Still using pen and paper? You know who you are…
Lucia, Geospatial Sales Consultant from our Adelaide office, offers some advice about how you can kick your pen and paper habit with Trimble Terraflex…
“As a Sales Consultant at UPG, it’s my job to recommend the best Mapping and GIS solutions for my clients, so here I want to briefly talk about my experience with Trimble’s software platform TerraFlex, and how it can save your company time and money.
“In an age when technology knows no bounds, why is it that companies are still using pen and paper forms to collect data in the field? In short, it’s because finding the right software for your organisation can often lead to a complete technical jargon overload.
“When I first heard about TerraFlex, I assumed it was TerraSync or ArcGIS Mobile in app form. I now know it’s quite a different kettle of fish. The easiest way I describe TerraFlex is; it replaces pen and paper in the field – something that organisations are still relying heavily on. Not only is filling out paper forms difficult for the user, it often leads to confusion, inconsistency and lost information – think forms floating around somewhere in the backseat of a field truck. TerraFlex is a great alternative because you can create the form you need electronically and have it out in the field with you on your existing smart phone, Trimble handheld or tablet.
“It’s not a complex GIS mapping programme, it has been designed as a simplified data collection tool, with an efficient approach to collecting geo-located information. You start by creating forms on your desktop and pushing them through the cloud to your field device, then collecting data in the field by capturing or digitising your position and filling out the form, all the while being able to manage your data on your desktop. Any type of data can be collected in the field and it is fully functional offline, using Google Maps as its reference.
“The best thing is, all this data goes straight back to your desktop so you can manage it there as well. You can imagine as a manager how good this would be – pushing the relevant forms out to the relevant people and receiving all the data back in one place. Data administration and management is done for you. I have personally used it for collecting client contact information, but my clients use it for anything from emergency response management, to asset inspections, to vehicle start-ups.
“I have spent a considerable amount of time in my role at UPG listening to what organisations need. Consistently, I see managers searching for solutions that are easy to use, produce good quality data, save time, money, and reduce errors and risk. Well, I say… look no further because Trimble’s TerraFlex can do all of these things for your business.”
