Bright Future

There are times when you long for the future just a little bit more than at other times. This is probably one of those. The economy has been suffering from the worst global crisis in eighty years and signs of recovery, though frequent and widespread, often sink beneath the weight of new news asserting the opposite. Although I believe in its coming, recovery is clearly still fragile, perhaps because of the world-wideness of the recession and globalization that means a setback in Greece, for example, is felt in Norway. The good thing about this, on the other hand, is that growth in Australia is felt in Brazil, and new projects in China are having their impact on companies in the United States.

On the lookout for such positive indicators, I was pleased to meet up recently with Chris Gibson, vice-president of Trimble Survey Division, an interview with whom we carry this month on page 6. A true entrepreneur, he sees a lot of chances and opportunities coming from this global crisis. The survey business, and therefore the profession of surveyor, will change dramatically - and for the better of course. Don't play victim, says Gibson, but try to think outside of your domain and expand your horizons.

At Trimble they've identified their new strategy with this mantra in mind. Outcome: a key role in the process of decision making for the surveyor of the future, adding value for the customer in order to make it more successful. Trimble has made a key point of listening to customer needs in the process of identifying this new strategy, modelling it around market segments with cross-over technology and differentiating software to meet specific sector needs. Gibson feels truly optimistic and sees a bright future for surveying.

It's good to hear a buoyant view on the future of our business and, while no one has a crystal ball, it's clear adding value to products will be key; competition has grown, both in pricing and volume. There's a need to stand out, one way or the other. In land surveying and all its related fields, techniques might get commoditised over coming years, but surveyor expertise in data analysis and interpretation will be much more important.

You will be used to this slot being filled by editor-in-chief Roosmarijn Haring. Having guided GIM International for almost two years, Roosmarijn has moved on to new challenges. I would like to take this opportunity of thanking her and wishing her all the best for the future! As for me, it has been almost two years since I was last able to share my business views with you on this page. And although it was good to meet many of you at conferences and tradeshows all over the globe, I'm happy to be back here as well. Please share your thoughts, remarks, suggestions and questions with me via durk.haarsma@geomares.nl. In the meanwhile, I'd like to end my editorial with a wish for our business: to a bright future!