordinates, you’ll find him climbing the Sierra Nevada’s, chilling by Lake Tahoe, shredding the gnar, or dropping wisdom at land surveying workshops.

Introducing SAM and their latest character of Bella. All questions are answered by SAM’s Vice President / Mountain Area Director – Tyler Trujillo. Let’s learn some more about them:

1. Company Name – Surveying And Mapping, LLC (SAM)
2. Location – Utah Office (Nationwide Firm)
3. Why is it important for your company to help Get Kids into Survey? Surveying is one of the world’s oldest professions, and its future is brighter than ever! It’s a career that blends science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) with hands-on, real-world applications, offering kids an exciting mix of adventure and innovation. Today’s surveyors use cutting-edge tools like drones, GPS systems, and 3D mapping technology while working outdoors to explore and shape the environment. With many experienced professionals preparing to retire, there’s a huge opportunity for the next generation to step into this vital field. Introducing kids to surveying early helps them develop critical skills like problem-solving and teamwork while setting them on a path to a stable and rewarding career that has a lasting impact on the world.
4. What do you do? We are the nation’s largest Managed Geospatial Services™ (MGS™) company, offering Aerial Mapping, Geomatics, Utility Engineering, BIM, GIS, and Engineering Inspection Services across various infrastructure markets.
5. How long have you been in the survey industry? Personally, been in the industry for 22 years, and working as the Mountain Area Director for SAM who has been in business for over 30 years.
6. How did you end up getting into the geospatial industry? Had never heard of surveying all throughout school, and had a college program for aviation get canceled during the senior year of high school. A friend of mines Grandfather was a cadastral surveyor for Utah BLM and asked if I would be interested in a summer internship. After spending the summer in the Utah wilderness using GPS and hiking to original corner locations, I found what I wanted to do for my career.
7. What is your characters favorite subject in School: Definitely Mathematics
8. Favorite piece of kit and why? A Compass and a Quad Map, it’s the basics of which I learned to navigate in the wilderness during retracement surveys out west. In addition, whenever Bella encounters a compass, she states “that’s what dad does for work”…
9. Favorite Survey technique and why? GPS data collection – I find it fascinating how accurate, reliable, and repeatable ground positions can be, by collecting data from instruments orbiting earth thousands of miles away.
10. Your website
11. How did you choose the character and what does he/she/it represent? Mean to you? What’s his/her name? Character’s name is Bella and represents my youngest daughter. I felt it was an opportunity to introduce her to more of the surveying profession as a middle schooler, and she thought it would be cool to be part of the program and have her own GKiS avatar!

Welcoming Elevated Land Surveying, our latest brand sponsors! They will be appearing in West Coast Get Kids into Survey’s upcoming poster… Let’s learn a bit about them:

Company Name:
Elevated Land Surveying

Location:
Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA

Why is it important for your company to help Get Kids into Survey?
At Elevated Land Surveying, we recognize the importance of inspiring the next generation to explore the land surveying profession. By engaging with young minds, we aim to foster an appreciation for the critical role surveying plays in shaping our communities and infrastructure. Introducing kids to this field can ignite a passion for STEM subjects and ensure the continued growth and innovation of the land surveying industry.

What do you do?
We are a full-service land surveying company offering a comprehensive range of services, including boundary surveys, topographic mapping, construction staking, and ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys. Our experienced and licensed surveyor, equipped with cutting-edge technology, ensures precise results for large-scale developments or individual property needs. 

How long have you been in the survey industry?
We have been in the land surveying industry for 9 years, delivering reliable and accurate services to clients throughout Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and Colorado.

How did you end up getting into the land surveying industry?
The journey into the land surveying industry began with enrolling in an engineering program, where exposure to surveying techniques and tools sparked a strong interest in the field. During this time, I discovered the unique combination of working outdoors, utilizing advanced technology, and solving real-world problems that surveying offers. What started as a focus on engineering quickly evolved into a passion for land surveying, driven by a fascination with maps, spatial relationships, and contributing to meaningful projects. Elevated Land Surveying was established to turn that passion into a profession that makes a tangible difference in our community.

Favorite piece of kit and why?
Our favorite piece of kit is the robotic total station. It’s a game-changer for modern surveying, allowing for precise measurements while enabling single-person operation. The robotic total station significantly improves efficiency, especially on larger or more complex sites, by automatically tracking the prism and communicating data in real-time. It’s all about the precision, and this tool delivers the accuracy we need to ensure our work is reliable and meets the highest standards. Its versatility and ease of use make it an indispensable part of our workflow, helping us provide top-quality results to our clients

Favorite Survey technique and why?
Our favorite survey technique is boundary surveys. They are the cornerstone of land surveying, providing clarity and certainty about property lines and ownership. Each boundary is like a puzzle, completely unique, requiring us to piece together historical records, legal descriptions, and physical evidence to uncover the full picture. This individuality makes every project a new challenge, keeping the work both exciting and rewarding.

Your website

How did you choose the character, and what does he/she/it represent? What’s his/her name?
We selected our character, “Eli the Elk.” The elk symbolizes strength, precision, adaptability, and majesty—qualities we embody in our work. Eli reflects our ability to navigate challenging terrains with care and precision, just as an elk majestically moves through the wild. He represents our commitment to delivering reliable, precise results in every survey.

There are many different types of Surveyors, below is an explanation of some that might interest you and your children. The great news is, because there are so many options,  there’s something to suit everyone…..

Land Surveyors: are people who plot, measure and record the details of the land, using previous maps as well as creating their own.

Archaeological Surveyors: are a specialised type of land surveying who report the finds made in an archaeological site or to show the relationship of the archaeological site to the landscape.

