Cloud computing is not quite as omnipresent as the computer in Star Trek, but … give it time. Cloud computing, or “the cloud,” is an interconnected group of powerful computers that collectively store data redundantly, host various services, and provide security.
To the geospatial community, the cloud has already proven itself by acting as a password-protected hub that offers various services to companies of all sizes. In a few years, the cloud has improved communication among all project team members and streamlined common workflows that are critical for the construction, surveying, and mapping industries.
GEOSPATIAL INDUSTRIES
So where does the cloud fit in the geospatial industry? Quite simply, it is the next technological step … the safe and secure ability to share information and project related data in real time.
However, the cloud is not merely FTP (file transfer protocol) data sharing. The technological ability to send and share data files has been around for decades. Simple file transfer functionality is not what the cloud is about.
Instead, a proven value of the cloud is owning and using a private cloud-based company account. By representing a company in the cloud, geo-referenced projects (future, current, and completed) now serve as containers for all related files. Plus, since these projects are geo-referenced, they are easily plotted on top of a vivid satellite image that streams in from a separate cloud service. By adopting new cloud-based workflows, the groundwork is laid for a complete project management system—a system that is secure and flexible and that will only grow.
We are now at the point where companies will want to carve out a chunk of the cloud to own and use privately. A comparable analogy might be to own a car versus using public transportation. With a car, there’s the option to leave at will, setting the interior temperature, listening to whatever music, and choosing the route to travel. However, with public transportation there is far less control and a seatmate that may or may not be your preferred choice.
Compared to private cloud-based company accounts, the open Internet can seem like loud and uncontrolled chaos, filled with websites demanding attention, threat of viruses, and daily distractions. The loud and public transportation bus of the Internet has now been replaced with private cloud-based company accounts.
A company that secures and adopts a chunk of the cloud can look back after a year of implementation and see dramatic improvements in workflow and daily processes. A cloud-based business will be faster and more efficient at what it does.
The cloud is all about services. Services that provide access and security for communication, office processes, centralized file storage, entertainment, and more. And recall that for maintenance and reliability, the cloud features a cluster or hive of interconnected computers that provide true redundancy. Therefore, if one server goes down the others take over—a company’s data and archives are never at risk and are never lost.
THE FUTURE IS HERE
The cloud is not just in the future—the cloud is here now. The novelty of the cloud has faded away and the expectation of readily available, ever-present services is now the reality. Moving forward, the global society will “expect” the cloud and its services to be constantly available.
In a few years, the cloud will be as common and expected as electricity. Like someone walking into a dark room and patting the wall, looking for the light switch—electricity is taken for granted. No one questions how electricity is made or how it got there in the room. The common expectation of electricity always being present and available is very much how it will be for cloud computing.
As with any new innovation, fears will diminish as the need grows. Business thinking and planning will shift from terms of non-cloud tasks versus cloud-oriented tasks. Business owners and department managers looking to hire the next crop of employees will notice that current college graduates have not just become accustomed to cloud technology, they expect it.
This whole backstory of technological evolution and the emergence of the cloud leads to the big question: How can the cloud help with profitable projects in the survey and construction industries? ■
Check out Part 2 of this article in the next issue of Modern Contractor Solutions. And remember, all articles can be found on www.mcsmag.com.
About The Author Oscar R. Cantu is a product marketing manager for software within Topcon Positioning Systems.
Modern Contractor Solutions, September 2014
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