Should we Switch the Focus to Analysis?

As crowdsourcing and easy data capture take hold Chair of the Geomatics Professional Group, Chris Preston, asks if we should be focusing our attention more on data analysis rather than data collection.

So the summer holidays are long over and the “nitty gritty” of our day-to-day roles takes up all our time. It begs the question: “What can be done to make the data collection on projects that much easier?” Many have spoken about the connected office but poor mobile communications are still a difficulty with this.

What about “Crowdsourcing?” This now seems to be becoming accepted in some parts of the world for gathering data, especially when funding does not permit any other means of collection. Two applications of this have been brought to my attention recently. One via an RICS project related to the collection of parcel corner data for cadastral mapping and another that appeared on the BBC website relating to crowdsourcing of boats to map the seas: www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26231350. How comfortable with this idea do we feel as professional surveyors? Is data gathering not our primary raison d’etre?

Have we been Replaced by Technology?

Continuing on this theme and following threads on Linked In, especially with articles from the US, there often come up snippets of thought-provoking material.

How is it that we do not seem to have stronger links with our transatlantic colleagues? An article of interest I read recently by J. Allison Butler, a sage who claims to have been involved in geospatial matters for 40 years, has some interesting views (www.xyht.com/surveying/post-licensing-world-surveying/). He claims that “Technology has replaced the mechanical skills required to find where things are below, on, or above the Earth.” He goes on to say that although “there are still technically difficult things to do, the level of professionalism—the degree of difficulty—expressed in the practice of surveying that exists in no other field is the discovery and evaluation of evidence.” I would be very interested in your views on this as it implies, at least to me, that we should be focusing our attention more on analysis rather than pure data collection. Are we still selling ourselves short or do we not want to focus on analysis?

Avoiding Utility Strikes

The last edition of GW had a review of PAS128 – 2014, the specification for underground utility detection, verification and location; but how are the drawings and records created by such means to be made available to the site operatives who are actually digging the ground? Would they even understand them? In an attempt to improve this, an organisation called the Utility Strike Avoidance Group was set up to produce an easy-to-follow best practice toolkit. Go to www.utilitystrikeavoidancegroup.org.uk for the downloadable version. It is hoped that this will reduce the human suffering, costs and delays caused by utility strikes.

Beating the Drum

On another subject, the satnav manufacturer TomTom has recently celebrated ten years of production with a few startling facts: 75 million sold, in 35 countries; 13 million couples avoid arguments as they can now find where they are meant to go; 35 million tourists find destinations. Every day 800 million people rely on them? I am sure Malcolm Draper can find a few pithy comments to add to these.

By the time you read this, the RICS Geomatics evening lectures will have started so I look forward to seeing you in person or hearing from you via the usual e-mail on any of the topics discussed above.

This article was published in Geomatics World November/December 2014