``The surveyor: partner in national development``

Over the years, one profession which has played significant role towards the socio- economic development of this country, yet un-noticed is the Survey profession

Surveying is a mathematical science used to determine and outline the form, extent, and position of features on or beneath the surface of the earth including water bodies for control purposes—that is, for aligning land and construction boundaries and for providing checks of construction dimensions and for global positioning.

Land boundaries are set or measured for proper descriptions; the topography of landforms and natural or artificial objects and major construction and civil engineering works such as dams, bridges, railroads, and highways are controlled by surveying methods.

The Surveyor is an expert professionally trained and experienced in dealing with all the above. In Ghana, like any other country the Surveyor is involved at the onset from acquisition of land, land management and development.

The development of every Nation with respect to land acquisition, effective physical planning and land administration is hinged on the availability of up to date or current maps. Maps as an important tool for National development, is a product of the Land Surveyor which can be acquired through either aerial surveying (Photogrammetry or Remote Sensing) or ground surveying.

Geospatial Technology
Geospatial Technology, commonly known as Geomatics, refers to technology used for visualization, measurement, and analysis of features or phenomena that occur on the earth. This terminology has become common and is synonymous with Spatial Information Technology. Geospatial Technology includes three different technologies that are all related to mapping features on the surface of the earth.

These three technology systems are GPS (global positioning systems), GIS (geographical information systems), and RS (remote sensing). GIS Technology can be used for scientific investigations, resource management, asset management, archaeology, environmental impact assessment, urban planning, cartography, criminology, geographic history, marketing, logistics, Prospectivity Mapping, and other purposes.

For example, GIS might allow emergency planners to easily calculate emergency response times in the event of a natural disaster, GIS might be used to find wetlands that need protection from pollution, or GIS can be used by a company to site a new business location to take advantage of a previously under-served market.

Ghana's Surveyor has advised the government, corporate, families and individuals at all stages in the life cycle in the development of projects i.e. from acquisition of raw land stage through to the measurement, demarcation, planning, cost, funding, design and construction, agency and management, etc. Have you wondered why there are so many uncompleted building structures within the cities of Ghana? What about the usual politicization of the use of bungalows after change of governments? How about the haphazard planning of our towns? What about the impromptu collapse of structures killing and maiming people? How about the usual acrimony that characterizes government's acquisition and return of state lands to original owners? The fraud and numerous litigation on the land market!

In all these, one thing is clear; the Surveyors' roles have been underestimated and in some cases put to the back burner.

It is in the light of this, that, this year's theme of "The Surveyor: Partner In National Development" is considered appropriate for the 41st AGM of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS).

The Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) which was established on 28th February 1969 at the Annual General Meeting of the Ghana Branch of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors is the recognized professional body that regulates the profession of Surveying and its practice in Ghana. It has three (3) areas of specialization and the professionals in the Institution are therefore admitted into these distinct but related disciplines namely:

• Valuation and Estate Surveying, • Quantity Surveying, and • Land Surveying.

There are other areas of Survey Practice that the GhIS is expeditiously discussing with the relevant regulatory bodies e.g. Marine and Hydrographic Surveying.

Valuation and Estate Surveying Division groups the Estate Surveyors or Valuers or Estate Managers. The Valuation and Estate Surveyor in Ghana is basically a Land Economist or Estate Manager.

Over the years, they have played very crucial roles such as valuation for the government's retention stamp duty, Estate duty, Capital gains tax and the Metropolitan/Municipal/District Assemblies' ability to effectively charge and collect property rates, etc.

They were also involved with the assessment of the compensation for the Akosombo Dam Project, Kpone Dam, various roads project, infrastructural developments and establishment of surface location and boundaries of mining claims.

Additionally, they were involved in the surveying and demarcation of all the roads in the country, including the Tema- motor way and determination of Ghana's geographical position in the World.

Quantity Surveying Division is for the professional Quantity Surveyor who is the expert professionally trained and experienced in dealing with total Construction cost, construction management; Construction communications which are all key areas for the client with an important construction and engineering project to steer to a successful completion.

Construction, civil and structural engineering, mechanical, building and engineering services, petrochemicals, minerals extraction, cost and production engineering, environmental economics, planning and urban development, landscaping, interior design - all are areas in which the professional quantity surveyor is equipped to be your cost expert closely watching your agreed budget and guiding your project through the financial and planning complexities of modern construction.

Finally, they were involved with the cost management of the Parliament House, Jubilee house (seat of government), Castle Renovations, Jubilee oil field, Accra International Conference Center, La Palm Royal Beach Hotel.etc. In fact they are the number one advisers of government on pre-contract and post contract agreements, etc.

Land Surveying Division
Land Surveying Division is for the professional Land Surveyor who establishes boundaries of land areas by setting corner markers or monuments, to ascertain coordinates of these corners and obtain boundary information required for record-deed descriptions and for plotting parcels of real property. Property surveys are accomplished with a degree of precision depending on the value of the land involved, and permanent visible and recoverable monuments are set at the corners.

These markers are desirable for public record and to ensure correct title for the rightful owner of the land.

In addition to surveying techniques, land surveyors must also be knowledgeable in property law; registration of practitioners is usually required by state law. Additionally, they are involved in the surveying and demarcation of all the roads in the country, including the Tema Motorway and determination of Ghana's geographical position in the World.

Following the advanced developments in digital data processing, the nature of the tasks required of the Professional Land Surveyor has evolved and the term surveying alone does not any more describe the whole range of tasks that the profession deals with.

As our societies become more complex, information with a spatial position associated with it becomes more critical to decision-making, both from a personal and a business perspective, and also from a community and a large-scale governmental viewpoint.

Therefore, the Professional Land Surveyor now known as the Geomatics Engineer is involved in an extremely wide variety of information gathering activities and applications.

Geomatics engineers design, develop, and operate systems for collecting and analyzing spatial information about the land; the water bodies, natural resources, and manmade features. Geomatics Engineering applications include integrating science and technology from both new and traditional disciplines:

In conformity with its constitutional mandate, the GhIS holds Annual General Meetings (AGMs) within the first quarter of each year, where apart from taking stock of its activities, relevant topical issues are discussed as part of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programme for the year. These are geared towards enhancing professional competences of Members of the Institution.

Looking Forward
Looking Forward, the GhIS expects the government to continue to support its efforts to get the Survey Council and the Estate Agency Bill passed into Laws to regulate the practice of the profession. This will help get rid of quack professionals whose activities are bringing the image of the profession into disrepute.

Government also needs to encourage and make good use of the local expertise of Surveyors alongside foreign ones to help build their capacity. Again, the government needs to involve the Surveyor in fashioning out Policies including placing him/her on Commissions, Governing Boards etc in furtherance of its “Better Ghana Agenda”.

This year, the Governing Council of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) in conjunction with the Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy (CASLE) and the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) Commission 8 will hold a joint International Conference for Surveyors and Allied Professionals in Accra from 22nd to 28th February 2010. GhIS has planned this International Conference to include its activities for the 41st AGM and 5th Surveyors' Week.

The activities include Media Interaction, Surveyors' Walk, Press Conference, Charity Donation, Formal Opening of Conference by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana, Professor John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills, Presidential Lecture & 41st Annual General Meeting which would award the Founders of the Institution and inaugurate the Women's Wing, Presidential Dinner to invest its new President and culminate with a Church Service.