Response to Survey

This post summarizes the 20 or so responses to the original LA and IT survey post I sent out in May 2003. These 20 or so responses are documented at the ASLAcomputingBlog from the Digital Issues archive, 4 and 13 July 2003.

This was an online survey to get a rough idea of what landscape architects wanted or expected from Landscape Architecture Magazine, the ASLAcomputingBlog and the ASLA Computing Professional Interest Group.

In the first cut, I have categorized responses, into either, people not proficient in Internet research use (85% of the sample) and people proficient in Internet research use (15% of the sample). 85% of the responses were requests for how-to. I figured that those responses came from people who were unable to efficiently find answers themselves on the Internet. Most how-toís are not generic but have a personal and problem specific component. For resolution of these, the Internet is fantastic. Everyone should feel comfortable using the Internet as a primary research tool.

As a reference point, in 1994, nine years ago, Mosaic (later becoming Netscape) the first WWW browser was freely released to the public; and the WWW, often mistakenly called the Internet by newcomers, is certainly that part of the Internet most easily and regularly accessed by people in general. Comment No. 3 below provides links for moving forward in your understanding of research on the WWW. Find time to do this right. This tool should not be underestimated.

Now, to the survey response summary: the original questions were:

1. Why did you pay to belong to the ASLA Computing Professional Interest Group?

2. What are the two most pressing office IT issues you face on a daily practical basis or on a strategic office management basis?

3. What do you expect on IT from Landscape Architecture Magazine and the ASLA Computing Professional Interest Group?

4. After four months of links to IT articles, do you find ASLAcomputingBlog useful?

The 20 responses demonstrate some commonality which I address as follows:

EHF Comments:

1. Select responses document the office and classroom turmoil that has been generated by pre-digital managers and pre-digital professors faced with post digital younger professionals. It will continue until the post-digitals become the gray hair decision makers.

It is chaotic, but instructional as team members collaborate with different tools on different projects as if each time was the first time. Instructional in that when working with multiple software types, multiple file formats, and changing team members, many different work paths are uncovered when seeking the final results, demonstrating that there is more flexibility in the work process, and the software tools than most people, without that experience, might imagine.

 

2. Some responses were based on the 'bleeding edge' urban legend. In the late 80's through to the mid to late 90's, there was truth in bleeding edge...there was truth that before you could learn one latest version of this or that, a new one or a new latest thing emerged to render the recent learning curve a bloody mess. And the costs of those upgrades and rethinks exploded every overhead budget. Impossible for about a decade!

Now, not true. Versions have stabilized. Software has stabilized. Hardware speeds have stabilized. Fear not the bleeding edge. Don't believe me? Do your own research online.

 

3. Lots of requests, expectations for LAM and ASLA Computing PIG, to provide help in basics, file format interchange, perspective/plan rendering techniques, CAD techniques, GIS techniques, data management, network management. These boil down to inability to use the Internet in general and the WWW, specifically, as a research instrument. Please visit the ASLAcomputingBlog category The Kernels.

People expect simplified answers, concise recommendation in a complex environment. What is the old story...do you give the poor man a fish to eat, or do you teach him how to fish for himself. Spend 4 hours learning how to use those search engines. Learn how to find your own answers. I can not be direct enough about this...because...

Most how-to questions are quite unique to the particular circumstances of the person seeking answers. But recently one email I received asked a generic question about starting out a home office...what to do. Iíd like to use that question and the following exchanges as a basis to exchange and compare different ideas and approaches to the components and issues of a home office. I have posted it on the ASLAcomputingBlog with this link.  Please visit, read and comment.

 

4. Some mentioned that ASLAcomputingBlog needed more editing or was too geekish. These comments reflect attitudes that come from TV watching, ie, you get what is dished out. It is not like this on the Internet. The Internet does not come into its own until the user takes the initiative and squeezes it, edits it, filters it to find the answers to questions. It is important to get out of the TV/spoon-fed mode otherwise the Internet does not work.

On the ASLAcomputingBlog, with the comment option, you have the opportunity to re-focus the topic to your specific concern. Please try to take advantage of that.

 

5. Many responses document uncertainty about the function of ASLAcomputingBlog. It is this. First, it is a source of filtered links to news across the digital spectrum because all of this has impact on our landscape profession, on our landscape work process. The idea is you follow the links that interest you and forget the others.

Then if you find a useful link, it is up to you to pursue it further. The ASLAcomputingBlog is not pre-packaging answers for you, it is providing paths for you to search, to discover the edge for your work. That edge is not in the past tense, it is in the future tense. That edge is not what we have seen, it is where we want to get. You search, you analyze, you decide. You've got to love this stuff. Democracy, free market...solving your own problems.

Additionally, ASLAcomputingBlog is a center and archive for ideas, discussions about digital stuff and landscape architecture. This is why there is a comment feature that allows each reader to comment, and to provide WWW links.

That's all there is to the ASLAcomputingBlog.

These survey responses, and the above Comment 3 request for initial home office set up suggested to me that another section be added to the ASLAcomputingBlog. The blog already is divided into:

     A. Home Page that has the filtered news articles, and new postings;

     B. Digital Issues are hardware, software, networking, file formats, archiving;

     C. Geography that includes social and natural sciences, arts, humanities and philosophy;

     D. Graphics that is about code to communicate what is to become a built real world project;

     E. Landscape Architecture that is about everything that the members of the ASLA do, and;

     F. Project Implementation that is about building real world projects.

I have added a section, a category called, The Kernels. The Kernels will tell how or include links to how best utilize the Internet and all its faces, WWW, email, usenet, FTP, Telnet, Finger and the like.

