Research: What we're Hearing from the Field

We're investing in the surveying industry because it's essential to the function of America, underserved by thoughtful investment, and on the cusp of a meaningful technology shift. Over the past several months we've spoken with owners and senior leaders at dozens of surveying firms — from three-person boundary shops in the Mid-Atlantic to two-hundred-person geospatial platforms in Texas and the South — and we're sharing what we hear back with the industry. All quotes are unattributed by design, and every number is a range drawn from multiple interviews.

Our June 2026 briefing covers the five themes shaping the next ten years: an industry splitting into two businesses (2D cadastral vs. tech-enabled 3D), a sharply bending technology cost curve, a PLS shortage that's real but quietly improving, consolidation in everyone's inbox, and wide-open adjacent service lines like SUE. It also includes candid margin and economics data aggregated from firms between $3M and $20M in revenue.

"One industry, two worlds. Both use the same name and almost nothing else." — Mid-Atlantic owner, ~50 employees

"Total stations are going to go away in a year or two. The business is moving from data capture to data extraction." — Midwest CEO

"There are twice as many thirty-year-olds in surveying as fifty-five-year-olds now. The bottleneck is masters, not apprentices." — Tennessee owner, 65 staff

"If I could add SUE tomorrow without hiring or capital, I would. Clients ask for it on every project." — Tennessee president, $7M firm

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