The last guy I worked for had just about data storage format you can imagine. A couple different varieties of tapes, 5-1/4" floppies, 3-1/2" floppies, 100mb Zip disks (remember those?), CDs, DVDs. Etc ...
He was smart about it, though, and at each change in technology, he would first migrate all his old storage files to the new format. But he apparently couldn't part with the original format, and he kept all the old disks and tapes in a huge safe in the office, as well. That's probably how I'd do it, as well.
I grew up in a survey business with horrendous record keeping so I put file organization at the top of the list. Keeping all the paper files is a waste, most of them will never see the light of day again. Rarely keep paper files anymore. All documents scanned or pdf files saved off county site. I have 3 large monitors and now prefer looking at the docs on the monitor rather than paper.
I am still waiting for the 24"x36" iPads to come out.
If a sketch is needed of a building footprint, we keep a yellow pad in the truck. A loose leaf sketch goes in the folder. For the rest of the planimetrics it's all figures and line work in the data collector raw file.
Sustainable office
I'm producing maybe 10% (probably on the order of <5%) of the paper compared to the gig I quit 2 years ago- every project file (granted, typical project was enormous) was at least two accordion files thick. Other than field books and final deliverables, virtually all my analysis and research is done digitally where possible. Of course, I can't speak to title companies' paper usage- but 99% of the documentation I need I get either from them or the clerk via PDF/java/etc. and my records are no less thorough and complete than they ever were (stored on multiple HDs, server, and backups), and should I get called to produce records for whatever reason, the "print" button works pretty well most of the time.
With multiple office locations, we use the cloud for storage.
All of our old, originals drawings, field notes and blueprints, are scanned in and retained. Orders, deeds, invoices, etc are scanned and tossed to save room.
All current work is saved to the cloud, and we print what we think we want for the field or for ease of use in the office, then it's tossed.
That being said, we do still back up everything onto multiple hard drives.
The Millennium Bug.......Y3K never to soon to start planning for it. LOL
I had been paperless since the mid 90's and am now retired.
One of the best things I did was to save E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G in the simplest format available and make the file name as generic as possible . . . with windows XP, it was now possible .. NO MORE proprietary software to keep track of my data. Been down that road and been burned more than once. TerraModel burnt me the most when they changed the software architecture and closed the door on backward compatibility for files before mid 1995(or 1996).
ALL my files(Ohio only) are COUNTY(TRU=TRUMBULL), TOWNSHIP(BRI=BRISTOL), section(3 digits) tracts or whatever, followed by a name and road.
Coordinate lists are ascii, description are RTF, files are dxf(although some are still in TERRAMODEL, along with pdf's, scans and job pictures ... all named the same way so they can easily be found, at worse, with Windows search.
Records before mid 90's were all scanned and renamed similarly.
So if I searched for TRU-BRI-003-XXX-XXX-McNAME(RD), I come up with scans of anything I have from any year ... including other surveyor's jobs(as scanned).
I wanted to be able to do this with no need of storage or archival software.
Once a project is approved, we are scanning the paper original plans to TIFF format for cold archive.
Why do you have to scan to TIFF/JPG if you already saved the CAD files?
That's a "double redunduncy" :-/ Not to mention that a TIFF file would be larger than the CAD file itself most of the time.
Why not name a FINAL CAD file something like xxxxFinalxxx.dwg to mean that this is the final approved plan & lock all layers on the dwg file so no revision can be made to them.
I don't expect to go paperless, but one my "someday when I have time" projects is to get a document scanner and roll up all my old paper file contents into PDF. The driving force behind this is floor space -- I don't have much to begin with, and the 4 legal-size cabinets in here take up way too much of it. I figure I ought to be able to get rid of at least half of them, and that'd make a big difference.
I remember being told that TIFF is the most used type of file for archives and with the right program can be translated to use in many other forms.
I think that everyone is keeping the original data file (dwg, dxf, RW5, or what ever file extension) that goes with the creating program.
Original data files are kept to use, create and add to and alter as needed.
My final product is archived as a PDF.
The objective is to have a digital file that any PC or phone will open.
There is no problem with having the information in different formats.
It may even be more secure.
😉
> Why not name a FINAL CAD file something like xxxxFinalxxx.dwg to mean that this is the final approved plan & lock all layers on the dwg file so no revision can be made to them.
Who holds the key? There are no guarantees that a user wouldn't open the file, unlock the layers, make some changes (by mistake or not). A final drawing zipped / read only is a safer approach.
I keep a PDF of final work. Nowadays, with layers control available in the PDF, it is convenient.
> Once a project is approved, we are scanning the paper original plans to TIFF format for cold archive.
>
> Why do you have to scan to TIFF/JPG if you already saved the CAD files?
> That's a "double redunduncy" :-/ Not to mention that a TIFF file would be larger than the CAD file itself most of the time.
>
> Why not name a FINAL CAD file something like xxxxFinalxxx.dwg to mean that this is the final approved plan & lock all layers on the dwg file so no revision can be made to them.
The Tiff file format has remained unchanged for over twenty years, with some very minor yet always backward compatible changes.
The Autodesk .dwg file format changes on a yearly basis, and usually with extreme challenges for older work.
I am scanning the paper prints to a raster tiff image for archival purposes. I have GREAT confidence that I will be able to retrieve the image from a tiff file in 50 years. I have absolutely ZERO confidence I will be able to retrieve an Autocad file in 50 years.
In my office, I am a second generation surveyor, who is frequently dealing with survey projects that were prepared in the 1970's. Even the files that this office generated in 1988 in AutoCad version 10 are becoming difficult to deal with.
Double redundancy? You betcha! Do I have a plan to copy/duplicate the media on a decadal time scale to the next type of media? YES. The CD Roms from the 1990's are getting hard to read with today's hardware, and there is a possibility that computers will no have optical drives to read my media in 50 years. So, every ten years or so I expect to work on the archive, to keep it modern.
The point of this original Post was having to do with "paperless office." While I tried to make my point that some paper is still needed, I am also trying to make the point that the gigabytes of data that we are generating also needs to be properly managed for future generations of surveyors.
How many of the old timers on this board can access any of the data files from their Olivetti? How about the point files from DOS Benchmark?
Another point that needs to be made in my humble opinion: Who cares?! Who needs the point file from a 1986 Benchmark file if you have an easily reproducible TIFF image of the final boundary plan that was prepared in 1986? Whats the chance that you will be occupying any of the old horizontal control that the crew used in 1986?
It nice to have the file complete, i agree.
We are charged with following in the footsteps of the previous surveyor. So maybe access to the field notes would be nice.
Those of us still using bound fieldbooks need to maintain those for eternity, without them burning down, without them being flooded, without them being eaten by moths or insects.
Its a balancing act - what to keep, what to toss, what to scan & shred. But man - the autocad dwg file is the absolute last piece of data that I will ever trust for long term storage.
