108 Geospatial Surveying with Gordon Johnston

Gordon Johnston is a Chartered Land Surveyor, a geospatial and hydrographic surveyor with decades of experience in this field. He is a passionate advocate for geospatial and ocean data, conservation, management and sustainable use of oceans and the marine natural capital. Gordon’s field of work is fascinating, and in this episode he explains what a geospatial and hydrographic surveyor does for a living, how that industry works today and what education and training paths are available to geospatial surveyors. We also talk about the importance of collecting ocean data and how the work of surveyors can impact the conversation on sustainability and climate change. What We Cover: 2:44 - How Gordon started his career by going on a land surveying assignment to Libya alone16:46 - The skill sets and community aspects of working as a geospatial surveyor20:00 - The dynamics of geospatial surveying and what someone needs to know before choosing this type of work29:30 - How diverse the community of geospatial surveyors is in terms of age, gender or cultural background42:08 - A brief overview of the origins of geospatial industry57:01 - How the geospatial industry works today and the use of data collected from the oceans by hydrographic surveyors  1:05:00 - How ocean data and hydrographic surveyors can contribute to the climate change conversation1:12:51 - What education and professional associations are available for geospatial surveyorsConnect with Gordon Johnston: LinkedInWebsiteEmailConnect with Marion Ellis:TikTok Instagram LinkedIn  Resources: The Geoholics PodcastDefining Boundaries with Peta CoxVeterans and Service Leavers in SurveyingRICS - Geomatics Pathway GuideThe Survey AssociationChartered Institute of Civil Engineering - Geospatial Engineering EmodNET - European Marine Observation and Data NetworkUK Hydrographic OfficeChannel Coastal ObservatoryThe Surveyor Hub:Watch The Surveyor Hub