PLSO Oregon Surveyor July/August 2020

Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon |  www.plso.org 3 From the PLSO Chairman of a surveyor is narrow, it becomes re- strictive. Controversies over the practice of surveying and the role of disciplines such as GIS and drones are largely the result of the statutory definition of the practice of surveying (See ORS 672.005 (2)). This creates the impression that the definition of a surveyor is that of an “ex - pert measurer.” This definition confuses measurement, which is fact, with opinion, which is the purview of the Professional Land Surveyor. On one hand we have a statutory defi - nition, and on the other, there is a professional definition. One of the best definitions on surveying is fromThe Amer - ican Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM), which states: “Surveying is the science and art of making all essential measurements to determine the relative position of points or physical and cultural details above, on, or beneath the surface of the Earth, and to depict them in a us- able form, or to establish the position of points or details.” This definition includes both the science (knowledge) and the art (skill) of our profession. Some surveyors are more technical and others tend to be more skillful, while some are proficient in both. This definition is not too narrow and not too broad and gives us a start- ing point for our vision. It’s one thing to define “surveying” and “surveyor,” and it’s another to define our organization, its mission, and aims. In my first article, we talked about the charac - teristics of a surveyor that lead to our common virtues of justice, prudence, and fellowship. In demonstrating the idea of “what a good surveyor looks like,” the question was asked whether the PLSO should promote excellence and how it should be promoted. The second arti- cle proposed that promoting excellence means “doing it right.” We do it right through quality members who have a common character to lead others toward higher virtues. The last article proposed that in order to get to our destination of “what a good surveyor looks like” and to promote those character traits that lead to our common virtues, we need a vision. The Steering Committee was assigned to propose a vision statement. The commit- tee started with a definition of a surveyor, which included the ideas discussed in this article, and came up with two proposals. The two proposals reflect the hard work of this committee and the ideas and prin- ciples that define our profession. Proposed Vision Statement 1 To serve and protect the public inter- est to maintain stable property rights, resolve disputes and boundary prob- lems by providing expert boundary consulting, measurement, and tes- timony construction mapping and positioning with integrity, objectivi- ty, and justice. Proposed Vision Statement 2 To maintain the stability of the pri- vate and public land system and built environment through professional fel- lowship and mastery of the art and science of surveying in pursuit of ex- cellence and justice. These proposed vision statements have been given to your chapter presidents for discussion and debate. Through the summer and into the fall, we will contin- ue to refine these statements and select one that we can adopt. Our vision will lead us to what it means to be a good surveyor. The idea of a sur- veyor is embedded in the Initial Point and grounded in First Principle, including the right to property. The Willamette Stone is not only a monument with a known coordinate, it represents a cornerstone of those principles that give us liberty. America, like our public land system, isn’t perfect, but that doesn’t mean we de- stroy it and start over. It is the surveyor’s duty to preserve and protect those orig- inal monuments that define the extents and limits of individual property rights. Definitions give meaning, which ground us in principles given to us by those that came before us. Our vision is not an ab- stract idea for some greater good, but is securely fastened to a known point to- ward a common good for all society. x 1) https://lsaw.org/PDFs/ESS/ess_2007-4.pdf Article “Do Surveyors Define themselves to Narrowly?” by Karen Zollman, Volume 31 Number 4 Winter 2007, Evergreen State Surveyor 2015 visit to the Willamette Stone.