Korban Smith, Mustang, OK | James Allen Memorial Scholarship $2,000.00

Cam Carroll, Atoka, OK | OSLS Scholarship $2,000.00

For more information on the OSLS scholarship program, click here

If you know these individuals please congratulate them and encourage them as they are the future of our profession.

LS 2061            Lacie Shaw | Mustang, OK

LS 2063            Isaac Hammons | Ada, OK

As approved by the OSLS Board of Directors, the above individuals will receive a complimentary 1-year membership in The Oklahoma Society of Land Surveyors. I will send each one an email detailing how to complete their registration. Or you can have them contact me via e-mail at burk@osls.org.

If you know these individuals please congratulate them and encourage them as they are the future of our profession.

LS 2049       Dustin Freeman | Mannford, OK

LS 2050        Charles Allen        | Oklahoma City, OK

LS 2051 Mark Lyons | Tulsa, OK

LS 2052 Michael Cain | Norman, OK

LS 2054 Jarrod Elroy | Marlow, OK

LS 2057 Geoffrey Tucker | Norman OK

LS 2059 Jason Kastens | Edmond OK

LS 2060 Andrew Kis | Bethany OK

As approved by the OSLS Board of Directors, the above individuals will receive a complimentary 1-year membership in The Oklahoma Society of Land Surveyors. I will send each one an email detailing how to complete their registration. Or you can have them contact me via e-mail at burk@osls.org

Matthew Combs, Depew, OK | James Allen Memorial Scholarship $2,000.00

John Bowers, Morris, OK | OSLS Scholarship $2,000.00

For more information on the OSLS scholarship program, click here

The following individuals are commended for their hard work and dedication in achieving their goal of becoming Professional Land Surveyors.

LS2012 Michael Anderson, Oklahoma City OK
LS2013 James Percer, Soper OK
LS2019 Diana Askew, Bartlesville OK
LS2025 Jeffrey Murphy, Prague OK
LS2029 Daniel McPeek, Stillwater OK
LS2032 Kody Couch, Pryor OK
LS2033 Gary Paule, Edmond OK
LS2034 James Payne, Tuskahoma OK
LS2035 Tyler Rogers, Yukon OK
LS2037 Jarod Watkins, Enid OK
LS2038 Kale Jackson, Elk City OK
LS2041 Lynn Hurley, Sulphur OK
LS2042 Dustin Ford, Edmond OK

If you know these individuals please congratulate them and encourage them as they are the future of our profession.

As approved by the OSLS Board of Directors, the above individuals will receive a complimentary 1-year membership in The Oklahoma Society of Land Surveyors. I will send each one an email detailing how to complete their registration. Or you can have them contact me via e-mail at burk@osls.org.

• Milepost 50 in Polk County (with remaining 1877 snag)
• Milepost 106 in Little River County
• Milepost 68 reconstruction (video clip)

Read the New York Times article on the US Survey Foot

In 2007, NGS began planning for the modernized NSRS, acquiring its first airborne gravimeter, creating and initiating the Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) project and by 2008 had codified its modernization plans into a Ten Year Plan. At that time, the target completion date was 2018. By 2013, that date seemed unlikely, due to both the broadening of the GRAV-D coverage area and the experience of five years of operational planning and execution.

In 2013, NGS revised its 2008 Plan, and targeted 2022 as the date of the release of the modernized NSRS. This date was reinforced with a 2018 Strategic Plan revision. By 2017, confidence in hitting the 2022 target was high enough to reach final agreement with Canada and Mexico on a naming convention for certain components, to include “2022” in their names.

Since 2017, operational, workforce, and other issues have arisen and compounded, causing NGS to recently re-evaluate whether a successful roll-out by 2022 is possible. The most significant impacts have been in workforce hiring and retention, and in meeting GRAV-D data collection milestones, which underpin the NSRS modernization efforts.

NGS is currently conducting a comprehensive analysis of ongoing projects, programs, and resources required to complete NSRS modernization and will continue to provide regular updates on our progress. To get the latest news on NSRS modernization and track our progress, subscribe to NGS News or visit our "New Datums" web pages.

Further details, and more answers are available on this FAQ

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of our founder Javad Ashjaee, a GPS/GNSS pioneer and visionary, on the morning of May 30, 2020, due to COVID-19 in Moscow, Russia.

