More than 90% of organizations use cloud computing to run enterprise applications[1]. That means that everything from hospitals and first responders to Fortune 500 companies and governments rely on the cloud. Soon, air traffic control and police departments will be cloud-based as well. Society won’t be able to function without the cloud.

AEC is the acronym for Architecture, Engineering and Construction, which is a collection of services engaged in the planning and execution of all types of construction projects. It’s essentially the term for a deep and intricate collaboration between partners in order to bring any project to fruition.

This Memorial Day, thousands of tourists will be visiting the Grand Canyon, which became a national park in 1919. As with many other national parks, surveyors played a vital role in preserving this spectacular landscape for everyone to enjoy.

Before paleontologists began scouring indigenous lands for proof of evolution in the fossil record, Native Americans had long since incorporated these “new discoveries” into their cultures. Centuries before Europeans arrived, native inhabitants of the Americas understood that the land had once been teeming with massive creatures that ruled the earth, water and sky.

If you’ve taken a trip recently, you’ve probably noticed the construction – on roads, bridges, dams, airports, railways and other large projects – causing frustrating backups and bottlenecks. Unfortunately, this inconvenience is one of the costs for years of infrastructure neglect.

A recent article highlighting the 25 Technologies that have changed the world lists the usual blockbuster inventions, such as the Apple iPhone, Wi-Fi, AI, facial recognition, drones, DNA testing, social platforms, quantum computing and bitcoin. However, not all of these world-changing technologies are so famous. Who knew that Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a world-changing technology?

Before the arrival of European immigrants in the United States, forests totaled about 1.05 billion acres, or about 43 percent of the country. Clearing of forest land in the East between 1850 and 1900 averaged 13 square miles every day for 50 years.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has been around for a long time. The precursor technology to RFID was originally developed as a musical instrument by the Russian physicist Leon Theremin, patented in 1928. The Theremin produces music by manipulation of electromagnetic fields around two antennae to produce sound.

April is recognized by Congress and most Governors across the U.S. as National Safe Digging Month as shovels (and backhoes) hit the ground for a busy season. It’s well known that excavation is a dangerous business. Excavation strikes on public utility lines lead to more than 2,000 injuries and 400 deaths each year[1]. The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) states that accidental utility strikes cost the U.S. at least $30 billion annually, based on self-reported data by stakeholders and state 811 call centers. And it looks like things are getting worse, not better.

Surveying is one of the world’s most enduring professions – since ancient times, it has been key to establishing international boundaries, marking property boundaries, and ensuring that engineering and architectural structures and precisely aligned and properly constructed.

With this long history, it might follow that surveying itself is a dated profession, but the opposite is true. As advancements in astronomy and mathematics were achieved, these advancements were immediately applied to surveying.

Today has been officially known as π (Pi) day since 2009 when the US House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution recognizing March 14 as National Pi Day. Aside from being a great day to eat pie, it’s a great day to celebrate how mathematics, and one specific concept, has shaped our world.

Since 45 B.C., leap years have been used to reconcile calendars with the actual time it takes for the earth to circle the sun. It takes the earth 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds to revolve around the sun, not 365 days. If left uncorrected, calendar dates and important events, such as the vernal and autumnal equinoxes and the solstices, will slowly shift until they don’t match their prescribed calendar dates. After a century, our calendar would be off by about 24 days.

President’s Day has been a federal holiday since 1879 when it was instituted to memorialize the birthday of George Washington, born on February 22, 1732. By the 1970’s, the holiday had evolved to commemorate all US Presidents.

In the 1920s, a historian for the state of South Dakota came up with the idea of creating a massive sculpture that featured heroes of the American West to increase tourism in the area.

For more than 50 years, Berntsen has worked alongside federal agencies to provide useful and quality products. From monuments that can be set in wetlands to RFID markers that integrate with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), federal agencies rely on Berntsen to deliver quality products that help them fulfill their missions.

James Cook was born in the Yorkshire town of East Marton in 1728. Although his father was a farm laborer who hadn’t traveled far from his native Scotland, James’s life took a radically different path. When Cook was eight years old, he attended a local charity school where he got a good foundation in mathematics. By the time he was 17, Cook was on his own and began an apprenticeship at a coal shipping company transporting coal by sea between Newcastle and London in a four-week round trip.

The “Fourth Industrial Revolution” is well underway. Back in 2011, economist Klaus Schwab coined the term to refer to the rapid digitization and accessibility of technologies that spark a global shift in processes – in everything from how we communicate to how businesses and governments are managed.

The past year has brought a lot of change – and a lot to be thankful for. Here at Berntsen, we’re thankful for all of our customers - those that leave their mark on the world, by establishing boundaries, forging paths and ensuring buildings are straight and true. For more than 50 years, our mission has been to provide our customers with the best products and support possible – and we look forward to another 50 years serving you

Surveyors tend to be rugged, outdoorsy folk with an interest in geography and a passion for precision. Three of our presidents and many of the nation’s founders were surveyors; scores of America’s first explorers were surveyors. It’s part of our national story, and of course surveying has played a role in many of the stories told by Hollywood. According to licensed Australian surveyor and movie buff John Brock, 428 movies include surveying content — and that doesn’t include documentaries.

Back in February 2021, 15-year-old Henry Spoering asked Berntsen to help support his Eagle Scout project creating an Orienteering Course at Camp Waluhi'yi in Duncan, Oklahoma. He’d heard about Berntsen’s support for young surveyors from his project sponsor, Marcus Heilman, PLS, of Section 37 Surveying and Mapping. Henry is a seasonal employee of Section 37, so Henry approached the project like any other, applying the skills he’d already learned.

It’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day! Since 1999 when it was first celebrated as the grand finale to Geography Week, GIS has been quickly put to use by many professions, industries and researchers. Today, GIS is becoming indispensable for paleontology - with the help of RFID.