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Aug. 6, 2020

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Senate Passes 3DEP Authorization Bill

NSPS

The U.S. Senate last week passed S. 529, the National Landslide Preparedness Act, sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The legislation would direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to identify risks and hazards from landslides, reduce losses, protect communities at risk, and improve communication and emergency preparedness. The bills would require the program to map and assess landslide hazards; respond to landslide events; coordinate with non-federal entities to identify regional and local priorities; and develop and implement landslide hazard guidelines for geologists, engineers, emergency managers, and land-use decision makers. The House passed H.R. 1261 by unanimous consent in June 2019, and the Senate passed S. 529 by unanimous consent on July 30, 2020. Congress must reconcile differences in the bills to help enact the legislation. Section 4 authorizes subsidence mapping and Section 5 authorizes 3DEP. NSPS continues to advocate on behalf of USGS 3DEP and strongly supports this bill.

FPI Needs to Improve Efforts on Recidivism

NSPS

A newly released Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit report found that Federal Prison Industries (FPI) has not reviewed its impact on recidivism in over two decades. The First Step Act of 2018 authorized FPI to sell its products to new markets. NSPS was among a number of organizations that opposed FPI expansion and supported a provision asking GAO to review various aspects of FPI. GAO found FPI advocated for its program as an effective means of reducing repeat offending, or recidivism, based on dated and unsubstantiated claims. The report recommends that the Bureau of Prison, under which FPI operates as a government corporation known as UNICOR, evaluate the program and set a recidivism reduction goal. NSPS has long been concerned with current FPI activities, as well as the increased market access that FPI now enjoys, since prisoners may receive access to sensitive personal information on infrastructure and other GIS projects, let alone the unlevel playing field FPI enjoys in Federal contracting via its "mandatory source" status is a government owned corporation that, FPI sells inmate-produced goods and services primarily to federal government agencies. GAO met with industry associations, including NSPS and the Business Coalition for Fair Competition (BCFC), of which NSPS is a member, and interviewed agency officials and employed inmates. The goal of this program is to manage, train, and rehabilitate inmates through prison industry employment in order to assist with inmate reentry into society. However, the program has long been criticized for engaging in unfair government competition with private sector contractors, including law-abiding, tax-paying workers. These are among the reasons NSPS is a member of BCFC.

Maryland Surveyors Offer Archived Webinars for Continuing Education

NSPS

The Maryland Society of Surveyors (MSS) was one of the first state surveying societies to transition a conference to a virtual, on-line webinar series, due to Coronavirus restrictions. MSS hosted a successful series of 17 webinars, offering a total of 27 Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) credits for each surveyor, in which 573 surveyors participated, and a total of 973 CPCs were awarded. Many of the sessions provided continuing education content that may be of interest to surveyors across the Nation and are not specific to surveying in Maryland. All webinars are now available via an on-line archive for preview and purchase.

Senate Covid Phase IV Recovery Bill Includes Small Business, 501 (c)(6) Association Relief

NSPS

The Republican leadership of the U.S. Senate, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), earlier this week introduced the “Health; Economic Assistance; Liability Protection; and Schools” (HEALS) Act. Included in the bill is the Continuing Small Business Recovery and Paycheck Protection Program Act, by Senate Committee on Small Business Entrepreneurship Chairman Marco Rubio (R-FL). It is a federal relief package that builds on the success of the bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other small business relief programs in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-36). The package aims to ensure small businesses, including minority-owned firms and those in underserved communities, have the necessary resources to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill would allow the most severely affected small businesses to receive a second PPP loan. It would also create a new long-term recovery loan program, which would provide working capital to industries that have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The nearly $60 billion long-term recovery loan program would target low-income communities, minority-owned, and seasonal businesses. Also included is authority to make nonprofit 501(c )(6) organizations, including NSPS and many state surveying societies, eligible for PPP funds. A section by section is available here and a one pager here.

Ready, Steady, Go — Here at Last Comes GLONASS-K

Inside GNSS

The third next-generation GLONASS-K navigation satellite, postponed several times, will now take place in late August or early September, according to reported statements by Russian space industry sources. This marks a long-delayed step along a road towards interoperability with other GNSS. The first GLONASS-K satellite was launched in 2011 and a second one in 2014. In February 2020, satellite manufacturer ISS-Reshetnev announced that nine new GLONASS-K satellites would fly up to the constellation by 2022.

