What started out as an interesting exploration into the geocoding capabilities (and shortcomings) of the Yahoo geocoding service built into Global Mapper turned into something a bit more sobering. And truth be told, it actually started out in efforts of helping the widow of a surveyor (dear friend and fellow Buckeye) now saddled with how best to responsibly deal with his old survey records. So in one sense, Harry’s passing reveals an even greater loss to our profession than by just his departure alone.
In March of 1993 there were 882 surveyors licensed by the state. Today that number has dropped to 523 and of that number, only 389 have Maine mailing addresses with the remainder getting their mail elsewhere.
To interactively see where all 522 of the (523) currently licensed surveyors are scattered, check out this kml file produced by Batchgeo. Note, one record Batchgeo had trouble geocoding for reasons still unknown. And for those of you that don’t have Google Earth installed, here’s a link to the interactive Batchgeo map complete with all of its annoying and obligatory advertisements. Click on markers for names and addresss.
