Bermudian surveyors Sharika Tucci and Amanda Waltham are among a growing number of female professionals making inroads in this traditionally male dominated profession.

The majority of Bermudian surveyors who have qualified as members of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in recent years have been female and now the industry is attracting individuals from a variety of professional backgrounds.

?In recent years there seems to have been an increase in women coming into this industry. People are becoming a little more aware of what estate surveyors, quantity and land surveyors do and I think that awareness is growing,? Ms Waltham said.

?I think we are leaving behind the stereotype that the industry is a male dominated profession and women are realising they can become land surveyors and that there are opportunities for Bermudians in Government and in the private sector.?

Ms Tucci a former assistant underwriter for XL Financial Solutions who specialised in risk model analysis currently works for Coldwell Banker Bermuda Realty as a junior appraiser and property manager.

She is undertaking a distant learning programme to obtain a diploma in surveying to become a qualified chartered surveyor.

When choosing a career Ms Tucci said she was encouraged to become a lawyer, an accountant or a doctor but opted for a career in reinsurance and attended the College of Insurance in New York and obtained a Bachelor of Science in actuarial science.

But her interest in pursuing a career as a surveyor was sparked through her friendship with fellow Warwick Academy graduate Ms Waltham, a Chartered Surveyor and RICS members Paul Matthews and Brian Madeiros, a director at Coldwell Banker.

?Surveying involves so many different areas such as science, property law, economics, mathematics, knowledge of the environment, analytical skills, and good writing and communication skills,? Ms Tucci said.

As a junior appraiser and property manager she provides mortgage valuations primarily for banks and works on behalf of condominium developments to ensure they are in good repair.

After obtaining a Bachelor of Science in oceanography and marine biology Ms Waltham credits her mother Patricia Waltham for alerting her to a job advertisement for a trainee land surveyor which piqued her interest.

Ms Waltham a mapping officer at the Ministry of Works and Engineering and Housing started working for the Survey Section of the Department in January 1999 and obtained a Masters of degree in Geographic Information Systems from the University of Edinburgh. She then embarked on a two year APC (Assessment of Professional Competence) course and on May 10, 2005 after successfully passing it, became a member of RICS.

?Working for Government is extremely varied, I have done everything from topographic surveys, hydrographic surveys, levelling projects to working with GPS (Global Positioning System) technology, working with databases and learning about Autocad software,? Ms Waltham said.

?We provide support to not only members of the public but within Government departments and therefore you have an extremely varied palate of activities on a daily basis.?

?Once I got my chartered surveyors designation I was offered the Mapping Officer position which is a really great achievement for a Bermudian to obtain.?

She said the Land Title Registration policy is coming onboard and so there will be a need for more detailed mapping and her role as a mapping officer will be to work with aerial photographs to produce new digital maps with contractors.

The Survey Section provides mapping products including customised maps, sales paper maps, digital map information and provide assistance on such projects as hurricane preparation for the EMO (Emergency Measures Organisation).