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If I were to identify the one word that ties all my engineering interests and experiences together, it would be forensics. However, as opposed to the definition that pre-supposes that something bad has happened for forensics to be necessary, I prefer a much broader definition that says forensics is simply about gathering information, and not just after a catastrophic event.
Collecting information after natural and man-induced catastrophic events such as earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist attacks are among the highlights of my personal activities in post-disaster forensics. However, my experiences in practice and academia have all led me back to the same starting point that data (and I mean of both high quality and in sufficient quantity) is critical to the success of every project.
Whether monitoring instrumentation on an artificial sand island in the Arctic at -40oC (-40oF if you prefer) or recording earthquake damage in India at +40oC, I’ve come to appreciate not only the importance of data but also how you collect it! Unlike the popular phrase that says What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, when it comes to engineering data, What happens or doesn’t happen in the field, does come into the lab and the office.
Collecting geotechnical data in the field is only the beginning
But there is a little more to my personal philosophy about data and ultimately information (OK the academic in me has to talk a little too!) data is only the starting point. There are other important attributes about every piece of data that transform it into information. These attributes are the where and when of the data at what location did you gather the data and at what time (academics called these the spatial and temporal attributes of the data).
You can easily turn your field data in to project information
If you give me just data points (no time or location), then I have data. But, if you give me those same data points and where/when you recorded them, now I can use the data points as part of an information story. This information story is what drives, and often separates, our company’s approach from others’. We believe that as soon as you start collecting data for a project, if it is immediately usable (and this is why digital data collection is so central to our vision), you can use it to enhance the current project. Further, by knowing where and when it was collected, the impact of other events and conditions can be factored into your understanding. | 