Across the UK, more than four million excavations are carried out each year. A significant number proceed without a comprehensive survey of buried pipes and cables. Strikes on underground assets pose serious risks to life and can cause major financial loss and project disruption. Improving the consistency and reliability of utility surveys is crucial for improving safety and reducing cost and delay. TSA created PUMA to provide its members with a robust, independently assessed framework that raises standards across the industry.

By choosing a PUMA‑accredited company, clients gain assurance that survey work will be carried out accurately and to an agreed level of quality – helping avoid costly errors, unnecessary delays and potentially dangerous incidents.

Sam Roberts, Chair of the PUMA Governance Committee and TSA Council member, said:

“Before the introduction of PUMA, any organisation could state that they were working to the PAS128 specification, but there was no requirement to verify this. TSA’s accreditation scheme has changed that. When clients see that a survey company holds PUMA accreditation, they can be confident that the service and data quality will meet a recognised and independently assessed standard.”

Two stages to PUMA accreditation

PUMA is available to eligible members of The Survey Association. The scheme is delivered by LRQA, a global leader in assurance, certification and inspection. Accreditation involves two stages: a rigorous review of a company’s office processes and systems, followed by a detailed site assessment. Once accredited, companies enter a three‑year cycle of LRQA surveillance to ensure that the standards on which accreditation was awarded are consistently upheld.

Come and meet TSA’s team on Stand P128

Visitors to Utility Week Live 2026 are invited to meet TSA’ ‘s team on stand P128 to learn more about PUMA and how the scheme supports safer working, improved efficiency and significant cost savings across utility and construction projects.

Register for Utility Week Live 2026 here.

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RIASLive is the single largest meeting in the year for architects in Scotland. This year’s event provided the opportunity to discuss the development of architects’ skills and the part architects can play in securing Scotland’s future as a green, resilient and healthy nation.

The Survey Association was pleased to be one of the sponsors of this prestigious event, along with Scottish Timber Trade Association, Multivista, GEZE, Gartcarron Fire Engineering, Hardies and Civic Engineering.

Networking, CPD and more at RIASLive

The morning session focused on People and Culture, while the emphasis shifted in the afternoon to Leadership and Resilience.

Christina McKelvie, MSP, Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development opened proceedings with her ministerial address and Natasha Huq, conservation accredited architect at GRAS, provided the first keynote speech of the day.  This was followed up with a busy schedule of talks and presentations, including several further prestigious guest speakers from a wide and diverse range of organisations, along with a number of collaborative workshops and CPD sessions.

RIASLive 2023 ended with breakout room sessions, with opportunities for stimulating discussions on a variety of topics and Chris Stewart, President of RIAS, rounded activities off with his closing remarks. In the evening, the popular Glasgow Negroni Talk was hosted by Stallan-Brand and the Patricia Fleming Gallery, in partnership with RIAS.

Our Technical Committee Chair, Sam Roberts, attended the day and said,

“The whole day was a fascinating insight into the challenges architects are facing and the conversations being had exploring the future of architecture in Scotland.

“I particularly enjoyed the passionate, political, poetic and heartfelt introductory speech, exploring the challenges facing Glasgow in its quest for urban renewal. I also enjoyed the talks focusing on how sustainability has become a golden thread running through architectural practice.  The tensions evident in many of the speeches between theory and practice inspired me to contemplate whether there is also a theoretical and philosophical landscape in which geospatial surveying exists, and how this intersects with and can support architecture and engineering practice. A thoroughly worthwhile and thought-provoking day!”

In January, Sam will be providing members of RIAS with a CPD session on PUMA, our PAS128 Accreditation Scheme for utility surveying companies that are TSA members.

To find out more about TSA events, please check out our events portfolio here.

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120 global brands and start-ups were represented among the exhibitors at GEO Business 2023, with expert speakers presenting over 150 CPD sessions, which were available to attend at a variety of stages located around the vast exhibition space.

Technical Chair takes to the stage for PUMA

The morning of the second day saw our very own Technical Chair, Sam Roberts, take to the stage to talk about PUMA, our new PAS128 accreditation scheme for utility surveying companies that are TSA members. There is clearly already a high level of interest in this scheme and we look forward to reporting back in the coming months as members progress towards accreditation.

The TSA team was delighted to welcome a number of Council members to our stand over the two-day event to talk not only to current members, but to plenty of potential members too, as many visitors were keen to find out more about the benefits of membership of TSA. The TSA team also enjoyed hosting a drinks reception at the end of the first day, along with our partners from Chartered ICES and RICS. This short session provided an excellent opportunity for some further networking.

TSA Secretary General, Rachel Tyrrell, commented,

“As always, we enjoyed catching up with friends and meeting lots of new people at GEO Business. Our main message over the two-day event was that “every young person should know about land surveying as a career” and it was great to see this message displayed on our giveaway tote bags, which were eagerly seized by visitors and widely distributed throughout the exhibition hall! Watch this space for more details about our next member-only event.”

The post Attending GEO Business 2023: shaping the future appeared first on Geospatial Survey Association.

Presenting PUMA

TSA will be exhibiting at the show, as ever, along with our fellow supporting organisations. This year, we are focusing on our new accreditation scheme, creating a national standard for best practice for underground surveys. Our Technical Director, Sam Roberts is presenting on the new scheme, named PUMA (PAS128 Utility Mapping Accreditation). We will also have a range of TSA promotional items to give away – which will be as eye-catching as ever!