Property Surveyors: are people who inspect the condition of houses and buildings. They will spot problems like unstable walls and highlight any major repairs or alterations needed, such as fixing a roof.

Utilities Surveyors: are people who measure services above and below the ground. Checking on the structures and facilities needed for an organisation such as water pipes and power lines. 

Mining Surveyors: are people who explore and estimate material below the surface of the ground in mines.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist: Works with GIS to analyse and visualise spatial data, creating maps and data models.

Engineering Surveyors: are people who figure out where man-made objects such as highways and bridges as well as buildings and pipes should be located. Often conducts pre-construction and post-construction surveys

Aerial / Remote Sensing Surveyors: are people who collect information and images from airplanes, helicopters or other aerial methods. often using LiDAR technology to access large or inaccessible areas.

Forensic Surveyors: Gathers spatial evidence and reconstructs accident or crime scenes using surveying and mapping techniques.

Hydrographic Surveyors: are people who use special equipment on vessels to decide the geography of a body of water, including the depth, tide measurements, shoreline obstacles, and physical features of the body’s floor. 

Take a look through our FREE resources which all link to fun activities that educate about surveying!

Welcoming Dioptra’s new character a mountain bluebird! Long standing supporters of GKiS, please read on to learn more about them:

1. Company Name – Our name is Dioptra—named after the ancient Greek astronomical and surveying instrument, the dioptra.
2. Location – We are located in Chubbuck, Idaho and service all of Eastern Idaho.
3. Why is it important for your company to help Get Kids into Survey? The surveying industry, like many technical fields, faces an aging workforce. Encouraging young people to get involved in surveying helps ensure a pipeline of future professionals who will be essential to the growth and sustainability of the industry. Many people aren’t aware of the opportunities available in surveying. By helping to “Get Kids into Survey,” we are raising awareness about the profession and its importance in building infrastructure, mapping land, and understanding our environment. It can help foster a better understanding of how surveying impacts everything from construction to land boundaries.
4. What do you do? We are a land surveying and consulting company that provides full-service land surveying services on residential, commercial, roadway, and land development projects. Our team’s mission is to provide accurate and effective land surveying solutions that are responsive to our client’s needs in an innovative, professional, and quality manner.
5. How long have you been in the survey industry? Dioptra was founded in 2000. After 25 years in business, we are happy to see how our business has grown and served the region.
6. How did you end up getting into the geospatial industry? I started working on a survey crew as a summer job in high school. After that summer, I was hooked! I decided to pursue my bachelor’s degree in Geomatics and then from there earned the necessary experience to become a professional land surveyor. The rest is history!
7. State a funny fact about you: I can be a bit clumsy when perched on a wire or a fence post. My long, slender body and slightly awkward stance often makes me look like I’m trying a little too hard. Almost like I am always trying to look “cool” but occasionally lose my balance!
8. Favorite piece of kit and why? My favorite survey instrument is our 3D laser scanner. We can collect millions of data points in just a few seconds. After we process the individual point clouds and stitch them all together, we create one big point cloud that you can pan and zoom around in, making it feel like you are standing on site.
9. Favorite Survey technique and why? I love creating topographic maps! Using equipment such as a drone, 3D scanner, GNSS, or robotic total stations, we collect data of the natural and man-made features of the land. We then create surfaces models and maps of the land’s contours, bodies of water, utilities, and structures like buildings and roads.
10. Your website
11. How did you choose the character and what does he/she/it represent? Mean to you? What’s his/her name? Sky the Bluebird Guy is a mountain bluebird—Idaho’s state bird. The mountain bluebird is a symbol of hope, love, and renewal. It is a beautiful little bird that lives in the higher elevations, giving it its name.

Introducing our sponsors “Seafloor Systems Inc” answered by their CEO John Tamplin.

Company name: Seafloor Systems, Inc.

Location: 4475 Golden Foothill Parkway, El Dorado Hills, CA, 95762

Why did you get involved in Get Kids into Survey? Seafloor is very aware of the challenges the Survey Community faces in regard to recruiting future talent to the field.  By engaging kids at an early age, we hope to spur interest in the industry that will carry over into their studies and future careers.

What do you do? Seafloor Systems is a small California-based business specializing in providing turnkey Hydrographic Survey System solutions, both on manned vessels  (small, large, new builds) and on our own Unmanned Surface Vessels (USV’s).  We have over 20 years experience with Multibeam sonar equipment; for two decades, we have grown and evolved with this emerging cutting-edge hydrographic technology.  

How long have you been in the Survey Industry? Our CEO John Tamplin founded Seafloor in 1999.

How did you get into the Industry? Following a US Navy Career as a specialized hydrographer with Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams, I joined Reson, Inc., now Teledyne Reson, and have been in the field ever since.

Funny fact about you: I’m an avid Mountain biker, but not a very good one apparently since I tend to show up at the office on Monday with various bruises, scrapes, broken bones, and blackened eyes.

Favourite piece of kit and why? The multibeam echosounder. Multibeam sonars have made hydrographic surveying more efficient and more precise, and at sea navigation much safer. 

Favourite Survey technique and why? Acoustic surveying is by far my favorite technique for the reasons stated above but also due to the cool technical advances we continue to see at an ever increasing rate.

Your website: https://www.seafloorsystems.com/

How did you choose the character and what does he/she/it represent? Mean to you? What’s his/her name? We chose the Hydro Cat to represent not just the name of our USV pictured in the image but to also represent what a cool field hydrography is.

Introducing Emina Jahic, our first Brand Ambassador covering the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina! Let’s learn some more about her:

How did you get into surveying?