Welcome to the Flood Zone - August 2020

Nadeau Land Surveys

In the News: "Talking Points on the New Flood Risk Assessment Tool from First Street", "Study: U.S. Flood Risks Dwarf Federal Estimates" and "Your Climate Disaster Tax Bill is Growing"
Resources: "Hurricane Safety Tips and Resources", "The Map Change Lifecycle Overview" and "Mitigation Ideas: A Resource for Reducing Risk to Natural Hazards"
Flood Terminology: "River Stage"
Real Estate Corner: "Your Duty to Disclose a Property’s Flood Risks" and "Florida’s Flooded Future: ‘Retreat While There’s Still Time’"

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NASA's Mars Rover Perseverance Relies on Imaging Sensors

Sensors & Systems

The Mars 2020 mission is part of a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The 2020 mission addresses high-priority science goals, including questions about the potential for life on Mars. The mission will look for signs of past microbial life itself. The mission also provides opportunities to gather knowledge and demonstrate technologies that address the challenges of future human expeditions to Mars.

Benefits of Commercial Drones and Upcoming Major Trends

GPS World

In many ways, 2020 would be another big year for commercial drones. The market has witnessed slow and steady growth over the years, and according to Allied Market Research, the global commercial drone market is expected to reach $10.73 million by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 26.2% from 2016 to 2022. This exponential growth is due to the high demand for cost-effective, energy-saving and eco-friendly OLED lighting coupled with growth in display and large screen backlit market.

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What Is Tersus GNSS?

xyHt

I had seen the name Tersus GNSS in geospatial social media for several years before our xyHt team stopped by their booth at the INTERGEO exhibition in Berlin in 2017. For a startup, launching in 2014, the company appeared to be making a lot of the right moves. As high precision GNSS was entering what we call a 4th wave of development for surveying and mapping, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to track this company.

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Dewberry Will Provide Data for US Geological Survey Following Impacts of Hurricane Michael

Point of Beginning

Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to provide updated base elevation models for the panhandle region of Florida, which was heavily impacted by Hurricane Michael in 2018. The firm has collected data for approximately 8,000 square miles of Florida, including the counties of Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Gadsden, Liberty, Franklin, Leon, Wakulla, and portions of Walton, Holmes and Jefferson.

The Need for Speed

Directions Magazine

International construction company Strabag AG is well versed in the complexities of collecting survey measurements along active highways — particularly in Germany where there are no speed limits on some sections of the Autobahn. Here, surveying is not for the faint of heart. “It can be quite unnerving to capture ground measurements when cars are racing past you at 150 km/hour,” says Thomas Gr�ninger, division manager of digitalization in Strabag’s office in Regensburg, Germany.

Become a Certified Survey Technician (CST)

No matter what the future holds, prepare to meet challenges head on. Future-proof your resume by becoming a Certified Survey Technician (CST). This unique four-level certification program indicates official recognition by NSPS that a person can perform surveying tasks at a specific technical level. Show what you can do! Decide between the field or office track. Visit www.cstnsps.com for details.

Geospatial Data Reveals Where Unexpected Storm Risks Lie

Digital Insurance

Every summer, the insurance industry braces for “hurricane season” and the spike in claims that comes with it. Natural disasters, including, but not limited to, winds, rains, hurricanes and floods, batter the U.S. with their destructive forces, destroying nearly everything in their path. Knowing about the weather is obviously important, but it’s critical to see it in a historical and real-time perspective to make it actionable.

NSPS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President, Mark Sargent (NH)

Director, Thomas Brooks (AL)

President-Elect, Tim Burch (IL)

Director, Bob Neathamer (OR)

Vice President, Amanda Allred (WA)

Director, Danny Martinez (NE)

Treasurer, Bob Miller (PA)

Director, Matt Morris (MT)

Secretary, Craig Amey (MI)

Executive Director, Curt Sumner (MD)

Immediate Past President, Lisa Van Horn (WI)

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