Welcoming our latest Brand Ambassador, Katie Britt, who is covering the area of Florida, USA! Let’s learn some more about her:

How did you get into surveying?

Introducing our latest Brand Sponsor Elevate Offshore, who feature in the ‘Winter’ poster! Let’s learn some more about them:

1.   Company Name: Elevate Offshore
2.   Location: While our offices are based in Singapore and the UK, our reach spans across the globe. We provide essential personnel and project support services to offshore operators worldwide. I’ve attached a customised map that offers a snapshot of the dynamic projects we’re currently involved in, showcasing our commitment to delivering top-tier services on a global scale.
3.   Why is it important for your company to help Get Kids into Survey? Introducing children to offshore surveying at a young age ignites their curiosity and inspires them to explore careers they might not otherwise encounter. Programs like Get Kids into Survey are essential for sparking interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields and helping children understand how these careers contribute to the world around them.

Through initiatives such as scholarships and mentorships, Elevate Offshore has seen firsthand how exposure to real-world challenges and opportunities can transform young people’s aspirations. When young people gain access to the industry, they acquire technical skills and develop a deep understanding of teamwork, problem-solving, and environmental responsibility. Introducing them to these concepts early helps them develop a sense of possibility – that careers in science, surveying, or offshore energy are not just for “someone else” but could be for them, too.

Elevate Offshore’s focus in this project is on showing the exciting side of what we do – using technology to map the ocean floor, understanding the secrets of the deep sea, or building structures that harness the power of the wind and waves. By helping kids see the magic behind surveying, we hope to inspire them to imagine themselves as the explorers, problem-solvers, and innovators of the future.

4.   What do you do? 

Technical Manager – Survey

Supporting Clients building survey teams to support their projects worldwide. Engaging with survey contractors. Interviewing and assessing skills and experience. Support recruitment, training and development with the team. Mentoring scholarship students. Smashing Sales!

5.   How long have you been in the survey industry? 28 years in total, 25 years offshore. Almost 3 with Elevate.

6.   How did you end up getting into the geospatial industry?  Early interest in deep sea exploration and Survey. BSC Honourss course in Maritime Studies.

7.   State a funny fact about you… In the vast majority of photographs taken of me over the past 49 years. I have my eyes closed.

8.   Favourite piece of kit and why? Kongsberg APOS. USBL. Once it’s calibrated correctly enables a wide range of operations.

9.   Favourite Survey technique and why? I always enjoyed as-built Survey. It’s the final survey after completing subsea construction operations. Putting everything together delivering the end results to the client.

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? The hammerhead shark represents the core attributes of Elevate Offshore – great vision, precision, and adaptability. The hammerhead’s unique head shape provides incredible vision, much like how we approach our projects with a clear view of the bigger picture as we navigate dynamic environments. We have named our hammerhead Scout, as it encapsulates its role in seeking out opportunities, solving challenges, and navigating the seas – just like a surveyor!

The surveying industry faces several challenges when it comes to recruitment. Some of the key issues include:

• Skills Shortage: There is a shortage of skilled surveyors, particularly those with expertise in emerging technologies such as GIS, remote sensing, and geospatial data analysis. The rapidly changing nature of the industry requires professionals to continuously update their skills, leading to a gap between demand and the available skilled workforce. See vacancies on RICS.

• Ageing Workforce: Many surveyors are approaching retirement age, and there has been a struggle to attract younger talent to replace them. The ageing demographic in the industry poses a risk of losing valuable experience and knowledge, and there is a need for a younger generation to enter the field (RICS reported in 2019 that the average age of a surveyor in the UK was as high as 55!).

• Perception and Awareness: The surveying profession often suffers from a lack of public awareness and a misconception that it is all construction related. This perception can deter individuals, especially younger generations, from considering surveying as a modern and technologically advanced career

• Educational Challenges: Limited educational programs and courses in surveying, especially those that incorporate the latest technologies, can hinder the development of a skilled workforce. Educational institutions may need to adapt their curricula to align with industry needs and promote surveying as an attractive career path. In the UK there’s been a recent addition of t-levels which provide hands on work experience whilst having a percentage of time learning in college.

