1999 - Digital Submissions       Alex Hittel became the first president since G.C. Hamilton in 1951-1952 to serve two terms as President of the Alberta Land Surveyors’ Association. Mr. Hittel had previously served as President in 1977.   On January 1, 1999, Alberta Land Surveyors began the voluntary submission of digital drawings and plot files, along with traditional hard copy plans to the Land Titles Office. By June 1, survey plans must be submitted in traditional hard copy and digital form. Then, on December 1, the full digital submission with CAD and plot files to digital specification and signatures on attached affidavits is required although Land Titles extends the deadline for full digital submission to February 29, 2000 for those surveyors who cannot meet the technical requirements of digital submissions. Land Titles’ "official plan of record" becomes the digital file.   The move from the hard copy environment to the digital registration of plans of survey and descriptive plans in Alberta was a bold and challenging venture. The experience of this initiative over the past three years clearly indicated that the change was not merely a change in technology – a change put the professional in a difficult role.   As the transition and implementation phases of digital plan submission and the re-engineering of the provincial base mapping maintenance processes rolled out, many issues arose in terms of concept, technology, business, education, communication, and legislation. The most contentious issue was, perhaps, the $100 cadastral mapping fee established as a regulation under the Surveys Act. There were also concerns about not being able to access plans directly at Land Titles but those concerns vanished as members soon learned they couldn’t live without the Government of Alberta’s online SPIN system. The year was a banner year for new members with 25 former articling students receiving their commission. This was the highest number since 1978. The membership was informed that the Canadian Council of Land Surveyors and the Canadian Institute of Geomatics and Geomatics Industry Association of Canada had prepared a report to, in essence, merge the three organizations. The membership approved the concept but recognized that more discussion would need to take place in order to work out the detailing. By the following year, the Canadian Institute of Geomatics would pull out of the discussions.   Back - 1998 - No to Mandatory Continuing Education Forward - 2000 - The Perception of Land Surveying at the University of Calgary