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Digital Mapper- In 2022 the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land

Technological Surveyors, and Geologists issued a fine and a cease-and-desist
order to Ryan Crownholm, the founder of MySitePlan.com. This
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Challenges That Face business operates a website that generates sites plans using
GIS data, publicly available topographic information, and satellite
imagery. The board determined he is unlawfully providing land
the Land Surveying surveying services, specifically, providing the locations and
dimensions of boundary lines. The individual has sued the board
4
Profession for several reason, including violating his First Amendment rights.
As of December 12, 2022, this lawsuit is still making its way
through the US District Court for the Eastern District of California.
Prepared by Michael Detwiler, PLS
Technology can be disruptive to any profession. Technology Both of these businesses place disclaimers on their websites
creates new tools, redefines workflows, and shifts labor from stating they are not profession land surveyors and claim that this
humans to computers. Technology that was once very specialized makes them exempt from any action brought on them by state
and specific to the land surveying profession has now become licensing boards. Another common theme with these situations is
much more readily available to the general public. Recently, two the concerted effort to challenge state licensing boards by special
events have occurred where unlicensed individuals have used interest groups. This is a whole other topic that is a threat to
technology in their business to provide land surveying type many professions, not just land surveying. Several articles have
services. Both situations involve the advancement of technology appeared in the Nevada Traverse in the past discussing this trend.
that has simplified data collection and mapping to less skilled and The same law firm has represented these two individuals in both
unlicensed individuals. the North Carolina and California lawsuits. The Institute for Justice
claims regulations and statutes enforced by licensing boards
In 2018, the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers prohibits innovation and aims to protect the profession. The exact
and Surveyors issued a fine and cease-and-desist order to a opposite is the reality, providing
sole proprietor drone mapping company that was providing Citations:
orthorectified imagery with boundary lines overlaid. These
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services are typically only allowed to be performed under a license 1 https://uavcoach.com/nc-surveying-lawsuit/
land surveyor. This individual was not a licensed land surveyor, 2
https://psflight.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/52acd32a-0053-4a7d-
nor employed a licensed land surveyor in responsible charge. bdcd-c474f44b8f17.pdf
The individual sued the board, claiming several points of which
the most audacious was that the board was violating his First 3 https://www.mysiteplan.com
Amendment rights of freedom of speech. The lawsuit was settled
in March 2022 in arbitration and the board allowed the individual 4 https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7vyj3/california-man-fined-for-drawing-
to continue to operate his business, with exceptions. 2 lines-on-existing-maps

16 The Nevada Traverse Vol.50, No.1, 2023