Surveying Mapping And Reprographics Technology Services, Inc.

20/05/2026

They need a Surveyor General to help with a strategic plan and not another Land Plan. Someone who fully understand the professional systems, procedures and how to use the available technology. Moving from the dark ages into the digital future without braking the present is a monumental task that would require a cultural understanding, as well

Nuku'alofa, Tonga: A backlog of more than 13,000 land surveying applications, land registrations, and lease files is overwhelming the Ministry of Lands, Survey, Planning & Natural Resources due to poor filling in the past, the Minister for Lands, Dr. Taniela Fusimalohi has said, adding that it could...

29/04/2026

Most companies hire staff to fill a role but when the world has a shortage of experienced and trained professionals, its up to us vetrans to pay it forward and lend a helping hand with building up the talent pool.

21/04/2026

Out working along side Tonga's Ministry of Lands, Survey, Planning and Natural Resources

Being already familiar with the Survey Division, I was expecting to see them using a first generation total station while writing in field books and tapping on calculators. Something, I hadn't done in 40 years. Nonetheless, their ability to find reference monuments without a metal detector and shovel was impressive.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Geology Division flying a LIDAR drone with GPS corrections. A peice of kit with survey capabilities, beyond those easily available within a company of our size. At the time, they were conducting a tree survey but when I asked what they do most often with their drone, they said coastal shoreline monitoring.

20/03/2026

Attending International Global Surveyors' Day with the Ministry of Lands, Survey, Planning and Natural Resources. It was good to see so many young people interested in our profession.

I will often say to people, "It's not about the glory, its about the lifestyle." Everything that gets built begins and ends with a surveyor. It starts with a topographic survey to learn the lay of the land and it closes with an asbuilt survey to show the final results.

Very seldom will they ask for the Surveyors to be present for the photos. Very rarely do they want a surveyor's perspective when doing interviews. However, when anything goes wrong we will be the first to shoulder the blame.

A good professional will know the land laws like an attorney, can find the design flaws like an engineer, keep records like an accountant, and draws plans with the creative artistry of an architect.

If all of this sounds good then a career in surveying might be the right profession for you.

17/03/2026

Caught up with a survey team with the Ministry of Lands, Survey, Planning and Natural Reaources of Tonga the other day doing a boundary retracement survey.

Although their technology still requires running 2 and 3-man crews, I must say this better serves the succession planning for the future of the profession when having a Crew Chief, Instrument Man, and Rod Man.

Despite the more modern equipment of today allowing for 1 person to do the work of 3, we can still breathe life into the future by employing "Survey Interns" and "Survey Cadets" to help increase the overall productivity of a crew. Different names but same old purpose of training and preparing people to advance their skills.

Considering the worldwide deficit of competent engineering land surveyors, the profession and humanity would benefit from a more holistic approach to what we can do.

14/12/2025

Deploying from McConnell Dowell Group the CHCNAV-Apache 3 Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) from Global Survey on its first comprehensive bathymetric survey mission.

Everybody has a UAV (drone) nowadays but do you have a USV (boat)? This is another reason why working with MCD Creative Construction is so much more challenging and fun.

03/10/2025

With the season reopening of The Kingston Flyer - Steam Train tours set for tomorrow, we are pleased to have helped keep the locomotive on schedule.

We have surveyed for tens of thousands of homes, offices, temples and mosques; thousands of kilometers of communications, power, water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure; hundreds of kilometers of petroleum pipelines; shopping malls; sports facilities; airports; military bases; high rises; roads and bridges during our +40 years of providing civil engineering and land surveying services.

Over the last 15 years we have been chasing every chance that presented itself to work on rails with each opportunity having slipped through the cracks for socioeconomic political reason. Even though this project wasn't on a large scale, it has been a long time in the making. Now, we can finally add railway construction to our list of experience.

24/09/2025

As a trainer, nothing brings me a feeling of greater satisfaction than checking your students work and seeing they aced the test.

Despite the callenges of machine wear and tear, limited connectivity, older software, and only a few weeks in front of a GPS control panel, this operator has made the best of what he had to work with and knocked it out of the park. Well done Ravi!

17/09/2025

Leica GPS Machine Control Training: A good introduction for newbie gps operators is having them assist with checking the bucket calibrations. This initial exercise provides a hands-on opportunity for the operator to learn how to use the control panel to designate precisely how and where to get measurement readings from the attachment.

After over 40-years experience, when the work becomes ritualistic and mundane, it's working to lift the people around me that can bring a greater sense of purpose.

07/09/2025

As surveyors, we don't have to know how to operate the plants to help operators understand how to use their gps system. One of the most important parts of teaching is instilling confidence in your student's ability to comprehend the lesson. Taking a few minutes to get to know them so you can relate what they already know to what you are trying to teach is a great way to start. One of my first questions to a new student is asking to see their phone.