Over the course of 37 years, Javad made an incredible and far-reaching impact in the GNSS community. He pioneered the world's most advanced GNSS technology through a multi-national effort that combined GPS and GLONASS and established more than a quarter century of partnership between Silicon Valley and Moscow. He was always proud of this "success story of cooperation". Javad was a true industry disrupter long before the term and concept became popular. His whole way of doing business was challenging and disrupting to the status quo.

His hundreds of GNSS inventions and tens of thousands of products are in continuous use all over the globe, including above it! Often, his revolutionary innovations were imitated by his competitors. As Oscar Wilde wrote, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness."

At the height of the Great Recession in 2009, Javad bucked the offshore outsourcing trend and chose instead to invest in U.S. manufacturing. He declared "SILICON VALLEY IS BACK TO BUILD" and founded JAVAD EMS, which provides electronic manufacturing services where all JAVAD GNSS solutions are built as well as products from a diverse customer base which are deployed from the bottom of the ocean, to the International Space Station and beyond.

While advancing his technology and business efforts, Javad never lost his roots as a professor. He always aimed to educate and elevate everyone around him, even if it was an entire industry. His most profound skill was not in his technology: it was his ability to bring people together rather than to draw lines between them. At the end of life what matters is not what we bought but what we built, not what we got but what we shared, not our competency but our character, and not our success but our significance.

On the day of his passing, Javad's technology played a role in the first successful crewed space vehicle launch from U.S. soil since the final Space Shuttle launch nine years ago. Javad did not wait for all of us, he launched himself to the 'heavens' in his own special Javad way.

To learn more about Javad's GNSS history, written by the man himself, please click here, here.

Richard passed away at his home on Saturday, December 7th, 2019. Richard was born in Dubuque, IA to Mildred and James Widmar. He graduated from Dubuque Senior High school and Iowa State University. In 1982, Rich came to Oklahoma and worked for the Bureau of Land Management, doing most of his work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, until his retirement. He loved golfing, playing cards, antique cars, and spending time with family and friends.

Those left to cherish his memory include his daughter, Katie Widmar of Chicago, IL; sister, Joan (Jim) Luikart of Geneseo, IL; niece, Jessica (Jacob) Specht and great nieces and nephews, Ryder, Kasen, Gabriella and Knox Specht of Annawan, IL; niece, Allison Luikart (Steven White) of Homer Glen, IL; family, Cheryl Widmar and daughters, Megan (Justin Watson), Jessica (Fernando) Lino; grandchildren, Gabriel, Charlee, Aden and Mia; and many wonderful family and special friends. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Visitation will be held at Buchanan Funeral Service in Oklahoma City on Friday, December 13th, from 1 – 8PM, with family present from 6-8PM. A funeral service and burial will take place in Iowa at a later date.

NSPS YSN President

Denver Winchester, PS

One aspect of our history that means a lot to our members is our logo. It was designed
in 1969 by our Charter Members and drafted (by hand) by one of our ODOT members. Our Board of Directors recently discussed how we could visually represent our move into the next 50 years without leaving behind our heritage. The original logo (right) has been a major part of our recognition in print, digitally and on social media. We wanted to retain the original elements of the logo, transit, township grid, compass rose and our founding date.

We think the great design team at www.myheartcreative.com accomplished just that!They are the same deign professionals that produced our www.SurveyOklahoma.com campaign as well as the 50th Anniversary logo at the top of every 2019 issue of the Sooner Surveyor.

Click the link below to download a digital file so you can utilize the new logo in your company promotional materials if you so choose.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD LOGO FILES

She graduated from Muskogee Central High School in 1959. Marilyn attended Oklahoma State University when women were only allowed to study certain fields.  She started her career at Topographic as a draftsman in the 1960’s, as the first full-time Oklahoma City office employee.  John Keating, the founder of Topographic, credited her as a key factor in the company’s early growth.  

She was a partner with her nephew Alan at Brooks Land Surveying and Mapping in Durant, Oklahoma from  2004 to 2011 when she retired. 

Born in Buffalo Oklahoma on January 19, 1941, Marilyn Brooks was the fourth of four children to Leo and Mary Brooks. She departed this world peacefully on Monday, June 24, 2019, at Denison Hospital, in Denison, Texas.  

