The Future of The Surveyor in Construction

 

New technologies provide a different role

Construction, one of the largest industrial sectors in the world, appears to have significantly more difficulty adopting new technologies and digital processes than other sectors. However, there have been signs of a turnaround recently and a whole series of great innovations have already reached the market. But what do these changes mean for the demands placed on a modern surveyor in construction?

Surveyors all over the world notice that they are at a crossroads. The entire construction and infrastructure sector is facing enormous challenges in terms of supply and demand. Technology provides the obvious answer, but the new solutions are not yet widely adopted. Tools are available that previous generations would envy and the role of the surveyor naturally changes with digitization. However, many professionals still prefer the traditional methods that have served them well for years and are reluctant to move to new technologies. The problem, however, is that we now have no choice. Surveyors who do not keep up with the trends and introduce new processes lose the connection.

Different mentality

Old habits are difficult to break. But with a new era ahead, it is time for surveyors to move away from the outdated processes learned in their training and ask whether they should approach projects differently. In order to secure their own future, they must investigate what is available now and be open to it.

Understandably, the surveyors sometimes feel overwhelmed by all the new technologies and the catchphrases that go with them, such as augmented reality, virtual reality, Smart Cities, BIM, mass data processing, 4D, 5D or even 6D. But the reality is that with these innovations, they can work significantly more accurately, faster and have tangible commercial benefits. Everyone has experience with unforeseen geological circumstances, which delay projects and exceed budget. The current conditions often deviate from previous estimates from measurements and the design must be adjusted at the last minute, with all the associated costs. Technology can help prevent this.

To meet the evolving needs of their clients and expand their operations, surveyors must adapt to new practices and adapt their business models. It must be said that the burden does not lie solely with the surveyors. Technology providers should also work together to develop effective solutions and educate the industry on how to apply them. In this way we can jointly meet the needs of the future. 

From surveyor to data specialist

In recent years, the job titles for what used to be called a surveyor showed a shift in the direction of data processing. Surveying engineers have become administrators of spatial data and surveyors have become administrators of geodata. This indicates that a very large part of the value of the function lies in data. This is nothing new: surveyors have always worked with coordinate systems and geolocations and needed to know what data is required to provide the correct results. But thanks to technological improvements, we can now take this to a whole other level. Surveyors learn how to use large data sets,

There are many tools available to help them make informed decisions. In the field of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and for the collection of mass data in general, there is a wide choice of different types of hardware, which are excellent for use in inspection systems. You don't have to be trained as a surveyor to use a laser scanner or UAV drone. However, to enrich datasets and make full use of this technology, expertise in surveying is required. Today's surveyor stands out from the crowd for his willingness and ability to make productive use of these new tools. 

The future

Our sector is experiencing rapid growth. However, the prevailing approach poses major security risks and makes it simply impossible to carry out the enormous amount of work. That's why we are constantly looking for safer and faster methods to perform the same tasks.

It is becoming more common to perform traditional surveying tasks with UAVs and mass data technology. In the near future, data storage technologies and cloud workflows will become the standard for everyone. A little further in the future, we can foresee that solutions with augmented reality will break through. All these technologies bring together a 'continuous representation of reality', a continuous representation of reality with a level of efficiency that we also find in other subsectors in manufacturing.

Sales in the inspection industry are expected to grow to $15 billion by 2025. And some of this amount is waiting for those who are already starting to adopt new technologies and add business intelligence to their processes. It is time to act.