Working in a Cloud
Nearly 400 people from 21 countries are attending the Esri Survey and Engineering GIS Summit in San Diego, which began July 10 and continues through July 13 as part of the much larger ESRI User Conference July 12-16. According to Brent Jones, PE, PLS, survey and engineering solutions manager for Esri, 49 percent of this year’s attendees are in surveying; 12 percent are in engineering; 30 percent are in GIS; and 9 percent are in other related fields. It is noteworthy that the percentage of GIS professionals attending the summit has increased as businesses seek to gain greater insight on how they can work more efficiently with other organizations and integrate new technologies to broaden their business.
During his welcome address, Jones noted a number of areas of opportunity for surveyors in GIS. For example, 85 percent of data in modern organizations is unstructured; 90 percent of data in the Department of Transportation has a spatial component; and 40 to 60 percent of engineering time is spent locating or validating information. Data management information systems allow efficient data sharing, Jones said. Specifically, cloud technology allows users to connect to anything from anywhere.
Of course, the information first has to be in the cloud, but that process is rapidly occurring. Through technology such as Esri’s new ArcGIS 10 platform and ArcGIS online, users can tap into new online tools that enable them to more easily create maps and find, share and organize geographic information. Jones noted that the three components of geographic data—attributes, behavior and geometry—don’t have to come from the same place. In fact, by accessing external sources of data, users can create richer deliverables in significantly less time. Likewise, by feeding data into the cloud, the quality of the data continually improves as it is validated and enhanced by other layers.
The GIS world has already embraced this model. The question is whether the survey community will follow. There has been a general reluctance to share data, components of which are often perceived as proprietary. It’s easy to think that by carefully guarding our data, we are protecting our business interests. But what if we are simultaneously limiting our business opportunities…to the extent that we are quickly falling behind?
Jones proposed that the value of surveying is in data management—aggregating, validating, collecting, managing and advising on data. Such work can best be done in close collaboration with other fields and requires a broad perspective on how our work fits in with what is happening around us.
What do you think of working in a cloud? Will survey firms ever be comfortable with sharing and sourcing data through external platforms? Please share your thoughts below.
P.S. Congratulations to Frederick County, Md., and Bechtel for earning Esri’s 2010 Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Awards. And it’s now official—Esri and ACSM will hold a joint conference for the next three years, beginning in 2011. Go here for more details.
During his welcome address, Jones noted a number of areas of opportunity for surveyors in GIS. For example, 85 percent of data in modern organizations is unstructured; 90 percent of data in the Department of Transportation has a spatial component; and 40 to 60 percent of engineering time is spent locating or validating information. Data management information systems allow efficient data sharing, Jones said. Specifically, cloud technology allows users to connect to anything from anywhere.
Of course, the information first has to be in the cloud, but that process is rapidly occurring. Through technology such as Esri’s new ArcGIS 10 platform and ArcGIS online, users can tap into new online tools that enable them to more easily create maps and find, share and organize geographic information. Jones noted that the three components of geographic data—attributes, behavior and geometry—don’t have to come from the same place. In fact, by accessing external sources of data, users can create richer deliverables in significantly less time. Likewise, by feeding data into the cloud, the quality of the data continually improves as it is validated and enhanced by other layers.
The GIS world has already embraced this model. The question is whether the survey community will follow. There has been a general reluctance to share data, components of which are often perceived as proprietary. It’s easy to think that by carefully guarding our data, we are protecting our business interests. But what if we are simultaneously limiting our business opportunities…to the extent that we are quickly falling behind?
Jones proposed that the value of surveying is in data management—aggregating, validating, collecting, managing and advising on data. Such work can best be done in close collaboration with other fields and requires a broad perspective on how our work fits in with what is happening around us.
What do you think of working in a cloud? Will survey firms ever be comfortable with sharing and sourcing data through external platforms? Please share your thoughts below.
P.S. Congratulations to Frederick County, Md., and Bechtel for earning Esri’s 2010 Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Awards. And it’s now official—Esri and ACSM will hold a joint conference for the next three years, beginning in 2011. Go here for more details.
Comments
Date Posted: Jul 17, 2010 at 8:28 PM
When you share data, you should also share metadata. The metadata is what covers your butt against inappropriate use.
But enough of the Luddites: I'll go ahead and poke sticks.
Anyone who's still worried about sharing their data in this day and age due to liability concerns is probably doing poor quality work and their data isn't worth sharing anyways.
I've heard and seen it all in my decades on this planet, I've worked with them all, and in virtually every case, the folks who drag their heels the most about sharing their data are typically the ones who have the worst data.
But enough of the Luddites: I'll go ahead and poke sticks.
Anyone who's still worried about sharing their data in this day and age due to liability concerns is probably doing poor quality work and their data isn't worth sharing anyways.
I've heard and seen it all in my decades on this planet, I've worked with them all, and in virtually every case, the folks who drag their heels the most about sharing their data are typically the ones who have the worst data.
Date Posted: Jul 14, 2010 at 1:19 PM
Thanks for the comments. I've also noticed that there doesn't seem to be any agreement on the issue of whether surveyors actually stand to benefit from sharing their data. Some are advocates of an open system, believing that if they share their data they will benefit from a continuous cycle of data improvement that will allow them to increase productivity and improve the quality of their deliverables while giving them access to a comprehensive QC/QA check on their own data, thereby reducing overall liability. Others believe that sharing data substantially increases a surveyor's liability because as soon as the data are shared, the surveyor loses control over how the data are distributed and used along with what disclaimers are provided. After speaking with a number of individuals during the Esri conference, I can't help but wonder whether surveyors aren't in a catch 22 on the cloud issue.
Date Posted: Jul 14, 2010 at 1:03 PM
I am afraid I will have to concur with Larry on this one. On Sunday I was in a session about improving the profession. We were talking mainly about outreach. But I mentioned a class I teach for laymen about proper use of mobile GPS navigation devices. My motivation for developing that class was to teach some discipline about using navigation and other texting devices safely while driving.
A guy describing himself as a "Professional Land Surveyor" stands up and says: "I disagree with that concept. You're missing an opportunity to un-dilute the gene pool." This my friends, is what we must overcome. Or maybe it just depends on what you mean by cloud.
MLB
A guy describing himself as a "Professional Land Surveyor" stands up and says: "I disagree with that concept. You're missing an opportunity to un-dilute the gene pool." This my friends, is what we must overcome. Or maybe it just depends on what you mean by cloud.
MLB
