First let me tell you why Saturday. I hate being on a job site when there are people everywhere and mixers and different pieces of equipment are running. The footings were poured (90 yards of concrete with #6 and #8 bar) and there was zero chance of me seeing anyone and since it is a flat rate per task job I got it done faster without interruption and turned a better profit.
While I was working away I found myself thinking of the methods of the past and how things have evolved to the extent that aside from specialty the construction staking surveyor will soon be gone.
Examples:
1) Machine control. I love it. I love the idea of having to go in, set a few control points and get out.
2) Grade checkers with gps units. Once again I love it due to the fact that I never have to pound another hub and the contractor is absorbing all of the liability.
3) Construction companies that hire on staff surveyors to do the staking. Awesome!!
Once again it removes the liability from us and dumps it on the contractor.
(Note: I was on a job site recently and the concrete guy who I have known for years came up and asked if I was busy. I told him that I was swamped. He was amazed and asked who I was staking for. I told him that I mostly do survey work and that I do very little layout stuff and I have never considered staking anything more than revenue. The confused look on his face said it all. He had no idea what survey work is and that is scary.)
As technology progresses more companies will move forward in this direction and big engineering firms will cut back their survey field crews as they will no longer be needed.
This will be good for the companies that only do surveying. The big machines will no longer be a factor and we can concentrate on surveying and people will actually begin to understand what we do and the value of it.
The career hub pounder will either evolve into professional LS or go away.
Some will argue that this is a horrible thing and we need to be worried about the future of survey dollars.
I say bullshit. If we evolve with technology and progress with the future we will all prosper and be much better for the loss of staking. This actually gives us the opportunity to focus on becoming a true profession through education and drive the evolution of surveying into new areas.
Surveyors will always be involved in construction to an extent in areas that require extreme accuracy, as-builts, and legal issues and yes some staking, but the days of spending 6 months to 3 years on a single site are numbered.
I for one think this is one of the best things that can happen to a professional land surveyor.
Hooray the future!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are those that fear the unknown and those that embrace it. Personally I think technology is adding an aspect to surveying that has yet to be fully realized. Gone are the days of the 4 to 6 man super crews. If there is a crew of 2 you are lucky. apprenticeship is will die out at this rate because there will have to be formal education to grasp the technology. The training will determine how to apply it.
ReplyDeleteJohn, you are going to hit a nerve with the Land Surveying community. I truly hope that all of the Surveyor’s who read this Blog will chime in. I have heard many discussions throughout the Land Surveying community – most of which are along the lines of “only a real Surveyor should be taking care of the staking”. Personally, I have mixed emotions about it. I have recently (correctly) been taught to place as much liability on the shoulders of “others” – whomever that may be. I like this thought process very much. Additionally, typically, Surveyors will do almost anything to “save the day” – almost to the point of hurting themselves – instead of taking the stance of “these plans don’t work – let the engineer know the problem is, and when he is done revising his plans, let me know, and I’ll be back out as soon as I can". Problem here, with many contractors, this approach, although probably correct, this will be the last project you’ll do for this particular “Super or General”.
ReplyDeleteLike I said, I have mixed emotions, but the one thing I personally have a great deal of heartburn with (under the above mentioned circumstances) is do NOT even ask me to take care of the “As-Builts” for you – especially regarding the underground utilities !!!
How many out there have had to do S.R.P. Right-of-Way Acquisition Maps & Exhibits. I have. Ever work with Arizona American Water ? – State Plane Coord’s on every fitting, change in pipe material and on and on…How many of us have heard “it went in just like the plan shows”… - oh really ? So you even put the electric line under this trash enclosure ?...oh no, in this area, we had to move it about 5 feet to the south – from about “here” to about “here”…. Oh great. Ya, Bite Me !!!
Come on gang, “chime in” – I want to hear all your thoughts.
Respectfully,
John “Dane” Bumpus
2 comments... WTF
ReplyDeleteI HAVE AN AMENDMENT TO MY PREVIOUS POST.... I am noticing that large scale construction staking is being taken over by machine control. I have the feeling that the RLS's role in the future will be to build DTM's for the controllers for the large scale work.
ReplyDeleteThe small stuff like strip malls and such will still need some sort of staking the old fashioned way. In my opinion