Marilyn is preceded in death by her mother Mary and father Leo Brooks, as well as her brothers Tom Brooks and John Brooks, and sister in law Nancy Hundley Brooks.  She is survived by her brother Chester (Marla), as well as her sisters-in-law Judy and Martha.  She is also survived by her many loving nieces and nephews and their families, and by her very good friends who were all as close as family to her.   

The memorial service for Marilyn Brooks will be Friday, June 28 at Community Christian Church located at 5325 W University in Durant, Oklahoma. Family hour will be at 10:00 a.m. followed by the service at 11:00 a.m.

Click here to view the NGS webinar

In the next few weeks and months OSLS will announce plans to partner with YSN and support it both financially and professionally

STAY TUNED!

Darin Stratton, PLS has accepted the North East Area Manager position. Darin comes to the position from the Muskogee Survey Crew with 29 years surveying experience. Darin was selected from an excellent group of qualified candidates and we wish him the best in his new position.

Gary Rhoads, PLS is retiring from Survey Division after 26 years of service. We wish Gary the best of luck in all his future endeavors.

Jason Whittenberg has accepted the position of Records Manager vacated by Gary. Jason comes to the position from the El Reno Survey Crew with 19 years surveying experience. Jason was selected from an excellent group of qualified candidates and we wish him the best in his new position. Jason can be contacted via phone 405-521-2621 or e-mail jwhittenberg@odot.org for all Information Requests.

To that end, OSLS is pleased to announce the launch of our online continuing education portal. This opportunity has been created in a partnership with GeoLearn (Dr. Joe Paiva) a leading online education company specializing in high quality content that is delivered through video lectures.

We have created the following courses specifically for Oklahoma Land Surveyors:

•  MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR LAND SURVEYING IN OKLAHOMA
• CORNER PERPETUATION AND FILING ACT
• STATE BOARD RULES AND REGULATIONS (to be released in 2018)

We also are including other courses that GeoLearn has previously developed that might be of interest to Oklahoma Surveyors

•  NGS Datasheet Tips
•  Mapping the Floodplain: Why and How, From Past to Future
• Missouri DOT Real Time Network (RTN)
•  Tripod Leveling and Centering
•  What's Changed in the 2016 ALTA/NSPS Standards?
•  Writing: Making Your Pen (or Keyboard) as Mighty as Your Machete

All of these courses will meet the continuing education requirements of the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.

Click on the following link to visit the portal to begin your online education course

http://www.osls.org/?page=GeoLearn

On July 27, 2015, the Oklahoma Society of Land Surveyors (OSLS) and The State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (State Board) held a preliminary meeting to discuss the formation of a Task Force between the two groups with the purpose to promote the profession of Land Surveying in Oklahoma. The first official meeting of that Task force was held on September 18, 2015. At that meeting the objectives and goals of the Task Force were adopted.

I.  Develop goals which will support:

               A.           Surveying Education including Continuing Education

               B.           Advancement of Professionalism and Leadership Development

               C.           Advancement of the profession of surveying as it relates to public protection

II.           Advise the State Board about surveying regulations and bring recommendations for revisions.

III.          Study the effects of technological advancements within the profession

One of the first of these objectives to be addressed was the future of Survey education in the State of Oklahoma. Discussions with each of the 4 colleges began almost immediately with the goal to determine what each of the respective programs need to grow and attract new students.

At the same time the Task Force began working on a Career in Surveying campaign designed to attract high school students to the profession. After planning and discussions with various marketing firms, the Task Force began working on SurveyOklahoma, a campaign made up of print (poster and brochure) and digital aspects. The central focus of the campaign is the website; www.SurveyOklahoma.com.

In August of 2016 after months of work on content and design the website launched and the campaign began. The campaign begins with a introductory e-mail to all public school counselors in the State of Oklahoma (over 1100) and is followed by each one receiving a campaign brochure and poster to display in their office. Both of these mediums are designed with the sole purpose to direct counselors and students to the website where they can find out all they want to know about the profession. Things such as: average pay, scholarships, history of surveying and much more.

We would like to thank everyone who was involved in this portion of the campaign and look forward to the next phase

www.SurveyOklahoma.com

The existing Standard Flood Hazard Determination Form (FEMA form 086-0-32) expired on May 30, 2015.  Until the new form becomes available, please continue to use the existing form or the prior version of the form (FEMA form 81-93) whichever you are currently using.  Once the new form is published, this page will be updated with the new form and with additional information on transitioning to the new form.

