7:00 AM – 5:30 PM

REGISTRATION (CONFECTION HALL OFFICE)

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7:00 AM - 8:15 AM

BREAKFAST (EXHIBIT HALL)

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7:00 AM - 5:45 PM

EXHIBITS OPEN(EXHIBIT HALL)

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8:15AM – 11:45AM: CONCURRENT SESSIONS

• 203: From Drone to CAD…with Carlson Software

  • Presenter: Michael Hyman, Regional Director, Carlson Software

  • Description: This course will discuss and show the growing use of technology around Photographic, as well as LiDAR drone usage, and what to do with the data. We will discuss how drones are being used for a multitude of projects for the Land Surveying professional. We will discuss the workflow and how to use point cloud deliverable as well as orthophotography data into Carlson Software for mapping and deliverables. We will then get into a presentation highlighting industry-leading software from Carlson, producing several deliverables like Field-to-Finish Mapping, Automated Feature Extraction, Moving your ‘data’ into CAD for Topographic Mapping, as well as point cloud use and clean up from the data collected from drones.

  • Credits: 3.5

  • Room: TBD

• 303: Engineering Land Surveys per the Registration Act # 367

  • Presenters: Donald Housley, PLS, Retired and David Housley, PLS, Harshman CE Group

  • Description: This session will explore through discussions the role of a Professional Land Surveyor in performing Engineering Land Surveys as defined by the Engineer, Land Surveyor & Geologist Registration Act # 367 and as amended by Act 87. This shall include discussions on what the Act(s) permits and what a surveyor's limitations are in performing such services. The discussion will cross over into the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code and the implications the two Acts have over one another.

  • Credits: 3.5

  • Room: TBD

• 803: Guidelines for Writing a Surveyor's Report

  • Presenter: Gary Kent, PS, Meridian Land Consulting, LLC

  • Description: Several states, including Pennsylvania, encourage a Surveyor's Report. Indiana law requires one, and many surveyors are considering the benefits of using Surveyor's Reports, but most have not written one. The concept of a Surveyor’s Report has been the topic of a number of published articles and columns over the years. In this program, we will review the purpose of a Surveyor's Report, outline possible and important content, discuss how a Surveyor's Report might be formatted, provide suggestions, and review examples from complex to typical and simple.

  • Credits: 3.5

  • Room: TBD

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8:15 AM – 9:45 AM: CONCURRENT SESSIONS

• 103: Knick v. Township of Scott: How SCOTUS Raised the Importance of the Land Surveyor

  • Presenter: Kevin Norris, PLS, Esq., Kevin Scott Norris Law, LLC

  • Description: In Knick, the Supreme Court held that a person could bring a federal claim when the government took their land without compensation. This case involved the zoning policies of a township, and those policies rendered a person's land substantially unusable. Thereby causing a taking. You will learn how to spot the disparate impact zoning can have on individual property owners. You will also discover the elevated role the surveyor has in takings cases and how you should help an attorney prepare your client's case.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 405: Drawing Fire: Surveying, Mapmaking, and Engineering in the American Civil War

  • Presenter: Don Teter, PS, Assistant Professor, Fairmont State University

  • Description: Civil War topographers overcame enormous obstacles in providing the armies with usable maps. They also produced many elegant battle maps, drawing after fire had ceased, but were often in position to "draw fire" themselves. Despite sometimes working in hazardous conditions, the Engineers often quickly achieved remarkable results. In addition to the maps and drawings used in the PowerPoint, several reproductions of period maps will be displayed, including Jed Hotchkiss’ famous map of the Shenandoah Valley, drawn at the behest of Stonewall Jackson.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 504: State & Federal Legislative Issues Impacting Surveying

  • Presenters: John "JB" Byrd, Miller-Wenhold Capitol Strategies and Bob Regola, PLS, Regola Consulting

  • Description: Impactful policy and the political process coming from Harrisburg and Washington, DC have never been more important to the surveying profession. Learn more about pending national legislation affecting the profession, as well as the process for influencing legislation to assure that the interests of surveyors, and the public health, welfare, and safety are served. At the state level, PSLS is working on many legislative initiatives such as Right-of -Entry, updating the Registration Law, and updating the State Plane Coordinate System Law. PSLS members need to be aware of these efforts and mobilize as needed.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 603: Navigating UAV's Into Tomorrow: Understanding and Anticipating FAA UAS Regulatory Changes

  • Presenter: Bryan Hazelwood, Chief Pilot/Senior Field Service Manager, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.

