Since graduating in Geomatics Engineering from Germany’s University of Essen in the 1980s, Ulrich Hermanski – chief marketing officer and executive vice president of geopositioning at Topcon – has seen the surveying profession change dramatically. In this interview with GIM International, he sums up the current status of the surveying profession. He reflects on the key advances in the ever-evolving geospatial business, emphasizes the vital role of geodata and discusses the role of surveyors – and of Topcon – in the future.
There have been a lot of changes since then, but the biggest in terms of geomatics is of course the impact of digital technology. This change hasn’t just impacted the way professionals take measurements and analyze findings; it has actually completely transformed the role of a geomatics engineer. Today, geomatics professionals are far more focused on data handling than in the past – or at least they should be. With masses of data now available on every job site, it’s vital that surveyors are able to translate this data into meaningful information for project teams. Back when I was studying, it was more important to focus on taking accurate measurements and avoiding human errors on site, rather than considering how the information would be digested by other stakeholders on the project. And in 1985, there was far less data available – not to mention there being no laptops, smartphones or tablets. Any computerized calculation was performed by a machine that took up half a room! So when you look at what technology is at a geomatics engineer’s fingertips now versus back then, you can’t even compare the two situations.
Continue reading: https://www.gim-international.com/content/article/the-surveyor-s-need-to-embrace-data-management
There have been a lot of changes since then, but the biggest in terms of geomatics is of course the impact of digital technology. This change hasn’t just impacted the way professionals take measurements and analyze findings; it has actually completely transformed the role of a geomatics engineer. Today, geomatics professionals are far more focused on data handling than in the past – or at least they should be. With masses of data now available on every job site, it’s vital that surveyors are able to translate this data into meaningful information for project teams. Back when I was studying, it was more important to focus on taking accurate measurements and avoiding human errors on site, rather than considering how the information would be digested by other stakeholders on the project. And in 1985, there was far less data available – not to mention there being no laptops, smartphones or tablets. Any computerized calculation was performed by a machine that took up half a room! So when you look at what technology is at a geomatics engineer’s fingertips now versus back then, you can’t even compare the two situations.
Continue reading: https://www.gim-international.com/content/article/the-surveyor-s-need-to-embrace-data-management
