The Christmas trees are out along the roads and in the stores and already up and decorated in many homes. The radio waves are filled with the familiar sounds of Christmas carols. The stores are just as crazy as ever for December with shopping frenzies for the expected gift on Christmas morning. This is where many have their thoughts centered during December.
As a licensed surveyor, my thoughts inevitably turn towards the requirement to fulfill my CEU’s to maintain my license for the coming year. Every year I vow to take care of these in January and every year January quickly becomes December. What better time to be working on my CEU’s than between Christmas and New Year’s Eve? This is not a good way to spend such precious time with friends and family during the holiday season. Nevertheless the cycle repeats itself. Soon I will have to begin CEU’s for my Certified Photogrammetrist certificate as well.
In every profession that requires licensure and annual CEU’s, the method of obtaining such credits is often challenged along with the intent and results of such requirements. There generally are courses offered at conferences, at a number of on-line sites, or at a local college, all of which qualify for CEU credits. Generally the conference courses require little more than your time and attention. On-line courses require self-study and a test. They also assume you have the ethics to actually do the work yourself. College courses are definitely the most demanding as they almost always include home work, projects, and… the dreaded exams. You pass or fail and nobody likes to fail.
I think the CEU requirement is a good idea. As a (professional) surveyor we are to serve the public and protect their interest in a lawful manner. Our standards should be high.
In searching the internet for qualifying and affordable courses I wanted to find anything offered on LiDAR for aerial, mobile, and terrestrial, with an emphasis on the latter two. A few minutes in a search engine found a very limited amount of such resources. This is rather disconcerting. It seems that (ground) LiDAR is being embraced about as readily as GIS was just a few years ago by the survey community – that is to say, with a lot of reluctance.
To practice surveying you have to have a state surveying license. To practice photogrammetry it is a good idea to have a Certified Photogrammetrist (CP) certificate. There’s a huge difference between the two – one is legally binding and the other is simply proof that you are striving for excellence. However, both demonstrate a concern for the profession and public. Consider this, to drive a car, you only have to be 16 years old, demonstrate rudimentary driving skills, pass a written test demonstrating an understanding of traffic laws, and pay a small fee.
