Surveying students from Southwestern Community College are communicating with outer space. And they are doing so with high tech equipment the college recently purchased.

"We now have a Real Time Kinematic GPS System. With it, our students use information from satellites 11,000 to 12,000 miles in space to determine the positions of points on the surface of the earth," instructor Peter Messier said.

SCC instructor Peter Messier, far right, helps surveying technology students, left to right, Paul Zabouni of Cullowhee, Kenny McCourt of Franklin and Van Downs of Bryson City learn to use a Trimble GPS rover unit in conjunction with a Trimble GPS base station seen in the foreground. (click on photo to enlarge)

The term GPS refers to the Global Positioning System established and maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense. There are 28 satellites in the U.S. constellation.

Messier went on to explain how the equipment operates using more than one satellite in determining surveying positions. "Determining positions is a process of measuring lengths of imaginary lines from at least four different satellites to a point where these lines intersect on the earth," he said. "That point will have longitude, latitude and elevation unique to that point on the earth.

"In surveying, we need great accuracy. This equipment is capable of resolving a position to less than half an inch. That's what makes this equipment so valuable."

Messier said that the equipment provides great advantages to surveying and engineering companies and public agencies.

"The GPS System allows one person to survey, rather than the crews necessary with standard surveying equipment," he explained. "It also reduces the time it normally takes to obtain positions. Five organizations in the region already have this or similar units and I'm sure we'll see more and more companies purchasing them.

"The students are really excited about getting hands-on learning with the system. They've heard about it and know and understand the theory; now they get a chance to use it."

Messier said students trained in the use of GPS systems are valuable to companies. "Most don't have staff members who are trained in using these units. That means our students will be even more in demand," he said. "Some of our students will very likely be teaching their employers how to use this system. I've seen that happen a number of times; a student learns to use new technology in college and then goes out to teach their employers."

One such student, John Jeleniewski of Sylva, works as a surveying technician for Bradshaw Engineering in Waynesville and may well be training others at the company in the near future.
"Bradshaw Engineering is looking into buying the same unit that we've received training on," Jeleniewski said. "It's a great piece of equipment. There's a lack of surveyors in this country and using this GPS system reduces the number of people required for a job. In fact, using this technology, a lot of surveying can be a one person job.

"It's wonderful that SCC has bought this equipment. The surveying program at SCC is certainly on the cutting edge in educating its students on the current technology that's available to surveyors."

According to Messier, the college not only provides students training in a Real Time Kinematic GPS System, it also provides area surveyors with an opportunity to use GPS.

"SCC has a continuously operating reference station (CORS). We have a GPS antenna and receiver established here by the NC Geodetic Survey," he said. "This means that surveyors don't have to buy a second GPS receiver (Surveyors normally have to have two receivers to accomplish surveying grade accuracy.). This allows surveyors to buy just one receiver and use the one at SCC as a base station which has known longitude, latitude and elevation."

Messier said that there are several CORS sites in North Carolina such as the one at SCC. "It's part of a national network," he said. "Ours serves Western North Carolina and parts of Tennessee and Georgia."

To use the CORS, a surveyor downloads CORS data from a centralized computer server and merges it with their own receiver's data to obtain the positions for a survey.

While the GPS system offers many advantages to surveyors, it does have a drawback. "It can't be used everywhere," Messier stated. "It can't be used in woods if the canopy is too thick."

When that happens, a surveyor must fall back on using standard surveying equipment. "We'll never stop training students in the use of standard equipment, but learning to use this new technology is a big plus," Messier said.

According to Messier, the surveying curriculum is a two-year associate degree program. Even before they graduate, students are often hired by surveying and engineering organizations while enrolled in the program at SCC. "In fact 95 percent of our students are already working as surveying technicians in the surrounding counties, he said."

After students earn their associate degree, they are eligible to take the first half (eight hours) of the state licensure exams.

"Then after they have four years of experience in the field under a licensed surveyor, they can sit for the second half of the exams. Upon passing the exams, they become licensed as a Professional Land Surveyor," Messier said. "Then they either continue working for an organization or, as some do, they start their own company."

To learn more about the SCC surveying technology program, visit www.southwesterncc.edu. Or contact Peter Messier at 828.586.4091, extension 402, or 800.447.4091.

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