Rachel Tyrrell, Secretary General of TSA, says,

“We always look forward with great excitement to attending Geo Business. I love taking the opportunity to meet up with many of our members, old and new and also to make connections with other companies attending the event.  The CPD-accredited programme looks particularly good this year and we are looking forward to attending as many of the sessions as we can.”

We would welcome the opportunity to talk to existing and potential members at the show. If you are attending Geo Business, please visit us at stand G510 right at the entrance to the show, where Rachel Tyrrell and other TSA Council members will be on hand to answer questions and have a chat.

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In today’s climate, it is more important than ever to connect and collaborate to drive the surveying profession forward. This free event provides a platform for 120 businesses – from global brands to start-ups – to showcase the newest tech, tools and solutions for geospatial. This is combined with an incredible CPD-accredited programme, with over 200 sessions over the two days.

We will be exhibiting at the show, along with our partner organisations, and using the opportunity to launch our own portfolio of new Business Development documents, which we have created in collaboration with the University of Leeds. We will also have a range of TSA promotional items to give away, promoting diversity (TSA rainbow ‘surveying is for everyone’ sunglasses) and also sustainability (bamboo sunglasses, pens and travel cups).

Commented Rachel Tyrrell, Secretary General of TSA: “We are looking forward to attending Geo Business. The show provides us with the chance to catch up with member organisations and also meet a host of other companies. We are passionate about developing the professionalism of the surveying profession and an event that provides CPD-accredited programme is one we whole-heartedly support.”

Rachel continued: “Our members go through a rigorous vetting process to become part of TSA and we work closely with them to help with their continued development. In this way, we’re confident in their skill level, and can promote and recommend them to the wider construction sector.”

The Survey School will also be present, represented by Alan Mansell, with Ed Danson giving a talk (19 May, 14.30-15.00) about one of the courses at The School: https://www.geobusinessshow.com/old-dogs-new-tricks-how-surveyors-can-face-flooding/

We would welcome the opportunity to talk to existing and potential members at the show. If you are attending Geo Business, please visit us at stand GA2 at the S7 entrance to the show, where Rachel Tyrrell, Susan Murphy and TSA Council members will be on hand to answer questions and have a chat.

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Representing TSA at this well attended event was Council Member and PR Committee Chairman, Oliver Viney. His 30-minute talk, titled UAVs, Changing the Landscape of Surveying, offered an excellent opportunity to engage with a capacity audience who were interested in both TSA and the benefits of using a TSA member when procuring aerial surveys.

The presentation focused on several related topics. First, Oliver gave the audience background information on TSA and its vision. As the audience were mainly outside the profession it was also useful for Oliver to outline a little of the historic perspective around aerial surveys.

He explained that photogrammetry has been used for aerial surveys for centuries, but with the development of sophisticated cameras and software, as well as UAVs, commercial surveyors have quickly adopted the new technology.

He also discussed the danger of using a non-surveyor to carry out aerial surveys from UAVs, stressing that checks should be made on competencies and experience. He gave the audience a series of fundamental questions that they should put to a company or individual offering this service. For example:

Are they using Ground Control?

What quality control measures are in place when processing data?

Do they carry our Ground Truthing?

Do they hold the necessary permissions, licenses and insurances to carry out this work?

Oliver went on to highlight some examples of the work TSA Member companies do, using UAV technology. These include the award-winning Vogel R3D system from Plowman Craven, a range of applications by Historic England and a mapping project of Burial Grounds by Atlantic Geomatics.

The audience were then shown how surveyors can combine data from multiple sensors to create 3D models.  Using Laser Scanning and imagery from UAVs a geometrically accurate 3D model of St Michaels Mount in Cornwall was created for CyArk.  The audience were fascinated to learn that CyArk  https://www.cyark.org/  are an organisation that specialise in creating in 3D Models of iconic sites across the globe, so that they can be rebuilt in the event of their destruction.

Oliver concluded his talk by posing a few questions about the future. Will the need for Ground Control be eliminated with improvements in on-board GPS technology? Do we need to improve the resolution of the imagery? Are UAVs now an essential piece of a surveyor’s armoury?  Most TSA Members would agree that UAVs complement their existing equipment and provide added benefits to clients, by enabling surveyors to capture reality in new and exciting ways.

UAVs can be used across a range of industries, so the Commercial UAV Show offered an opportunity for TSA to highlight their relevance for the Geospatial profession.

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In response to further reports of thefts from members, plus problems in managing the effect on a survey business, TSA used the platform of the GEO Business Show to bring all parties together and provide an open forum. The meeting attracted over 60 attendees, with standing room only.

TSA Vice-President Adam Bradley chaired a session on 25^th May, which saw Leica Geosystems, Trimble and Topcon make a joint presentation on the issue from the perspective of the equipment manufacturers.   Two further presentations were then made by DC Julian Crabb of PANIU (Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit) and also Andrew Mulholland, Police & Client Liaison Consultant, acting on behalf of SmartWater.

Once the presentations were complete, Scott Brown of Lockton insurance brokers joined the panel to receive questions. A lively debate ensued, with attendees able to air grievances and ask for clarification on reporting crime, decreasing risk for insurers and also activating trackers and security features that already exist on survey equipment – as well as airing new ideas and suggestions.

The next step is for TSA to form a working group to discuss these issues in greater detail, formulating a plan to provide survey companies with a clear way ahead.

In the meantime, if you have any further comments or suggestions – please feed them directly to TSA (office@tsa-uk.org.uk).

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