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There is a technology shift going on right under our feet, and it may be the first one for some generation Xers.

We recently put a proposal together for a good client at the coast to design the reconstruction of about 1.25 miles of roadway. We got several proposals from surveyors to perform the surveying, and the best value (and lowest price) was a stationary laser survey. Like all technologies, the initial cost of entry has been fairly steep. But as it gains acceptance and shows value, the costs have come down. The almost photographic data density will likely cover any needs to resurvey for missing data.

At a recent presentation by the American Public Works Association, some younger surveyors expressed concern about their place and contributions. The high-tech solutions of the past – EDMs, GPS and mirrors – look like they are going to be quickly surpassed. Some who are still active practitioners learned surveying with theodolites, chains and logarithms. They had to include sag and temperature corrections for the calculations. The surveying world of today sees these as quaint anachronisms.

Those who practice the various professions in our industry work at full speed to keep up with the competition and make a reasonable living. They occasionally take a breath and look up and notice that someone has brought forth a new technology. For example, the CAD world is in continuous revolution as new tools are introduced. Modeling, once the realm of plastic parts and glue, is now a virtual process and in the mainstream.

Available technologies force a new approach for the construction industry. Our customers are always demanding a higher quality product. They don’t understand leaky roofs or windows. (If we can put a man on the moon, then why does the window in my condo leak?) And as professionals, our goal is to deliver a trouble-free project.

Some of these technologies blur the lines of the players in the industry and create new relationships, or cause them to come full circle. The idea of a separate designer and builder is a relatively new one. Traditionally, they were one and the same. Virtual modeling invites engineers, architects, builders, lawyers and accountants to develop a more interconnected relationship, a more vertically integrated industry. Fundamental business needs of profit and value will not be put aside. Those with new, successful business models will sweep the old away.

Who would have guessed five years ago that 50 percent of music sales would be online?

Christian Steinbrecher is the president of Ukiah Engineering Inc. and a senior consultant at Capital Project Consultants. Contact him at [email protected].