• Limited Diversity: The surveying industry has historically been male-dominated, and there is a need for more efforts to promote diversity and inclusion. Encouraging a more diverse workforce can bring in different perspectives and ideas, contributing to innovation and growth in the industry. “Based on data from February 2022, women represented only 18% of RICS’ then 139,000 international professionals across 23 pathways” see report here.

To address these challenges, stakeholders in the surveying industry like us at ‘Get Kids into Survey’, are collaborating to promote the profession. This movement aims to improve educational opportunities (courses on offer/routes into the career), and create initiatives to attract a diverse and skilled workforce.

Surveying is super important because it helps us build new infrastructure, use new and improved technology, environmental stewardship, and address global challenges. These factors show people how awesome surveying is and ensures the sustainability and growth of the profession!

Here are 25 tips on how to promote surveying to kids and secure the industry’s future:

• Interactive Workshops: Conduct hands-on workshops where kids can engage in simple surveying activities. Find some examples in the ‘Pick ‘N’ Mix Outreach Sessions’ in the Brand Ambassador Hub.
• Surveying Kits: Create DIY surveying kits for kids, including basic tools and instructions for fun experiments. Perfect if you have your own surveying equipment to hand (drones maybe?).
• Cartoon Characters: Surveying cartoon characters showcase the adventures of surveyors, making it relatable and entertaining for kids. These can be found in the GKiS posters each with different themes!
• STEM Camps: Organise STEM camps with a focus on surveying, integrating science, technology, engineering, and maths in a practical way. This could be done in collaboration with other companies in your local area for a fun STEM careers day.
• Geocaching: Have a go at geocaching to introduce kids to the concept of using GPS for treasure hunting. Available as an app on your phone.
• Games: Carlson Software have created a Hydrology game that teaches about surveying concepts and tools. You can even compete with your peers to see who can come up with the most efficient solution
• Psst- keep an eye on GKiS’s page for Minecraft updates… more to be revealed soon.
• Junior Scouts Visits: Go to local clubs or groups where kids can participate in surveying-related activities, there’s even a surveying badge depending on your location.
• Nature Exploration: Connect surveying with nature walks, teaching kids how to measure and map elements in their environment. 
• Career Day Demos: Set up an engaging stand during a school career day to spark curiosity about surveying careers. Without representation at events how do we expect kids to know about a surveying career?
• Comic Book: The GeoSquad Comic Book tells a story about a world without surveyors. The GeoSquad have to work with The Last Surveyor to try and save the city! Demonstrating key surveying phrases and technology throughout.
• Robotics Integration: Integrate surveying concepts into robotics programs, showcasing the intersection of technology and surveying. Those interested in technology would potentially enjoy this career so it would be great to market it towards these students.
• Augmented Reality (AR): Use AR technology to create immersive experiences, allowing kids to visualise surveying in a virtual environment.
• Speed Dating Careers Event: Organise in your local area a speed dating careers night where different professionals line up and get quizzed by students about what they do in their job.
• Themed Events: Host themed events like “Surveyor Day” at schools, featuring interactive activities and presentations. Combine local surveyors or take a few from your own company as an ‘outreach charity style day’.
• Educational Videos: Record online videos tailored for kids, introducing them to surveying principles and applications. In this day and age kids are watching videos all the time particularly on the channels TikTok and YouTube.
• Student Ambassadors: Teachers should empower older students or young surveying professionals to act as ambassadors, sharing their passion for the field with younger students.
• Vlogging: A day in the life vlog would demonstrate some real-world applications of what it’s like being a surveyor.
• Environmental Projects: Connect surveying with environmental projects, emphasising its role in sustainable development. An example of this is working through one of the Homework Projects that focusses on the GKiS Environmental Disaster poster and themes. 
• Career Pathway Diagrams: Create visual diagrams showing the diverse career pathways within the surveying industry. This is different depending on the state/ country that you are in so there will be no ‘one size fits all’. Diamondback Land Surveying has produced a great one for their state of Nevada.
• Topographical Sandbox Demo: Create your own sandbox or get one here. This piece of equipment is great for teaching about what topographical surveys represent.
• Local Landmark Tours: Organise tours to local landmarks, explaining how surveying contributes to their planning and development. This can be part of a wider picture of including surveying into other life lessons.
• Leverage Social Media: Use social media platforms to share engaging content, challenges, and success stories related to surveying for a younger audience. Between your connections you could inspire others to do some outreach to their family/friends too, having a big effect.
• Colouring in Activities: Have a go at the GKiS colouring sheets, introducing kids to key surveying concepts in a basic and fun way.
• Virtual Reality (VR) Tours: Develop virtual reality tours of surveying projects, allowing kids to explore construction sites and landscapes through their fancy goggles. 
• Fun Fact Campaigns: Share interesting and fun facts about surveying regularly to capture kids’ attention and curiosity.

