Topcon has loaned surveying equipment to the University of Maine’s Surveying Engineering Technology (SVT) program to support the education of surveying engineers with the latest technology.
The university’s SVT program will receive 12 robotic total stations, 12 digital levels, 12 multi-constellation GPS receivers, tablets, software and accessories.
As part of the agreement, Topcon will maintain, update, and replace the equipment (if necessary) every three years.
“We are excited to initiate the relationship with the University of Maine," said Ron Oberlander, VP of Topcon global professional services, in a statement. "It is our latest Learn/Apply/Build investment, partnering with leading survey educational programs around the world to provide technology to advance learning. The University of Maine program has the potential to support the education of surveying engineers across the globe. The world needs more surveyors from a diverse range of backgrounds. Surveying students learning on campus and online will benefit from having access to the latest technology and software to support their studies."
Read also: Topcon Partners With Operators Union
Because surveyors make precise measurements to determine property boundaries, understanding how to use the equipment to make those measurements is a primary function of the career.
“The volume of equipment helps us be more efficient in teaching labs,” said Rich Vannozzi, assistant professor in surveying engineering technology, in a statement. “For 150 years, if you took a survey class, you worked in a little group of three or four people with one piece of equipment. So say you had a two-hour lab and four people, everybody got a half hour with their hands on the equipment. What we found out is that if we ran the labs more frequently, and every student had a piece of equipment of their own for the whole two hours—they had their hands on it—they got four times as much time and they were 100% engaged."
Source: Topcon
