Senate Resolution No. 12

WHEREAS, There are over 45,000 professional surveyors in the United States, and 3,488 in the State of California; and

WHEREAS, Surveying is the art and science of accurately determining the position of points and the distances between them and is often used to establish land boundaries for ownership or governmental purposes; and

WHEREAS, Surveying has been an essential element in the development of the human environment since the beginning of recorded history and it is a requirement in the planning and execution of nearly every form of construction with its most familiar modern uses in the fields of transportation, building and construction, communications, mapping, and the definition of legal boundaries for land ownership; and

WHEREAS, In order to accomplish their objective, surveyors use elements of engineering, physics, mathematics, law, and history; and

WHEREAS, Since the colonial days of the United States, surveyors have been leaders in the community, statesmen, influential citizens, and shapers of cultural standards; and

WHEREAS, Former notable surveyors include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Lewis and Clark, Daniel Boone, and Henry David Thoreau, among many others; and

WHEREAS, It was the work of the surveyor that determined the boundaries of land, the greatest economic asset in the colonies and territories that became the United States, including California; and

WHEREAS, The nature of surveying has changed dramatically over time, as it is no longer limited to the description and location of land boundaries; and

WHEREAS, Hydrographic surveys are important to the use of all bodies of water; and

WHEREAS, Engineering surveys are utilized in the study and selection of engineering construction; and

WHEREAS, Geodetic surveys determine precise global positioning for such activities as aircraft and missile navigation; and

WHEREAS, Cartographic surveys are used for mapping and charting, as well as photogrammetry, the science of using aerial photographs for measurement and map production; and

WHEREAS, Many services are now provided through the use of sophisticated surveying equipment and techniques, including satellite-borne remote sensing devices and automated positioning, measuring, recording, and plotting equipment; and

WHEREAS, The establishment of the week of March 17 through March 23, 2013, as National Surveyors Week is a fitting tribute to all surveyors; now, therefore, be it