Hopefully this blog has provided some interesting ideas on how you can help promote surveying to the next generation!

Anything to add? Pop us an email to hello@getkidsintosurvey.com and we will add it to the list 🙂

Introducing ‘The Hydrographic Society Uk and Ireland’, let’s learn some more about them:

1.   Company Name – The Hydrographic Society UK & Ireland
2.   Location – THS:UKI covers the United Kingdom and Ireland, however we also have an international Branch and welcome professionals from all around the world to join the society!
3.   Why is it important for your company to help Get Kids into Survey? Our purpose is to raise awareness of the science of surveying at sea, and it is so important to start this process with early education! GKiS provides a fun approach to this, and we look forward to seeing the success.
4.   What do you do? THS:UKI is a learned professional society, we aim to protect and promote the status of the hydrographic profession. Members include companies, individual professionals and students, who are hydrographers, technologists, policy makers and educators, who all have the same goal to raise awareness of the science. We host events and provide a supportive network through our Branches.
5.   How long have you been in the survey industry? The Hydrographic Society was founded in 1972, by Alan Ingham. The UK Branch of The Hydrographic Society was formed in 1985.
6.   How did you end up getting into the geospatial industry? Alan Ingham, founder of The Hydrographic Society, was always drawn to the extra-curricular and wider professional aspects of hydrography. Restoring the needs of training and education with those of the offshore engineering and port industries became a mission for Alan and ultimately led to the launch of The Hydrographic Society in 1972.
7.   Favourite piece of kit and why?  We really enjoy keeping up to date with the most recent advances in technology and equipment in the industry, there is such a range to choose from!
8.   Favourite Survey technique and why? A multibeam survey has to be our favourite because of the colourful images it provides!
9. Your website
10. How did you choose the character and what does he/she/it represent? Mean to you? What’s his/her name? Sonar the seahorse wears the colours of THS:UKI logo and we can’t wait to see what they get up to in the poster!

Welcoming our latest Brand Sponsor, DDK Positioning who feature on the Winter Poster! Let’s learn some more about them:

1. Company Name: DDK Positioning

2.   Location: Aberdeen, UK

3.   Why is it important for your company to help Get Kids into Survey?  Here at DDK, we love all things GNSS, Positioning and Survey. We are committed to inspiring the next generation and filling them in on the exciting prospects the industry has. We have a couple of STEM ambassadors within the team who attend several events to raise awareness of the industry too.

4.   What do you do? Here at DDK Positioning we are bona fide GNSS nerds. In fact, we’re so nerdy we even say “GNSS” rather than “GPS” even though very few folks will know what that is without Googling it! But we do like to be precise…after all, that is our job!

So aside from being very pedantic what do we do? Well, we’re a small company based in Aberdeen that provides a Precise Point Positioning service which takes the normal GNSS accuracy of around 10m down to 5cm. See what we mean about being precise?

This is all made possible by our clever algorithms (developed by our clever people) and our strategic partnerships (agreed by everyone’s strategic people). We deliver our service over the Iridium satellite constellation, which gives us many advantages over our competitors and provides the end users an alternative offering to what they’re used to. After all, everyone likes to have a choice, don’t they?

