Has anyone attended the ESRI Survey Summit and what did you think of it?
Pathetic IN MY OPINION ONLY.
> Has anyone attended the ESRI Survey Summit and what did you think of it?
Yes, I do not know why they call it a "Survey Summit" because it is more of a "GIS Summit".
ESRI is trying to get a piece of the surveying pie by offering GIS software catered to survey work.
Unfortunately you get the sense that those who wrote the software are not really surveyors.
The base product - ArcGIS is just terrible or bloated to be used in surveying. $10K per seat & you have to add several survey related modules to make it useful to a surveyor.
Ridiculous.
Can you give a little more background?
Golly, that's not what the ESRI brochures say ...
I am probably dead wrong, but here are my feelings.
ACSM had a decent thing going, but I am not sure if they kept up with the development of the progression and latest technologies. ESRI joined with them, and is taking advantage of the situation to promote the software that has a charge for every single thing, and each thing it does seems to have a charge for another module--typical of what we complain about.
Again, I am probably wrong, but my own opinion is that they are using STRONG advertising and PR to make it look like they are top of the line and the only thing anyone ought be using. Sounds too familiar.
I quit going after I saw how it changed. And now POB has GIS people doing topo surveying in their latest issue.
And ACSM is selling the BLM manual.
The surveying profession seems complacent to me, and it is not going to bode well.
I have attended both the Survey Summit and the Esri User Conference that follows on several occasions. In my opinion it is very worthwhile if a surveyor or an individual in the profession can go into it with an open mind.
I do not believe Esri is trying to sell it as strictly a surveying type conference. They even state on their front page "The Esri Survey Summit is a unique learning and networking opportunity where the geospatial community comes together to focus on high accuracy mapping, surveying, civil engineering, and GIS technology." Are they trying to heavily market their software and solutions, of course, but the technology being showcased is very interesting and applicable to the surveying world in many cases.
If I were looking to expand my services and knowledge base, especially professional services to municipal government, utilities, etc., this is where I would start. These entities are interested in high accuracy field data collection of their assets for inventorying and management purposes. Can typical surveying software accomplish the task, sure, but not to the level of what a typical GIS or asset management software is looking attribute. What surprises me is that surveyors of all people have the experience to successfully provide these types of field services, but many do not for several different reasons, part of which (in my opinion only) is due to a lack of knowledge of the software and data formats used in the office and field for GIS (not survey) type collection.
I may get blasted for a few of the comments above, but it is unfortunate when I see people in the profession look at GIS and the resulting data intruding in on their services. Instead it can be viewed as an opportunity to capture additional business because a surveyor has the field and office experience in providing accurate measurements.
Johnson, well said.
I really do see that technology as good for surveying profession, and we here at our office at least try to stay on the absolute cutting edge of it. The problem I have is that as it gets easier to use, GIS people who have not nearly our training as it relates to what we do or can do, start dabbling it without proper training. They are not equipped address or have respect for natural, instrumental and personal errors associated with button pushing, etc.
The whole thing is a hodgepodge of everything. I just hate it that ACSM did not evolve to keep up with the times.
I have attended the Survey Summit for the past few years and I think it is a valuable experience. You are able to connect with peers in the Profession across the industry. I found it a great place to collaborate, network and engage with others who work with evolving geospatial technology. The trend in Surveying is the integration of GIS into workflows. No better place to expose yourself that than at the Summit. And if you need a break, just step outside and soak up SD!
I think that this feeling may be more of a relic than a reality. Historically, yes, GIS required a serious commitment for any organization to implement. And realizing a return on the investment was challenging. I am the GIS Manager of a Surveying Company in Texas and we have seen tremendous growth of GIS in our surveying business. With the development of Online GIS portals, it has never been easier or more affordable to build and maintain high-accuracy cloud-based geospatial systems. We use online GIS to warehouse survey-grade data, serve it to staff and clients securely through portals that do not require inordinate effort to build, maintain, customize or access. We have seen a return on our investment with online GIS. The lines between GIS and surveying are becoming more transparent. Cloud computing and location analytics... Get on-board.
Survey Summit
The 14,000
a) probably do not know much about surveying so they do not associate with the 250.
b) think surveying is always expensive
c) can give you more work than the 250.
d) probably have more money or buying power than the 250.
The 250
a) like to hear GIS caused problems for others in the 250
b) think ESRI is finally going to learn something about COGO.
c) wish ESRI would teach them something about surveying when ESRI needs to learn about surveying.
d) cannot explain to the 14,000 the advantage of having accurate survey or GIS data.
From a business point of view, I think I will hang out with the 14,000
Survey Summit
20,000? Wasn't Comicon around 200,000? but with 10x fewer I bet the esri crowd still spends more on hotels, food and entertainment.
> I would have to agree with much of what you said.
>
> Of the 14,000, over 1,000 were educators. I also ran into many, many surveyors over in the big tent, involved in great many types of work (that did not get talked about in the little tent).
>
> But to keep it in perspective; Comicon held in SD the same month drew over 20,000 😉
Hi folks! Well I figured I should weigh in. Full disclosure, I work for Esri and I’ve played a major role in the Survey Summit since its inception.
Since the beginning we designed the summit to be a gathering to examine issues & challenges facing the survey (and engineering) industry. It's also a place to explore what the future of survey may look like and a chance to celebrate our profession and the technology it brings with it. And this still holds true to today.
My team, supporting staff, and non-Esri partners work diligently to bring our audience the most current and important content. We also search high & low to invite guests to touch on these topics. Grabbing from thin air, here's just a few quick memories of our attempts:
2008: Summit Keynoter: the Director of Space and Missile Systems Center/Air Force Space Command. Basically he controls the GPS Constellation on/off switch… earning him the coolest title on the planet. Those not in the know, “Space Commander” trumps “Fighter Pilot” 7 days a week, all day long.
