|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
From
the Publisher GeoTechnologies: From Sea of Dreams to Uncle Remus’ "Tar Baby" The XXII FIG International Congress–held April 19-26 in conjunction with the ACSM-ASPRS Conference and Technology Exhibition in Washington, D.C.–was an extraordinary industry event. Not only did the conference combine the influences of three distinctive organizations, its presence in the Washington area added an extra dimension because of the major influence our federal government has on this industry. Participation on the part of the surveying community may have been limited due to their provincial nature as compared to that of their remote sensing, mapping and photogrammetry brethren. Nonetheless, the event had an air of excitement and optimism that belied the economic malaise common to many sectors of our current economy. There was an eerie sense that our industry is immune, perhaps even above the economic conditions that exist elsewhere in the world. With GeoTechnologies applications so vital to military, government and commercial sectors in the areas of strategic and tactical operations, not to mention the business sectors that have yet to experience the benefits we offer, it is easy to see why this attitude is common throughout our industry. It was encouraging to see no fewer than three high-resolution satellite companies exhibiting their products and services at the conference. Space Imaging was there as the incumbent. DigitalGlobe was a breath of fresh air with the highest-resolution imagery commercially available and their customer/industry-friendly business model. And Israel’s ImageSat International finally had its coming-out party with a booth promoting their hi-res imagery and new ground station in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. With the activation of their second ground receiving station in Prince Albert (Saskatchewan), ImageSat will provide real-time downloading of imagery for much of the North American continent. The fourth contender for the hi-res imagery marketplace was also present. Orbimage is getting its house in order with their planned launch of Orbview 3 later this fall. A trend that has been occurring over the last few years is increasingly becoming a paradigm shift that will have dramatic repercussions for this industry. It is becoming pretty much a fact of life that if a company intends to compete in the mapping, photogrammetry and geospatial data conversion business - they must have an offshore component, or partner, to perform the labor intensive tasks. This is causing many mapping firms to reevaluate the services they can offer clients and raises concerns as to what will become of the US mapping industry. Another sign of the times is the disproportionate number of consultants - they seemed to make-up the largest group of professionals at the ASPRS conference and its an indication of how many people are between jobs in this industry. The flurry of acquisitions and consolidations that took place last year was noticeably absent at this meeting, replaced by calmer waters with the focus of each consolidated company on integrating its various acquired parts into a single, cohesive organization. Finding one’s sea legs and convincing all ships to sail in the same direction seemed to be the current course of action. Just as drops of oil on a pond congeal into larger blobs, the consolidation of all these disparate companies form voids of open water where new drops of oil replace those that formerly merged into one another. This cycle provides opportunities for both new and existing companies to fill the holes created by the various consolidations. I have often wondered what it is that makes our industry so attractive to investors and entrepreneurs when there have been so few huge payoffs on those investments? I’m guessing that it must be the intoxication of the GeoTechnologies itself. From navigating a bomb with precise, deadly accuracy to determining where to place the next shopping mall, it is difficult to imagine a situation in our lives where the GeoTechnologies cannot have an impact. It is this, I imagine, that causes hardened, astute venture capitalists, plus wily industry veterans, to take the plunge into these inviting, yet mysterious and uncharted waters. However, this is where the nautical metaphors end because, once committed, this industry has a way of transforming itself from a sea of dreams into the proverbial "Tar Baby" of Uncle Remus fame. Popularized by Joel Chandler Harris in the 1870s, the author heard Uncle Remus stories as a young boy, recited by plantation slaves as they worked the fields back before the American Civil War. The stories typically revolved around such animal characters as Br’er Fox, Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Wolf. One of the most famous of these stories tells of the time when Br’er Fox cooked up a way to get even with Br’er Rabbit for some former mischief. The fox mixed up some tar and turpentine and perched a straw hat atop this inanimate, yet perfectly believable character that became the Tar Baby. After happening upon this figure, Br’er Rabbit proceeds to pummel the Tar Baby as punishment for ignoring his attempts at conversation. First Br’er Rabbit smacks the Tar Baby with his right paw. The tar holds fast. Incensed because the Tar Baby will not let go, Br’er Rabbit smacks it with his left paw. That, too, remains stuck in place. As the rabbit continues to verbally lambaste the Tar Baby for not letting go of him, he head-butts it and kicks at it until he is hopelessly entangled. It is at this point in the story that Br’er Fox makes his appearance to ridicule Br’er Rabbit and threaten him with severe bodily harm. Although the rabbit manages to outsmart the fox, landing in the briar patch to live and fight another day, the metaphor is an obvious one. Just as with Br’er Rabbit’s fascination with the Tar Baby, many people view this industry’s unlimited potential with the same blind desire. They see an opportunity in telecommunications. "Blip," one arm gets stuck. Then location-based services comes along and "blap," another arm is stuck. Well, pipeline applications are a great business. "Plop," there goes the head. Then we have urban planning. "Squish," the foot’s next. Before you know it, our erstwhile entrepreneur is completely stuck and can’t even remember why he got into the GeoTechnologies in the first place. Now, while it is unlikely that those who invest or do business within this industry will go through Br’er Rabbit’s harrowing ordeal, we should always keep in mind that one man’s briar patch is another man’s sea of dreams. Being able to recognize which is which can make all the difference in the world, and in the wallet. Until next time... Cheers! |