5.   How long have you been in the survey industry? DDK Positioning was established in 2016, however we have a number of team members that have been in the survey industry longer.
6.  How did you end up getting into the geospatial industry? We believe things can be done in a better way, so we’re always looking to challenge the norm. That belief is where DDK came from and why we deliver over positioning service using Iridium’s satellite constellation, ensuring we can precisely position assets globally. FUN FACT: We can position assets in the North Pole too – hopefully the elves will use our service for tracking Santa’s sleigh!

7.   Favourite piece of kit and why? Our service and X3 hardware is of course our favourite piece of kit and they work together like peanut butter and jam! Without our GNSS positioning service being delivered using our snazzy X3 receiver we wouldn’t be able to position assets as precisely as we would like!
8.  Your website
9.  How did you choose the character and what does he/she/it represent? Mean to you? What’s his/her name? Introducing LEO the Lion, some of you might be wondering why we called him LEO…of course, he’s named after Low Earth Orbit (LEO for short); why? Well, we do precise positioning using Low Earth Orbit Satellites in space!

Welcoming our latest Brand Ambassador William Berthold who is covering the area of Greater St. Louis Area, Missouri, USA:

How did you get into surveying?

Welcoming Vincent O’Kane our latest Brand Ambassador representing Scotland, UK:

How did you get into surveying? Studied Geomatics at University of Glasgow. Always had a keen interest in Geography.

Welcoming our latest West Coast Brand Sponsor, Precision Surveys Inc! Let’s learn some more about them:

1. Company Name –

Precision Surveys Inc. — we’re all about keeping it on time and on target!

2. Location –

Our main office is in Albuquerque, NM though we have locations in other areas around the state and even do work outside of New Mexico.

3. Why is it important for your company to help Get Kids into Survey?

The next generation is our future; they are the ones that will keep this profession alive. Helping kids get into survey means they’ll be the ones who map out the world, discover new places, and keep everything running smoothly. Who doesn’t want to be a hero in the land of maps?

4. What do you do?

I’m the fastest and most accurate roadrunner around! As a member of the Precision Surveys team, I help with all kinds of geospatial tasks, from boundary surveys to topographic surveys to easements and so much more.  No matter the task, this bird always aims to be on time and on target. 

5. How long have you been in the survey industry?

Oh, I’ve been zipping around in the survey industry for quite a few years! After learning about the field in high school I was hooked. 

6. How did you end up getting into the geospatial industry?

Well, I’ve always been good at finding my way—whether it’s through the wild deserts of New Mexico or figuring out the fastest way to get to the office. After discovering how awesome maps and technology are, I realized that I could help make the world a little more precise with my speed and skills. So, I joined the team at Precision Surveys to put my talents to good use!

7. State a funny fact about you…

I’m so fast, I’ve been known to outrun my own shadow! Sometimes I zip by so quickly, people think I’m a blur of feathers. It’s not easy being this fast, but I manage!

8. Favorite piece of kit and why?

My favorite piece of kit is a laser scanner! It’s like having a superpower — I can capture every little detail of the landscape in 3D with precision that’s laser sharp. Plus, it’s quick — which means I don’t have to slow down to get the perfect scan!

9. Favorite Survey technique and why?

I’m all about scanning! It’s the best way to capture everything in a single pass and get super accurate 3D data. As someone who’s always on the move, it’s the perfect technique for someone like me. I can zip through an area and get all the detail I need in a fraction of the time, making it easy to create detailed, precise models of the land. 

10. Your websitehttps://www.precisionsurveysinc.com

11. How did you choose the character and what does he/she/it represent? Mean to you? What’s his/her name?

We chose the name Lazer the Navigator because as a roadrunner he’s fast and precise, just like a laser! Plus, this bird is our state bird! The character represents agility, accuracy, and a love for exploration. To us, it’s all about helping others find their way, whether that’s with a map or a GPS signal.