Madison, WI - Berntsen International, Inc. has been ranked number 273 among the top 300 B2B E-Commerce companies according to Internet Retailer’s 2016 B2B E-Commerce 300 list. This research guide identifies, ranks, profiles and provides key sales and operating details on the 300 businesses that account for 70% of the U.S. B2B e-commerce market.

Berntsen expects to generate 35% of its total annual revenue from e-commerce customers including survey/engineering companies, utilities, construction contractors and government agencies. Forrester Research Inc. projects B2B e-commerce to generate $780 billion this year, more than double the projected sales for e-retail in 2015.

Berntsen.com receives over 14,500 unique visitors a month and offers a variety of surveying, utility, construction, and recreation marking products totaling over 1,200 products on inventory. In 2015, Berntsen’s total B2B e-commerce sales grew 23.5% compared to 2014 and was awarded Trusted Store status by Google recognizing excellence in online customer service and e-commerce reliability.

About the 2016 B2B E-Commerce 300 Guide

The 2016 B2B E-Commerce 300 provides never-before-revealed data on each of the 300 leaders of B2B e-commerce market, including their overall ranking in online B2B sales and their ranking in one of 18 industry categories in which they primarily compete. The guide also identifies fast-growing start-ups, new marketplaces, and scores of online retailers, wholesalers, and distributors expanding beyond their existing e-retailing businesses to carve out a piece of the world's largest e-commerce market.

About Berntsen International, Inc.

Berntsen International, Inc. is a manufacturer and supplier of survey markers, monuments,
utility posts, and related accessories.  Berntsen has been "Marking the Infrastructure of the World" since its founding in 1972 by Phillip Peterson and Peter Berntsen. Today, Berntsen has a product line of more than 1,000 markers, monuments and identification products for Surveying, Utilities, Construction, and Parks & Recreation, and also specializes in one-of-a-kind markers custom-made for specific projects. Berntsen has acquired multiple patents and has been honored twice by the governor of the State of Wisconsin for new product innovation.

Contact

To learn more about Berntsen International’s ranking in Internet Retailer’s 2016 B2B E-Commerce 300 guide, please contact:

Tim Klaben, Marketing Manager

Berntsen International, Inc.

5418 Monument Lane, Madison, WI 53704

Office: (877) 265-2296 | Fax:  (800) 249-9794

Email: tklaben@berntsen.com

or visit: https://www.internetretailer.com/b2b-ecommerce/#!/

Jerry West, from OKIE811 attended the OSLS Annual Convention earlier this year and took a lot of input from the OSLS membership as to what was happening with regard to survey locate requests. Jerry took those concerns, along with concerns from Engineers in the State back to the OKIE811 Board and Operating Committee and they have made some changes in order to hopefully alleviate the problem.

The OKIE811 Operating Board released the following announcement

Effective October 1, the work type of “Survey” will be removed from our locate request system. For those that need lines located for planning projects, instead of “Survey” as your work type, you will need to specify the type of excavation that is being planned.  For example, if you are requesting lines be located so you can decide where to install sewer lines, then you will specify "sewer" as your work type.  If you’re unsure about the work type, then specify "Other”.

By no longer having a “work type” called “Survey”, the utility locate sub-contractor will not be able to place those requests on a lower priority as they have been doing in the past.

The type of request will now solely be based on the type of work you are doing or planning. Some of the work types that you will likely now be using are (only a partial list)

·        Drainage

·        Sewer

·        Water

·        New Construction

·        Road Construction

·        Other

List of Utility Companies Only

The process for obtaining a list of subscribing utility companies without having them marked has not changed. On the OKIE811 website (www.callokie.com) Click on “Excavators” then “Types of Utility Locates” or Click this direct link http://www.callokie.com/excavators/types-of-locate-requests At the bottom of that page there is a section called “Design Work – List of Companies Only”

Fill in the information requested and submit the request. The legal description only needs to include the ¼ Section, Section, Township and Range (not the entire legal description)

The PS exam will remain a closed book exam with an electronic supplied reference delivered with the exam. Examinees will be allowed to bring and use NCEES approved calculators to the PS exam.

The State Board is currently studying options about the future administration of the 2-hour Oklahoma Law and Surveying exam. More details will be made available at a later date.