  • Description: During this session, we will quickly discuss the FAA's progress to today's UAS regulations, which will then lead us into our current needs and wants as an industry. The remainder of our time will be spent looking into some potential considerations for slow progress and missed deadlines. We will look towards understanding the risks to the National Airspace System (NAS) each of our needs create and how they approach safely solving these risks. We will end by looking at some ways we can prepare ourselves and our companies for potential upcoming changes in the FAA's next UAS regulation chapter.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 705: 3D Modeling in GIS

  • Presenter: Steve Kocsis, GISP, GIS Specialist, Cambria County

  • Description: GIS data, 3D components and generation. Attendees will have an opportunity to review several workflows and different applications. This will be an open discussion with the group to better understand what is available and what can work together.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

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10:15 AM – 11:45 AM: CONCURRENT SESSIONS

• 104: Computer Aided Boundary Resolution (CABR)

  • Presenter: Amy Hopkins, PLS, Owner, Urban Terrain, LLC

  • Description: This interactive session will enlighten Surveyors, Party Chiefs, Techs, and Drafters to some tips and tricks to aid them in resolving boundaries with the use of CAD functions. This session is for the master and novice alike. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop with their preferred drafting software.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 406: The Fairfax Stone and the Deakins Line: How West Virginia Put A Whuppin’ On Maryland

  • Presenter: Don Teter, PS, Assistant Professor, Fairmont State University

  • Description: The Fairfax proprietary, or Northern Neck of Virginia, included the lands lying between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers, with the westernmost boundary being a line connecting the headsprings. At the head of the Potomac, the location of the Fairfax Stone was established in 1736 and first monumented in 1746. The westernmost boundary of Maryland – the Deakins line, c. 1788 - ran from the Fairfax Stone northward to the Mason-Dixon line. The location of the Fairfax Stone was disputed by Maryland from at least when the Deakins line was first run from it to mark the boundary between Virginia (now Preston County, West Virginia) and Maryland. U.S. Supreme Court litigation began in the early 1890s, culminating with the 1910 decision confirming the position of the Fairfax Stone. The Court also held the skewed, bent and offset Deakins line, so West Virginia put a whuppin’ on Maryland and retained control of over 30 square miles of disputed territory. The legal principles behind the Court’s decision, especially acquiescence, are relevant to the retracement of private boundaries today. In an 1897 effort to bolster its fruitless claim, Maryland set the Potomac Stone in Tucker County, West Virginia, near the top of Backbone Mountain. Don will wrap up with the tale of how the West Virginia Affiliate of Surveyors Historical Society sought and found this long-forgotten monument in 2012.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 505: Contract Basics 101

  • Presenters: Kevin Norris, PLS, Esq.. Kevin Scott Norris Law, LLC and Mark Amirault, Equity Partner, Foundation Risk Partners

  • Description: During this course, the attendees will take away some keys to open and honest communications with their clients and prospects, along with tips on contract reviews and negotiations.  Through review and examination of some onerous client drafted contracts, this open forum course will allow for attendees to discuss ways the surveyor can confidently modify these contracts. This session will provide basic tips on what should be included in a land surveying contract.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 604: Ensuring Safe and Effective Utility Access in Confined Spaces: Best Practices and Innovations

  • Presenter: Bryan Hazelwood, Chief Pilot/Senior Field Service Manager, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.

  • Description:

    • General overview of confined spaces

    • Dangers of confined space

    • Minimum requirements

    • Recommended requirements

    • Procedures and methods for entry, and

    • Alternate means of data collection, and innovations.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 706: Bridging the Gap: GIS and Surveying

  • Moderator: Timothy Burch, PLS, Executive Director, NSPS

  • Panelists: Joe Livoti II; Jeffrey Horneman, PLS, GISP; Kevin Chappell, PLS, PE; Scott Drzyzga, Ph.D., GISP

