Hopefully, you should be able to finish the statement above. The same is true here at the magazine. I’m pleased to announce that Jason Foose will assume the role of editor. I will still be heavily involved in my new role as Emeritus, but after 24 years of survey magazine publishing, my health is such that it’s difficult for me to travel. Enter Jason. If you’ve been following, he has traveled all over the country to write about important industry events and more. And I shouldn’t have to remind you that Jason’s skills as a boundary surveyor are excellent and he has been banging that drum nonstop.
In an era when we are watching what always required a surveyor slip away, it’s critical that the drum we bang with the public reminds them that we are the keepers of the cadastral quilt and that we help protect what is usually their largest single investment. Mark Contino from Topcon told us long ago that every ten years or so, pundits predict the death of surveying. Yet here we still are. While it’s true that non-surveyors are rapidly taking over topographic surveying with drones, there’s still a vital place for us in data assurance. The stories we hear about amateurs taking a stab at datums and coordinate systems will ensure this. This, and boundary surveying, is our area of expertise to lose.
Another sea change in our society is the end of “free stuff.” I’m sure many of you can remember the days when you could buy a USGS quad sheet for $1.25. Now, you don’t even have to buy them, but you do have to print them yourself. Likewise with magazines. We don’t yet know what the future holds for The American Surveyor as to whether it will remain free, but one thing’s for sure, the magazine will continue to bring you all aspects of surveying, including application articles. It will also include articles pertaining to history and legal aspects, as well as other subjects surveyors are interested in.
Again, I am not going away, but I’ve found that events and company visits have provided most of the grist for what I’ve written, and Jason will continue that tradition. I want to thank all of you who have supported me—and you know who you are—at the magazines I have edited. Without your support none of it would have been possible. I have no doubt that I have achieved my goals: to inform, educate and celebrate surveying.
In closing, I would like to give Jason an opportunity to say a few words: “American Surveyors are historical anomalies. We are the rugged and practical men and women that have forged the greatest nation in history from backwoods cabins and taken it all the way to the moon. Our divine function is neither scientific nor academic. We are the noble guardians of a free society where the land ownership rights are free of caste or feudalism. You the reader are part of that elite corps and American Surveyor Magazine is your mouthpiece. We are committed to our endearing bond with you as our partners to delivering empowering educational content. Our contributors lay down the straight dope on implementing the industry’s latest and greatest tech in the real world. The professional and legal contributors continue to deliver personal education content to your doorstep every month. Rest assured that we will continue to bear and wave the flag of our beloved profession through the media of The American Surveyor.”