THE NEVADA TRAVERSE - Nevada Association of Land Surveyors

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Nevada’s Four Year Degree Surveying/ Geomatics Program Part III - Preparation for Study in Nevada’s Online Four-Year Degree Program By James A. Elithorp, Ph.D., PLS Program Supervisor, GBC Land Surveying/Geomatics Program In the last issue of The Nevada Traverse (Vol. 39, No. 1, 2012) we traced the role of online course delivery in survey education. In Part III - Preparation for Study in Nevada’s Online Four-Year Degree Program, we look at the educational preparation necessary to gain the four year degree from Great Basin College. It would be easy to simply list the entrance requirements to the Program, but students, mentors, professionals, and those managers of survey firms and departments reimbursing student expenses deserve an explanation of typical curriculum design found in survey education. Let us begin with a big picture view. I believe a fair estimate to be that over 90% of surveyors do surveys involving boundaries, construction layout, or land development. Technical knowledge and experience in these areas is not enough. To be competitive, surveyors need to be able to understand and apply the various tools provided by technology. A short tool inventory is computer-aided drafting software; least squares adjustment software; GIS software; GPS systems and software; and in the developing area of remote sensing-- terrestrial scanners, orthophotographs, and/or LIDAR imagery. Many of these tools are associated with training on their use. But education is more than training. Training focuses on the use of a specific tool/or measurement system to do a specific task. Education provides an understanding of the underlying concepts and principles used by the tool to accomplish the task so that the tool can be used again for un-related tasks. The professional land surveyor is expected to apply fundamental concepts and principles to associated problems presenting a new and different challenge. This is the nature of our profession. Each task or problem can present a new face requiring the application of basic principles and concepts for a solution that meets the standards of practice and a satisfied client. What are these fundamental concepts and principles: 1. The knowledge and application of law, regulations, and those survey instructions and practice used to create the boundaries to be retraced. For example, the Standards of Practice for Surveying in Nevada are regulations containing specific positional tolerance requirements. To understand positional tolerance requires a fundamental understanding of statistics. 18 The Nevada Traverse Vol. 39, No. 2, 2012 2. Geodetic positioning is facilitated by the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS). To understand geodetic positioning requires the study of mathematics, statistics, geodesy, least squares adjustment, and physics. 3. Unless you are using rules of thumb for survey design, actual survey design to meet contractual specifications requires the determination of how the error in the field measurements will propagate into computed products. Survey design requires the use of calculus which is used to map the mathematical relationships between the measurement errors and the resulting precision of the computed products. The problem with using heuristics or ‘rules of thumb’ is that they may not provide the best outcome for your particular problem or application. 4. Least squares adjustment is rapidly becoming an indispensible tool in the surveyor’s toolbox. The use of offthe-shelf least squares programs requires an understanding of statistics, the ability to determine a reasonable estimate of measurement precision, and the understanding of measurement science. To program specific least squares applications requires the additional application of linear algebra, calculus, and computer programming skills. Although the above list of fundamental concepts associated with survey practice is not exhaustive, it begins to dimension the typical survey curriculum created to satisfy the educational requirements for the licensure of professional land surveyors. Before we discuss the preparation needed to gain the four year degree, we need to approach these educational requirements from another perspective. What do we expect from a graduate with a four year degree? We expect the graduate to pass the NCEES and Nevada State Specific licensure examinations on the first attempt demonstrating minimum competence as a licensed land surveyor. We expect that graduate to demonstrate such potential that surveying and mapping firms find it economically feasible to invest the time and resources necessary to bring the new hire into a profitable relationship with the firm. We have waited long enough--let us get on with the list of fundamental knowledge and skills needed to study surveying and mapping. This list corresponds to the list of required lower division prerequisites detailed in the attachment. The attachment is a statement of the course requirements for the Great Basin College Four Year Degree in Land Surveying/ Geomatics. 1. Computer-aided drafting 2. Trigonometry 3. Geographic Information Systems 4. Physics 5. Statistics 6. Classical Survey Fundamentals 7. The Urban Development Process These requirements are ideally gained in the first two years of college. The courses taken in the first two years of college are typically referred to as ‘lower division courses.’ The completion of the first two years at most two-year colleges results in an earned associate degree. At four-year colleges and universities the path is similar. The first two years of lower division courses focus on required general studies and prerequisites to the upper division courses in CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE u
