Things we see in the field

OK. Last week was a strange week in many ways.

A couple of things that happened last week that really stand out are shown below.

First I was working in a guys yard running a topo and out of the corner of my eye I see something jump, I look over and see a dog standing on a block wall staring at me.

I've seen this before but this one was pretty cool. He actually watched me complete the job.

And then Graupel.

You may be asking what the hell is that. Well that is what fell on us last week.

Per Wiki:

Graupel (German pronounciation: ['gʁaʊpɛl], also called soft hail or snow pellets)^[1] refers to precipitation that forms when supercooled droplets of water are collected and freeze on a falling snowflake, forming a 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) ball of rime. Strictly speaking, graupel is not the same as hail or ice pellets, although it is sometimes referred to as small hail. However, the World Meteorological Organization defines small hail as snow pellets encapsulated by ice, a precipitation halfway between graupel and hail.


There is more but I think you get the idea.

Below is a small part of my Shea Boulevard adventure.

Software

I am having a dilemma. I hate auto cad and it's monopoly on the drafting industry and it's ridiculous license renewal fees.

I dropped mine in 2008 and am starting to fall behind in the area.

I have looked at Micro Survey which seems to be the most appealing and I have also looked at Traverse PC which is an issue because you have to literally import a cad file while MS just opens them and vice versa.
Oh, Carlson is completely off of the table.

My biggest problem is time and the learning curve. I desperately want to put auto cad in my rear view mirror. The other solutions are feasible, however the language they speak does not make it an easy enough transition.

I would stick with AC but they do not have a solution that I want. Every time a sales person calls me I ask them if they have a solution for surveyors and they say yes they do, Civil 3d. I promptly tell them that I have had CD3 for 4 years and have never used it and never will and that it does not have a practical purpose for what I do.

They just keep trying to sell it to me insisting that I must surely use it if I have it and once again I will tell them that I have no interest in updating a program that I will never use except for a small part of. It's very irritating and totally pisses me off that the people calling me have zero understanding of what it is I do and how CD3 has no purpose for me and my business.

So here I am 4 years later, I am to busy to learn something new but I have to or do the upgrade with the beast.

I recently became acquainted with a survey drafter that I think may be up to par with my standards. I am considering throwing him a majority of my drafting and then drop back and learn the Micro Survey. It's an option I am considering.

All will tell in time, however right now I hate being behind.

Make it a great week surveyors.

A Good Experience

A couple of week ago I found a significant error an a plat that was done by one of the big machines.

I promptly brought it to their attention and they looked into it.

It took them about 2 weeks to get an answer for me. It turned out that I was correct and they recorded an affidavit of correction and provided me a copy.

I get a little impatient when there is a problem and I want it fixed right away. I have absolutely zero understanding of corporate culture and their procedures, it's like the government in many ways, it all has to be done through process.

The beauty of being a small business is that we can most often do things right away, there is little wait time and we are able to jump in with both feet and find resolution.

Through no fault of their own the big machine I was dealing with had to grab that job out of archive which apparently was a whole deal and then verify what I said etc.

I understand all of that, it was just the time factor. As a small biz that is something we do not have the luxury of is time.

While a big machine can take 2 weeks we as small guys have to be in the now and on top of customer service at all times, that is what keeps us going.

My client was getting extremely agitated and kept can the big question, "can't you just??" and of course my answer was no.

At the end of the day the problem got solved and my client was grateful for my sharp eyes.

The big machine was awesome and I am very grateful to them for working with me. They were gracious and thankful that I had brought the issue to their attention and the people I worked with were attentive and kept communication going.

I the past I have been told by similar companies that it is my problem and deal with it and they are finished.

That is the utmost in non-professional behavior and the company I just dealt with are all pros and I will never hesitate to contact them again for any reason.

I know one of the people I dealt with checks this blog out from time to time, so I want to shout out big thanks to you for all the help.