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ACSM Bulletin | August 2011 | #252      DYNAMIC VERSION

EDITORIAL

Post Survey Summit 2011 by Ilse Genovese "Unity" has been the motto for the Summit since its inauguration in 2003. In at least one aspect the 2011 event did achieve unity—a unity of purpose and goals. It's purpose, to bring surveyors and other geospatial professionals together in the realm of emerging technology, was accomplished. All of us went to San Diego to learn, interact, and come home better equipped for a future where technology is constantly changing how we work, communicate, associate, and, yes, live as private citizens. Naturally, at a Survey Summit, one would be mostly exposed to emerging surveying technology, and we have a glimpse of such technology in several articles in this issue. Stan Pilny's letter, written from the perspective of a young person now entering the field of surveying, is instructive. So is the report on page 10 highlighting parts of the Summit's program or the opinion on page 14 about the role of government in mapmaking. The latter article got me thinking about citizen mapping, and from there it was only a hop to social media. That's the next frontier for associations, especially those attempting to establish and maintain relationships in professional areas they have not been very active in and so build a professional reputation which would communicate the brand they wish to be perceived by. Hence it's pertinent that we address the issue of strategic uses of social media—together with a continued focus on cloud computing because both will change how we work—in forthcoming issues of the ACSM Bulletin. In the meantime, I invite you to enjoy your summer edition of the magazine.

FEATURES

		ACSM 2011: Historic Events, Historic Decisions by Ilse Genovese The just completed 2011 Annual Conference of ACSM culminated in a historic decision to disband the ACSM Congress of Member Organizations and begin the process of dissolving ACSM. Held in conjunction with the Survey Summit in San Diego, California, the annual event was marked by intense discussions about the future of ACSM. More on pp. 10-13.
		iPhone Jailbraking by Ian Shapira Kevin Lee, a George Mason University senior, says he earns about $50,000 a year with an illicit-sounding pitch on Craigslist: "Get Your iPhone Jailbroken Today." Within minutes, the computer science major can download code onto his customers' iPhones and fling open the portal to an alternative world of apps and software that Apple condemns. The jailbreak perks include: tethering the iPhone's Internet connection to a laptop or iPad without paying extra AT&T charges; swapping out the AT&T or Verizon service for a cheaper carrier; or, customizing the iPhone with 3-D screens, bouncing icons or funkier fonts. Read more about this on pages 27-28.

OPINIONS

		How Much Math Do Surveyors Really Need? by N.W.J. Hazelton "It's all equations full of pitchforks and 'd's that curl in all directions!" — Student comment about an adjustment course For many years there have been efforts to increase the "seriousness" and depth of surveying education programs, and one aspect of this has been to increase the mathematics required. While there is no doubt that surveying, geomatics and the geospatial sciences in general are very much areas of applied mathematics, the question of how much math is needed is not as well explored as it might be. More on pp. 31-34.
		My First Survey Summit by Stanley M. Pilny I attended the 2011 Survey Summit in San Diego as a Student Assistant. This was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn, and I am very grateful for it, as the experience will likely prove very useful to my current situation as well as my future as a Land Surveyor. The 'rest of the story' on p. 39.

TECH BLOG

		The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet by Chris Anderson and Michael Wolf Two decades after its birth, the World Wide Web is in decline, as simpler, sleeker services—think apps—are less about the searching and more about the getting. Chris Anderson, Wired magazine editor-in-chief, explains how this new paradigm reflects the inevitable course of capitalism. And Michael Wolff explains why the new breed of media titan is forsaking the Web for more promising (and profitable) pastures. Read about the two authors' different opinions on the matter to pp. 42 and 43.