WASHINGTON STATE SECTION wss-acsm.org AMERICAN CONGRESS ON SURVEYING & MAPPING

WSS-ACSM MINUTES April 17th, 2008 www.wss-acsm.org Attendees: Tim Leach, Steve Reding, Julie Morland, Jon Warren, Tamara King, James Ray, Bob MacOnie, Jeff Kenner, Nick Fifarek Guests: Tim Hodson (ESRI), Leah Saunders (ESRI) No minutes were prepared for March, however at that meeting Tim Leach was voted Chair and Tamara King as Treasurer Elect. At this month’s meeting, we entertained a social period that began at 6:00PM and carried through till 6:30. At this time, we enjoyed a presentation on the brand new features of ESRI’s software devoted to survey. PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS: ESRI’s new Cadastral Editor was released with Service Pack 3 for ArcGIS 9.2, only eight months ago. An old product known only as “Survey Analyst” was originally based on software developed with Leica. ESRI’s new Survey Analyst and Cadastral Editor are significantly different. Tim Hodson, ESRI Product Engineer is a professional surveyor. It was obvious that survey methodology had been incorporated into the design of the new software. Leah Saunders, of Technical Sales demonstrated some of the new features. We were given opportunities to open discussions about how the software worked during the presentation. Jon Warren noted that any least squares adjustment should not affect right-of-way widths, and Bob MacOnie noted that methodologies for adjustment (using directional vector links and an affine transformation) could be improved. All members were very impressed with the improvements and capabilities of the software regarding incorporation of survey methodology. It was noted that these tools could provide new opportunities for the professional surveyor perhaps as a way of developing cadastral information for GIS clients. The tools contained technical features that were specific to survey professionals. The presentation by ESRI’s Tim Hodson and Leah Saunders was very much appreciated. During our dinner discussions continued about the new Cadastral Editor software which was very much improved over past iterations of the Survey Analyst. DINNER MEETING: After the presentation and dinner, WSS-ACSM Chairman Tim Leach opened the regular meeting. Chair’s Report: Tim has been in contact with ACSM (national) and obtained the current membership list for 2008 including email addresses. Washington State Section applications can be attempted through the use of this list. Treasurer’s Report: Julie Morland, with Treasurer Elect Tamara King, reported that current statements show that WSS-ACSM has a positive balance of $2,366 in checking and $1,062 in savings. Old Business: We are in the process of changing officers and signature authority for managing our accounts. As of the last meeting, current officers for 2008 are Tim Leach, Chair and Tamara King, Treasurer Elect (pending membership). WSS-ACSM drafted a letter of support of AmericaView and in Washington State, WashingtonView for acquisition, research, and education utilizing remote sensing data. New Business: Bob MacOnie made a motion to assist with funding to allow Gavin Schrock to attend CLSA in an amount not to exceed $200. All members in attendance unanimously approved. It was noted how much WSS-ACSM has been helped by Gavin. Tim Leach nominated James Ray for the office of Secretary. All members in attendance unanimously voted James Ray as Secretary Elect (pending membership). As of this meeting current officers of WSS-ACSM for 2008 are as follows: Tim Leach, Chair Tamara King, Treasurer James Ray, Secretary Tim Leach volunteered to draft a letter of support for the efforts at ESRI to develop tools specific to methodologies employed by professional surveyors. Those in attendance agreed that a draft letter of support for the efforts should be forwarded to Jack Dangermond of ESRI. We were very impressed with the demonstrated software and the potential for improving the cadastral layers of geographic information systems by survey professionals. This draft letter will be presented at our May meeting for approval. Many people were appreciative of our program by ESRI this month. In order to draw more attendance we decided it would be a good idea to provide more programs. Programs can provide companies with a marketing platform while we learn about new tools and capabilities: · Bob MacOnie will look into contacting Dawson about their ability to produce 2’ DEM’s and 3” digital-ortho’s at low cost. · Jon Warren from WH Pacific offered to host a program about vehicle mounted LIDAR mapping capabilities, the “Mobile Mapper” (2 cm’s at 50 mph!) sometime after July Closing: - A special thanks and welcome to our newest officers: James Ray and Tamara King. - A presentation of the Cadastral Editor is available for free on the ESRI site and can be reviewed at your leisure (you will have to create an ESRI global account).