2009: First GIS Geodesy Track Session co-hosted by NGS… the 3D geodesy with XYZ instead of 2 ½ D, XY+H discussion was a hit parade. We all drank beer afterwards – and didn’t invite the Space Commander. We learned the year prior we have “no game” in his presence. (and never will)
2011: Co-Hosting the summit with ACSM. This wasn’t an “advantageous” play on our part as one mentioned earlier. We danced this idea around in 2003 – and several times afterwards. It took Eight years to get married.
2011: LightSquared. The first public discussion between members of Save our GPS and LightSquared … that was fun.
2012: NGS Geospatial Forum… last minute govt budget cuts derailed this concurrent conference at the summit. But we worked hard to salvage as much as we could .. and Fish Tacos were had! (Sorry, inside joke if you were there. See me this year and I’ll fill you in)
And every year since 2003: We’ve had delegates, directors and leaders take main stage from NGS, NOAA, BLM, FIG, ACSM, NSPS … I apologize for any groups i may have missed.
As for concerns of our event being a “summit”… I feel we do a good job bringing in good content and the “who’s who” in the industry (see above). Of course, that’s my personal opinion. BTW - this year we’re working with ASCE as they have shown interest in participating with us. Our agenda will be updated soon with those details.
One thing we will NOT do – is be stagnant. We must continue to evolve as a conference and as an industry. We owe it to our audience and we owe it to ourselves. As you all know – this is easier said than done… yet I try to practice what I preach. Which reminds me: excuse any typos as I’m cranking this out on my iPhone headed to the airport ?.
Let’s breach another topic always hosted at the summit: “Emerging Technologies”. This thread alluded to some concern about this earlier. I believe geospatial technology is a huge emerging topic … and I think it’s here to stay. Simply turn on the TV … or your smartphone… or turn on your TV from your smartphone… and view the headlines. For those without smartphones – the Apple computer company does maps now (as every other big player). If that’s not an indication of geospatial going mainstream… I don’t know what is. So without a doubt we’ll continue to cover this content. And truth be told… we are a GIS company. We like geospatial tools and technology advancement – including supportive tools like LiDAR, UAV’s, BIM, Imagery, Cloud Computing, and Mobile. I personally think it’s an exciting time in the mapping industry.
Our summit audience has a seat at the steering wheel. We have (and will continue) to invite surveyors to jump into GIS and assist the 14,000 people across the parking lot to include the best quality (survey) field data that’s available.
“I’ll invite you to the party— but you have to ask her to dance.”
-Me, just now
And to Mr roveryan: I’m sorry, but your information is incorrect. I’ll respect the chat room rules. However, there are two options you can find on the internet to choose from to determine the real software cost (hint: search Survey GIS bundle):
1.) One website you’ll find the actual cost to be: Your figure / Divided by 6.666666
2.) Another website you’ll find the cost to be: Your Figure * Multiplied by 0
I hope this has cleared some things up. I think the summit has something for everyone. We try our hardest to bring the top level content every year. If there’s a “must see” topic we’re missing… please tell me what this is. I’ll be happy to try to work it in the program.
Thanks,
Donny
Survey Summit
Thanks Gavin, I appreciate your comments.
Re-reading my post, my apologies if my "voice" comes off a bit sassy... but I was really trying to paint a picture of what it's about with adding a sprinkle of humor where I could.
BTW - Gavin, we have a presenter on the fence due to a schedule conflict. Not sure if you attending this year -- if you are and re interested to give a talk, please email me.
-Donny
Survey Summit
> Thanks Gavin, I appreciate your comments.
>
> Re-reading my post, my apologies if my "voice" comes off a bit sassy... but I was really trying to paint a picture of what it's about with adding a sprinkle of humor where I could.
>
> BTW - Gavin, we have a presenter on the fence due to a schedule conflict. Not sure if you attending this year -- if you are and re interested to give a talk, please email me.
>
> -Donny
Donny = Good People. I've met him in person, so I can vouch for him. :-$
PS: Donny, I will be down thataway for Mothers Day. If you're around, let me know!! I'll be at Taylors on Thursday nights. B-)
ESRI Survey Summit>Colonial Surveyors
I appreciate Donny's comments, and Esri for bringing surveying to the forefront and attempting to make in inclusive instead of excluding us.
However, holding the conference in San Diego during some of our's most busy periods makes it extremely difficult to be included.
I really enjoyed the last ACSM joint regional conference that was help is Rhode Island about 10 years ago. That was my last national conference. I would be thrilled to have the time and dollars to head to San Diego, but it's not in my wallet to accommodate that pipe dream. Besides, leave Cape Cod in July? I live here so I can enjoy my summers!
Colonial surveyors are excluded with the exception of a few educators and government surveyors who can be sponsored to some degree. The rest of us "small" guys get left out in the cold, regardless of how hard we work! I would certainly attend if it was on the east coast, or maybe even the midwest, and if it was moved around regionally I'd be satisfied.
Thank you Donny for chiming in on the conversation and thank you for what you have done for our organization.
Don (disenfranchised colonial surveyor, with a cfeds certification).
ESRI Survey Summit>Colonial Surveyors
Don,
We've received a lot of feedback about the location of the summit - travel distance, cost, and time of year are the main concerns. These are all valid arguments. Unfortunately it's beyond my control to move the conference. This is the biggest feedback item I've yet to concur.
I can say this however: we've wrestled with creative ideas to create an East Coast version of this event for you "metes and bounds" folks*. This takes a few big partners to step up and make a big commitment (as you can imagine). It's still just talks at this time, but once we can announce anything - this chat room will hear it first.
*sorry Texas, this would still remain a flight destination event for you.
-Donny