  • Description: As GIS technology evolved and was embraced by government agencies and private industries, there was significant apprehension by many in the Land Surveying profession over concerns that GIS could infringe in the realm of Professional Land Surveying. Many Surveyors also balked at municipal requirements intended to standardize electronic deliverables for incorporating survey-related data into their GIS systems. This has often placed Professional Land Surveyors and GIS Professionals at-odds when grappling with Licensure laws in the light of continued development of new technologies. However, for some agencies and surveying companies, the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) into land surveying practices has transformed how surveyors collect, analyze, and present spatial data – moving the practice of Professional Land Surveying beyond the limits of the static 2-dimensional survey deliverable. GIS Professionals also have gained greater appreciation of the relationship between what is on-the-map and what is on-the-ground - the Professional Land Surveyor’s expertise. Many now see an opportunity for these two worlds to collaborate with a shared interest that includes datums, projections, mapping, and public safety and welfare. This panel discussion brings together experienced professionals to explore the synergy between GIS and traditional surveying. Topics will include the definition of land surveying, accuracy considerations, practical applications, data interoperability, and how GIS enhances decision-making in land development, infrastructure, and environmental projects. Attendees will gain insights into current trends, tools, and strategies and learn greater appreciation for how GIS and Surveying can best collaborate for the benefit of our communities.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

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11:45 AM - 1:00 PM

LUNCH (EXHIBIT HALL)

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1:00 PM – 4:30 PM: CONCURRENT SESSIONS

• 105: Forensic Surveyors

  • Presenter: Bruce Blair, PLS, Founder, BRB Forensics

  • Description: Surveying is an interesting combination of mathematics, technology and legality. Putting all these together, you have the task of a forensic surveyor. A professional surveyor is often called on to present an opinion on boundaries. As a matter of fact, their map of survey is truly an opinion. Forensics can broadly be defined as anything that is done and presented to the court's. This workshop will detail the efforts to prepare a report for the courts, as well as the experience and knowledge of the presenter. It will also go into the methods of presentation and the relationship with the client and attorney. Examples will be provided, and class participation is encouraged.

  • Credits: 3.5

  • Room: TBD

• 204: TBC: Back to Basics - Processing GNSS & Optical Data

  • Presenter: Anthony Pascuzzi, Director of Geospatial Technology, Precision Laser & Instrument, Inc.

  • Description: This course is a guide through the TBC Survey Tab highlighting how to import and process conventional survey data. This includes GNSS, Total Station (Optical) & Digital Level data.

  • Credits: 3.5

  • Room: TBD

• 506: Contracts In Depth

  • Presenters: Kevin Norris, PLS, Esq.. Kevin Scott Norris Law, LLC and Mark Amirault, Equity Partner, Foundation Risk Partners

  • Description: In many projects, land surveyors are hired by design firms rather than directly by property owners. While these clients may understand your technical expertise, the relationship can present unique challenges. We invite you to an insightful and interactive course that will help you:
    1. Negotiate contracts effectively
    2. Advocate for your role throughout the project
    3. Set clear expectations and boundaries for smoother collaboration
    A key focus of the session will be on managing client expectations—one of the most powerful drivers of project success. Through open discussion, we’ll explore what makes a great client and how surveyors can build lasting relationships that contribute to their firm’s long-term growth. The tools are simple, but mastering their execution can make all the difference.

  • Credits: 3.5

  • Room: TBD

• 804: Pennsylvania Easements and Rights of Way

  • Presenter: Gary Kent, PS, Meridian Land Consulting, LLC

  • Description: What exactly is an easement? How does it differ from a license and a profit? What is an appurtenant easement versus an easement in gross? How are easements created and what does it take to terminate an easement? What constitutes an easement by necessity or an implied easement? How does adverse possession impact easements? Where do railroad, road and highway rights of way fit in? This program will answer those questions and more as the types, elements and nature of easements, both written (express) and unwritten are explored. The program will include case law regarding easements specific to the state of Pennsylvania.

  • Credits: 3.5

  • Room: TBD

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1:00 PM – 2:30 PM: CONCURRENT SESSIONS

• 304: The Topographic Survey

  • Presenter: Amy Hopkins, PLS, Owner, Urban Terrain, LLC

  • Description: In this interactive session, the land surveyor will walk away with confidence in their ability to read and interpret contours and determine if aerial mapping data was processed properly with regards to breaklines and physical features on the ground. We will discuss both the field and office aspects of topography in an attempt to get everyone working together to create a thoroughly accurate product. Field staff will gain a better understanding of the requirements and procedures that the offices staff goes through when producing a topographic map. Drafters will gain a new respect for the data our crews collect. Practical application exercises to practice drawing contours by hand and learn to interpolate elevations.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 407: Measuring Ancient Works: Examining the Accomplishments of the Moundbuilders

