J. Pastrana
08-02-2003, 02:58 PM
The model law is a focused effort to provide an avenue to allow non-licensed practitioners to gain legal status to perform various practice work defined in the definition of surveying (BPC 8726).
We are probably outnumbered and out financed to prevent the legislature from eventually imposing this on the public (to their detriment).
Without giving a diatribe on why we must not dilute or acquiesce portions of our profession please consider the following two points regarding the practice of Land Surveying:
Throw away this concept (and language) being circulated by the GIS folk regarding "authoritative locations" as the demarcation between data requiring a PLS verses a GIS practitioner.
The key is whether the data is:
1) being used to perform any regulatory function by a public body that concerns proximity of physical features (either to each other or to boundaries) or areas of land.
2) being used in the determination of the expenditure of public funds based on judgements made from (or incorporating) parcel, terrain, topographic data.
This runs the gamut from legal noticing property owners based on the proximity of their parcel to a project site to the issuance of permits (or release from) due to meeting/exceeding/not exceeding regulatory thresholds based on proximity or area.
GIS data being utilized by public agencies must be validated by a PLS for meeting required positional accuracies - thereby protecting and ensuring equitable treatment of the public while exercising their regulatory functions.
Professional judgements, analysis or determinations which incorporate (or are based on) parcel, terrain or topographic data for any purpose that results in a decision whether or not to expend public funds must be based on parcel, terrain or topographic data that has been validated by a PLS.
In the same vein that anyone can perform a survey but it has no standing - nor can be marketed to consumers - unless it is signed and sealed by a PLS - parcel boundaries, elevation models, topographic and planimetric mapping must be professional products developed by a PLS to have standing in the exercise of public policy. It is the PLS who determines positional accuracy of measured points and features at all accuracy levels.
We are probably outnumbered and out financed to prevent the legislature from eventually imposing this on the public (to their detriment).
Without giving a diatribe on why we must not dilute or acquiesce portions of our profession please consider the following two points regarding the practice of Land Surveying:
Throw away this concept (and language) being circulated by the GIS folk regarding "authoritative locations" as the demarcation between data requiring a PLS verses a GIS practitioner.
The key is whether the data is:
1) being used to perform any regulatory function by a public body that concerns proximity of physical features (either to each other or to boundaries) or areas of land.
2) being used in the determination of the expenditure of public funds based on judgements made from (or incorporating) parcel, terrain, topographic data.
This runs the gamut from legal noticing property owners based on the proximity of their parcel to a project site to the issuance of permits (or release from) due to meeting/exceeding/not exceeding regulatory thresholds based on proximity or area.
GIS data being utilized by public agencies must be validated by a PLS for meeting required positional accuracies - thereby protecting and ensuring equitable treatment of the public while exercising their regulatory functions.
Professional judgements, analysis or determinations which incorporate (or are based on) parcel, terrain or topographic data for any purpose that results in a decision whether or not to expend public funds must be based on parcel, terrain or topographic data that has been validated by a PLS.
In the same vein that anyone can perform a survey but it has no standing - nor can be marketed to consumers - unless it is signed and sealed by a PLS - parcel boundaries, elevation models, topographic and planimetric mapping must be professional products developed by a PLS to have standing in the exercise of public policy. It is the PLS who determines positional accuracy of measured points and features at all accuracy levels.