NV Four-Year Degree Program... continued from previous page the student’s chosen major area. The student may or may not be offered an associate degree at the conclusion of the first two years of study. The Nevada Program is a 2+2 Program. This offers the maximum flexibility for students wishing a four year degree in Land Surveying/Geomatics. Great Basin College (GBC) accepts all associate and baccalaureate degrees from regionally accredited institutions of higher learning. Regional accreditation is gained from one of six accreditation entities serving the six geographic areas of the United States. GBC possesses regional accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities( www.nwccu. org ). Accreditation will be a topic for a later article in this series. Potential students should always verify that the institution of higher learning has regional accreditation before taking courses intended to be transferred to GBC. Lack of regional accreditation will result in the inability to transfer the courses or degree to GBC. The following degrees are routinely transferred to or earned by students at GBC: 1. Associate of Science (AS) The AS degree is the preferred degree as it typically contains the mathematics and science foundation necessary for study in the Nevada Four-Year Degree Program. It is considered a transfer degree as it will typically transfer without question to any U.S. college or university. 2. Associate of Arts (AA) The AA degree is not your first choice as it typically lacks the mathematics and science foundation necessary for the Program. It is considered a transfer degree as it will typically transfer without question to any U.S. college or university. 3. Associate of Applied Science (AAS) The AAS is considered a terminal degree in that the student is expected to go out to the workplace upon graduation. This is not considered a transfer degree as it reduces the traditionally accepted general studies requirement to offer more courses related to survey practice. GBC is one of the few institutions of higher learning that possesses an institutional program allowing the acceptance of AAS Degrees for the first two years of college. To my knowledge GBC is the only college or university with a Land Surveying/Geomatics Program in the United States that can accept the AAS degree. Students in AAS degree programs are advised to take additional courses in mathematics, science, and statistics to insure the lower division prerequisites are satisfied upon transfer of the degree to GBC. 4. Associate of General Studies (AGS) The AGS degree is not a transfer degree. It has very few general studies course requirements. Many students with college credits and no degree chose to earn the AGS Degree directly from GBC in order to enter the upper division Program as quickly as possible. 5. Baccalaureate degrees are routinely transferred to GBC to satisfy the 2+2 requirement. These students are rewarded by the waiver of 15 semester credits of general studies courses listed in the upper division Program (Emphasis Area Requirements in the Attachment). When an associate or baccalaureate degree is transferred to GBC, a template of lower-division prerequisites corresponding to our list of fundamental knowledge items is overlaid on the coursework in the transcript(s). Lower division prerequisites not satisfied in the transfer degree become required courses in addition to the Emphasis Area Requirements. Let us take a closer look at each of the lower division prerequisites: 1. Computer-aided drafting The minimum requirement for CAD proficiency is the ability to correctly setup and create simple survey plats with bearing and distance annotation at scale. Additionally the student should be able to import a data set, create a surface model, and produce a topographic map with labeled contour lines. This minimum facility with CAD is necessary to satisfy the various course assignments and projects which may require platting and mapping in the upper division coursework. This requirement can be satisfied with one directed course using CAD to produce survey drawings such as CADD 121, CAD for Land Surveyors offered within the GBC service area, or two courses in AutoCAD: CADD 100 and CAD 105 offered by most Nevada institutions of higher learning. This requirement can also be satisfied with experience. Many times this experience can be documented on your resume submitted with your request for advisement. If a question exists about your CAD experience, you may be asked to provide additional documentation for the record. 2. Trigonometry A college-level course in trigonometry is required. Research has indicated that this course is the gateway into any engineering discipline. I believe that every licensed land surveyor, with whom I have discussed the use of mathematics, has assured me that 99% of the work can be accomplished with the use of trigonometry. A sound foundation in mathematics is necessary to perform satisfactorily in upper division survey courses. As mentors all professional land surveyors need to advise their charges that progress in mathematics is necessary to master the basic concepts and principles in this field. Experience has demonstrated that the mastery of trigonometry cannot be overlooked in the business of bringing new licensed members into the profession. 3. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) An entry-level course in GIS is required as a prerequisite for the upper division course in land management (SUR 320 GIS for Surveyors). If you have yet to take this course, a course including the use of ESRI’s ArcGIS software is recommended. GBC offers GIS 205 Applications which will satisfy this requirement. 4. Physics One year of General Physics is required. Typically the second semester will cover the propagation of electromagnetic energy. This knowledge base is important as the Electronic Distance Measuring Instrument (EDMI) and the Global Positioning System (GPS) use electromagnetic energy to measure distances. Additionally, the study of photogrammetry and remote sensing focus on the properties of reflected and emitted electromagnetic energy. Physics is key to the understanding of geodesy as the earth’s gravity field has moved to center stage as the means to gain usable elevations from GPS. Appropriate general physics coursework will require trigonometry as a prerequisite. Calculus-based physics is acceptable and recommended for those students who wish to allow for the opportunity to undertake graduate study. 5. Statistics An entry level course in statistics containing a study of the normal distribution and its statistics is required. The Standards of Practice for Surveying in Nevada as well as the ALTA/ACSM Land Title Survey Standards require the land surveyor CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE u The Nevada Traverse Vol. 39, No. 2, 2012 19
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