  • Presenter: Don Teter, PS, Assistant Professor, Fairmont State University

  • Description: Who were the “Moundbuilders,” and how did they plan and guide their projects? Ancient earthworks and faint remnants of wooden structures provide evidence of cultures with extensive astronomic and geometric knowledge. The seminar looks at three aspects of measuring the works of the Moundbuilders: How the ancient builders likely planned and laid out their work; The methods and mapping of the “discoverers” during the 1800s; and What modern measurement and mapping can reveal about the builders and the discoverers. Among the sites discussed are the Grave Creek Mound, Mound City at Chillicothe, the Great Serpent Mound, Fort Ancient, and the Cahokia Mounds.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 605: Optimizing Operations with Autonomous Monitoring Solutions

  • Presenters: Ken Fronheiser, PLS, Keystone Precision Solutions, and Taylor Shepley, Technical Sales Consultant, Keystone Precision Solutions

  • Description: How much is that building moving? How often does it move? When does it move? As a surveyor, have you ever been asked that question by a client? Monitoring a building, bridge, foundation, or a wall can be a complicated task, but also reporting the collected data can be just as complicated. During this session, we will take a look at what tools are available to monitor a site not only accurately, but also efficiently. We will conclude this session by looking at customer stories (case studies) and how they implemented different monitoring techniques to determine… What’s Moving…

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 707: Response to Resilience: Unlocking the Power of Imagery, AI, and GeoAI for Operational and Mitigation Strategies

  • Presenter: Scott Zubek, GISP

  • Description: This workshop explores how advanced imagery and emerging GeoAI approaches can strengthen disaster response and long-term resilience. Drawing on Tioga County’s recovery after Tropical Storm Debbie, we’ll discuss how drone inspection data informed debris removal and erosion mitigation efforts under tight timelines. Participants will examine lessons learned from sequential imagery analysis, the role of emerging GeoAI in enhancing assessments, and practical strategies for applying geospatial technologies to operational challenges. Emphasis is placed on real-world experiences, collaborative problem-solving, and the potential of GeoAI to support more effective decision-making in disaster recovery and mitigation planning.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM: CONCURRENT SESSIONS

• 305: Private Utility Location for Subsurface Utilities

  • ​Presenter: Kate McKinley, Senior Geophysicist and Vice President, THG Geophysics

  • Description: An overview of locating and marking subsurface utilities using passive and active electromagnetic methods, and the use and limitations of using ground penetrating radar (GPR) for subsurface utility locations. This course will review utility location products and their associated horizontal and vertical accuracies. The surveyor's role and appropriate references will be reviewed.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 408: The Darling Line and Four Corners

  • Presenter: Don Teter, PS, Assistant Professor, Fairmont State University

  • Description: Putting the Darling Line in the wrong place, which became right; Then putting it in the right place, which was wrong; And putting it back in the right wrong place; And why the Four Corners monument is in exactly, though not precisely, the right place. A look at the Colorado and New Mexico boundary, first run by Ehud Darling in 1868, and at the famous Four Corners monument, which was placed by Chandler Robbins in 1875. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 1925 ruling in favor of holding the somewhat haphazardly run original Darling line meant that Four Corners would also remain in its original location. The legal principles behind the Court’s decision, especially acquiescence, are relevant to the retracement of private boundaries today.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 606: Mastering UAS Data Processing with Pix4D

  • ​Presenter: Taylor Shepley, Technical Sales Consultant, Keystone Precision Solutions

  • Description: This workshop will focus on the field-to-finish workflows required to process UAS data using Pix4D products. The session covers best practices for importing data, processing workflows, troubleshooting, delivering high-quality 2D maps, 3D models, and point clouds tailored to surveying, construction, and more.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

• 708: Accessing Data, Services, and Applications on PASDA, PA Mine Map Atlas, & Penn Pilot

  • ​Presenter: Maurie Kelly, PhD, Director, Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA)

  • Description: This workshop will focus on the data, services and applications related to Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access. It will include information about the PASDA site and data, map services, and apps such as the PA Imagery Navigator and Lidar Navigator. It will also cover additional apps such as the PA Mine Map Atlas and the historic aerial photo site, Penn Pilot. Data sharing and access initiatives will also be discussed.

  • Credits: 1.5

  • Room: TBD

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5:00 PM - 5:45 PM

RECEPTION & NETWORKING (EXHIBIT HALL)

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6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

DINNER & EVENING PROGRAM (RAFFLE & AUCTION)(EXHIBIT HALL)