The Kernels purpose/intent will be to help landscape architects come to grip with the research tools and resources of the Internet.

The ASLAcomputingBlog, as well as LArch-list, are only as rich as the range and diversity of positive energy each user contributes. So please stay involved.

Edward Flaherty

2:36:01 PM    

The Digital Spec

Recently, an ASLA Computing member asked me about setting up a home office--kind of like where to start??--we exchanged a few emails on the subject of what type of work would be brought in and what type of product would be needed.  That resulted in the following email that I sent which addresses not just home office but small office start up specification issues.

I have included it here to get feed back from readers on the range of issues addressed and the specifications suggested.

Please let me know.

Thanks,

Edward Flaherty

 

The email:

Here is the recommendation:

1. Learn how to be an ace researcher on the WWW.

2. Buy an AutoCAD product--the most recent version(ACAD 2004), general purpose--explore carefully the difference between the general product and AutoCAD light. The full product is better for your wide range of interests. Money an issue go to ACAD 2002, go to Ebay.

3. Don't bother with landCADD, spend your money on AutoCAD. I have been through almost all of the landscape specialized software and always end up with AutoCAD doing the work. The most important time saver will be one you have to make estimates and bid forms. You should set up your drawing to do this 'automatically' that will be a time saver for you if you have to set up estimates and bid packages.

4. Doing irrigation design? Rainbird has software. Google this one.

5. For graphic renderings you can get away with Adobe PhotoShop alone, worried about cost, get v6. Maybe get a Wacom Intuos graphic pad(6"x8") and pen.

6. For Planning Reports, Design Reports you can get away with Adobe InDesign(used to be PageMaker). Worried about cost, get PageMaker v6.5.

7. The process from the computer to the printer is expensive for a home office. Best bet is to find a good out-source digital print house--one that you can FTP or burn a CD and get one day turnaround on AutoCAD drawing packages, PhotoShop and InDesign graphics and reports. Check these out-source options carefully and fully before you try to set yourself up with the printing/plotting stuff at home. Standard work requirements include 8.5x11, 11x17, 24x36, and larger. Sometimes graphic reports require large numbers of copies. These require robust(expensive) equipment--not normally part of a home operation. Out-source printing is preferred.

8. Home computer? PC, don't need the latest, but get a good spec at a good price--Dell/Gateway. Get a BIG spec graphics card(spend money here--distinguish between a games card[which you don't need] and professional graphics card[which you do need] . Get 1GB memory(a must). Get a cable/DSL Internet connection(don't cheap here, get it!). Get a 21" monitor min. Get a CD burner. Use Windows XP for ease of working with others(although I am a Mac fan)(although other issues work against Microsoft)(but for ease of working with the crowd use Windows).

9. Establish a backup/archive routine for data and software because Windows will crash. ACAD and Windows go down and your project data is lost. You must adopt a practical backup strategy which will likely involve a separate hard drive say 80-240GB that gets written to automatically, certainly every night, if not more frequently), and an archive of CDs.

10. Once you have to network drives make sure to use gigabit Ethernet for your home network setup.  This allows faster transfer of large files which do occur especially if you have aerial photos as backgrounds to your plans or if you have larger than 11x17 PhotoShop files of 300dpi or higher, which is required for crisp reports or for marketing brochure/magazine publications.

There you go. That should give you something to think over.

Hey, we have not spoken about 3D, animation or video...but we can. Digital camera, video camera...projector for presentation...laptop for presentation...we can talk if you want.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2:19:00 PM    

The Kernels
This new category to ASLAcomputingBlog has been added as a result of the responses to the LA and IT online survey conducted via LArch-list and the ASLA Computers in Landscape Architecture Professional Interest Group membership May-July 2003.

The responses revealed the need for a category that covered the basics of online digital research.  Following is the first link to assist readers in learning how to get the most out of the Internet.

It is to A Basic Guide to the Internet that includes user friendly descriptions and useful links for:
     World Wide Web (WWW)
     Email
     Telnet
     FTP
     Email Discussion Groups
     Usenet News
     FAQ, RFC, FYI
     Chat and Instant Messaging
     MUD/MUSH/MOO/MUCK/DUM/MUSE

That link should give you the basics of what is; then this next is an academic beginners guide to the various Internet components.  It is a useful description of the research tools and how to use them, including:
     Email discussion group or Usenet news group
     Browsing, Directories and Search Engines
     The so-called Deep Web
     Research

Regarding the WWW specifically, Google provides excellent search how-to for both the WWW and newsgroups.

 

 

10:09:19 AM    

Some readers have asked for references to items related to GIS. 

Here are a selection of annotated links that can get you started:

1. "The premier portal for geospatial technology professionals"
Navigate around the advertising and you can find a wide range of useful and helpful links for your GIS interests.

2. GIS-list has a number of dependable and helpful contributors and does not have excessive noise (very few off-topic posts) and has about 10-12 posts/week traffic load. It caters to entry level as well as higher questions.  To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit this site.

3.Metadata-list:  anyone into GIS understands the need for and confusion around metadata and metadata standards.  This list has traffic on that subject, often striving to find a day-to-day practical standard in relation to the bells and whistles official standard(s). To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit this site.

9:44:31 AM