From the continuing series on Amerisuv.com…
The myth that it would take too long to build and implement a GIS system for the Surveying Business to see any real benefit is based mainly in the idea that the Surveying Business must change the way the business is handled to fit with the GIS. Every Surveying business is managed in a different way, which provides a problem for the existing GIS industry; so they try to develop a "magic bullet" that handles all of the needs of every Surveying Business. Trying to provide a pre-built solution and expect the entire Surveying Industry to fall into rank has caused backlash and resistance to the implementation of GIS.
The way to overcome this problem is to make the GIS work the way that the individual Surveying Company does business, and use the GIS to automate and simplify tasks that are already being done in the course of normal business. Building a GIS in this way provides two distinct advantages: First, you as the designer of the system have intimate knowledge of how the system is working, and second, you will have less time involved in training others to use the system.
The first thing to do in the creation of a GIS system is a careful analysis of the step-by-step process in which a job is ordered, completed, delivered and paid for as the project makes its way through your business.
Continue reading this article HERE
Stephen Blaskey is a branch manager with Coastal Surveying of Texas, Inc., a mid-sized land surveying company in Galveston County, Texas. Both an RPLS and a Licensed State Land Surveyor in Texas, he also holds a degree in Geographic Information Science.
A 402Kb PDF of this article as it appeared in the magazine—complete with images—is available by clicking HERE