The Geoholics

Episode 287 asks the question every surveyor should be thinking about: Will artificial intelligence replace the land surveyor—or reinvent the profession?

The guys are joined by Aaron Michalenko, owner of DBE Surveying, and Willis Long, Head of Survey Operations and Senior Director, for a no-BS conversation about where AI is already creating value and where the hype gets ahead of reality. They explore point-cloud processing, feature extraction, drafting, boundary research, QA/QC, workforce development, data security, and the skills tomorrow’s geospatial professionals will need to remain relevant.

The conversation gets especially real when AI meets boundary surveying. An algorithm may calculate where a corner could be, but can it determine where that corner legally is? Can it evaluate monuments, occupation, historical evidence, and intent and then accept responsibility when the answer is wrong?

The crew also tackles whether AI will eliminate traditional field crews, replace manual drafting, solve the workforce shortage, or make professional licensure even more important. The takeaway is clear: the tools will change, the workflows will evolve, and the volume of data will explode, but the surveyor’s responsibility to verify the evidence, exercise professional judgment, and protect the public remains firmly intact.

Buckle up for another round of “Bullsh*t, Breakthrough, or Too Soon to Tell,” a Leica Geosystems Pro Tip, and Rise Against’s “Savior” as the Song of the Week.

The future does not belong to surveyors who blindly reject AI—or blindly trust it. It belongs to the professionals who understand it, question it, verify it, and know when the human surveyor must remain in control.

Check out these interviews from this years awesome event:

00:00:00 - Cold Opening

00:02:25 - Dustin Smith, GIS Specialist at the Louisiana Department of Transportation

00:21:52 - Linda Anderson and Daphne Kent with North Central Texas InterLink

00:46:11 - Samuel Landry, Student and Research Assistant at Nicholls State University

01:08:45 - Timoteo Garza, Vice President of Operations at Gratia Geomatics LLC

#TheGeoholics #GeoholicsPodcast #ASPRS #ASPRSGulfSouth #GeospatialConference #Geospatial #Geomatics #Photogrammetry #RemoteSensing #LiDAR #MobileLiDAR #GIS #UASMapping #PointClouds #3DVisualization #GeospatialTechnology #GeospatialStandards #ASPRSCertification #GeospatialEducation #GeospatialProfessionals #Surveying #MappingTheFuture #TopoDOT #NichollsStateUniversity #ThibodauxLA

Check out these highlights from this year's awesome event!!!

00:00 - Paul DiGiacobbe, Vice President, LiDAR Solutions and Rob Dannenberg, President at Phoenix LiDAR Systems

00:21:25 - Jonah Colebrook, LiDAR Tech and Ryan Hagler, LiDAR/photogrammetry tech at GPI Geospatial, Inc.

00:31:35 - Mike Graham, LiDAR & Point Cloud Specialist at McElhanney and Zachary Diaz, Applications Consultant at TopoDOT 

00:47:49 - Wesley Newman, LSIT and ORD Specialist and Stephania Coots, Design Tech at QK4

01:02:47 - Jason Rhodes, Technical Leader: Survey & Reality Capture at Jacobs

01:19:34 - Noah Bremer and Stephanie Wood, LiDAR Tech at McKim & Creed

Forty years in Land & Right-of-Way. An Enron survivor. A woman who earned her seat at the table in historically male-dominated industries. And, in her own words, someone who has spent her career “navigating a male-dominated world one martini at a time.” 

This week, we sit down with Liz Babcock, Vice President of Land & ROW at ALTAEI, for a candid conversation about resilience, trust, relationships and what it really takes to succeed in the people-heavy world of land and right-of-way.

Liz shares lessons from four decades spent working with landowners, attorneys, engineers, agencies, utilities and energy companies—and explains why technical knowledge alone is never enough.

We also dive into:

How the Land and ROW profession has changed—and where progress is still needed

What surviving the Enron collapse taught Liz about reputation and resilience

How to build trust with skeptical or frustrated landowners

The importance of bringing ROW professionals into projects earlier

Earning your voice and your seat at the table

Why relationships, humor and genuine human connection still move projects forward

The stories and experiences that make a 40-year career truly meaningful

This episode is a reminder that successful projects are not built through data, documents and processes alone. They are built through trust, communication, judgment and treating people right.

Because the best ROW professionals do not just help projects acquire land—they protect relationships, reduce risk and create a path forward.

Music by Prince!!

#TheGeoholics #LandSurveying #RightOfWay #ROW #LandAcquisition #Geospatial #Surveying #Infrastructure #Leadership #WomenInLeadership #WomenInEnergy #ProfessionalDevelopment #CareerLessons #RelationshipBuilding #ProjectManagement #Prince #WhenDovesCry #Podcast

The guys are joined by TK and Big Shoots for a full-circle conversation about where The Geoholics started, what it has become, and why this crazy little show continues to resonate with surveyors, mappers, photogrammetrists, tech leaders, mentors, troublemakers, and everyone else trying to move the profession forward.

This episode gets into the early days of the show, the raw and scrappy chemistry that made it work, the guests and moments that left a mark, and the bigger mission that has always been at the heart of it all: adding value and making friends.

We also dig into the future of surveying, mentorship, recruiting the next generation, technology, AI, drones, scanners, mobile mapping, and the role of professional judgment in a world moving faster than ever. Because the best surveyors are not just button-pushers — they understand the why behind the workflow, the risk behind the data, and the responsibility behind every deliverable.

Big Shoots is back behind the mic. TK brings the fire. Kent and Sean keep it moving. Buckle up…this one is a ride you don't want to miss!

Huge thanks to this week’s featured partners: EMLID, TopoDOT, AllTerra Central, Leica Geosystems, David Evans & Associates, and DBLS.

Music by Lainey Wilson!

Until next time…add value, make friends, and most importantly, be safe and healthy!

#TheGeoholics #Surveying #LandSurveying #Geomatics #Geospatial #Mentorship #RealityCapture #MobileMapping #Photogrammetry #LiDAR #SurveyLife #ProfessionalSurveyor #FutureOfSurveying #AddingValueMakingFriends