Some of the biggest news out of SPAR International this week was the recent formation of a new nonprofit association focused on 3D services and technology, called 3D Professional Association (3DPA), and the exploratory introduction of another new nonprofit organization focused on building survey activities, tentatively called the U.S. Institute of Building Surveyors (USIBS).
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“Technology convergence,” “democratization,” “cloud enterprise,” “standardization”—these were some of the buzzwords at SPAR International 2011. The conference, which was held at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center near Houston this week, drew a record attendance of more than 800 people, with an estimated 20 percent of attendees coming from outside the United States. Topics covered all things 3D, from laser scanning, LiDAR and mobile mapping to asset management, digital heritage preservation and forensics. The practical application of advanced technology was the primary focus—finding, as SPAR Point Group Managing Director Tom Greaves noted in his introduction, ways to work faster, better and cheaper. 
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When the idea was first presented to the NSPS board of governors, it seemed a bit far-fetched. Would surveyors from around the nation really participate in a nationwide event happening on the same day at the same time? Wanting to be supportive, the board of governors agreed. And then, a strange thing happened. The NSPS Surveying USA initiative, which will take place around the nation on March 19 at 11 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time, began to take on a life of its own.
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There has long been a disconnect between the education system and the surveying profession. Debates about the need for a four-year degree have raged for decades, and only a handful of states have made a degree a prerequisite for licensure. Educational programs focused on surveying or even the broader geomatics discipline still aren’t widespread. Graduates of the programs that do exist can be disillusioned about the available job opportunities and pay, unaware that firms might well pass them over for more highly qualified “experienced” professionals who know more than just theory or that they might have to start at the bottom regardless of their degree. (“I didn’t go through four years of college and rack up thousands of dollars in student loans just to get a $10/hr job!”) 
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