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 alone
• 16:46 - The skill sets and community aspects of working as a geospatial surveyor
• 20:00 - The dynamics of geospatial surveying and what someone needs to know before choosing this type of work
• 29:30 - How diverse the community of geospatial surveyors is in terms of age, gender or cultural background
• 42:08 - A brief overview of the origins of geospatial industry
• 57:01 - 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 conversation
• 1:12:51 - What education and professional associations are available for geospatial surveyors

Connect with Gordon Johnston: 

• LinkedIn
• Website
• Email

Connect with Marion Ellis:

• TikTok 
• Instagram 
• LinkedIn  

Resources: 

• The Geoholics Podcast
• Defining Boundaries with Peta Cox
• Veterans and Service Leavers in Surveying
• RICS - Geomatics Pathway Guide
• The Survey Association
• Chartered Institute of Civil Engineering - Geospatial Engineering 
• EmodNET - European Marine Observation and Data Network
• UK Hydrographic Office
• Channel Coastal Observatory

The Surveyor Hub:

• Watch The Surveyor Hub