Program: GIS / Surveying / Drone Operations
What. A surveyor measures the earth so that everything else can be built on it. The first person on a site and the one who decides where the building actually stands.
Tools. Total station, GNSS receiver, level, prism pole, field book, drone, GIS software, the plat and the deed.
A day. Recover the control points. Set up, back-sight, measure. Stake the building corners and the utility runs. Fly the drone for the topo. Reduce the data in the office; draw the map.
Pay. $45k entry to $90k experienced; licensed land surveyors beyond.
Path. Universal core → QGIS/ArcGIS → GNSS → total station → construction layout → photogrammetry → cartography. Credentials: FAA Part 107 (drone), NSPS Certified Survey Technician L1–2, Esri ArcGIS Pro.
Why it matters. Land price per square foot is what drives a city upward (Series C). The surveyor is the one who measures the square foot.
See it. Transit → total station → drone, Gallery G9, and the live GIS table.
reading
A free tech program — complimentary, as our commitment to get America working. Help us build VoTechWorks. Tell us what works, what doesn’t, and what you want to learn.
Does the school offer financial aid?
No. We don’t offer financial aid because we’re free. No, really: completely free.
Do you offer industry certification?
No. We are not certified yet, so we can’t offer that to students. What we do offer is knowledge and understanding of a trade.
Enroll first in the trade you’re interested in. You get your key, your program opens, and you begin studying.
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