Eighth Response:

...received on 23 June 2003, 5PM...

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

1. What are the two most pressing office IT issues you face on a daily

practical basis or on a strategic office management basis?

Very quickly, I think that our "most pressing issue" would have to be our

output hardware. With the amount of work that we produce, our plotter is not

very fast and you really need to coordinate with others when you will be

able to produce your set of drawings.

Again, keeping with the hardware discussion, we have to send out any large

format prints to be scanned or copied.

High quality equipment is quite expensive and if you are not using the

equipment, particularly, large format scanners and copiers on a regular

basis, it's hard to see the benefit of even buying one of these devices.

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

2. What do you expect on IT from Landscape Architecture Magazine?

Probably a section highlighting new software and hardware that makes LAs

life a little easier and continue to relay the message about useful

websites.

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

3. After four months of links to IT articles, have you found

ASLAcomputingBlog useful? ...entertaining?

Interesting articles, visit the site occasionally.

ehf annotation:  Perhaps there is something going on about digital graphic work, as a process through which a data file moves.  Earlier comments addressed moving files between different software programs.  This reader talks about the output of those files as deliverables.  Is there a structural outline that, enables one to see how to move that file through its process, and that works at one level for the small office and, with a bit of up-scaling, works at other levels for medium and large offices? 

Perhaps students could be taught the structure and process of moving a data file through a prototypical 'real project' in school?

3:03:08 PM    comment []

Seventh Response:

...received on 23 June 2003, 3PM...

 

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

Interest Group?

I wanted to keep up to date with landscape architecture computer related

trends and to be able to connect where possible at the ASLA with the

computer professionals.

 

2. What are the two most pressing office IT issues you face on a daily

practical basis or on a strategic office management basis?

One of the ongoing issues is the administrative aspects of running the

computer environment. This, of course, varies dramatically from school

to school but I spend significant time looking for money, software

updates, replacement cycles, integrations between applications.

 

3. What do you expect on IT from Landscape Architecture Magazine and

the ASLA Computing Professional Interest Group?

Landscape Architecture Magazine - I don't expect that they would have a

monthly article (series) devoted to IT but I do think that they should

have occasional articles. Could they explore an alternating series with

another topic?

ASLA Computing Professional Interest Group? I think this would be a

good topic for discussion at the next meeting. I really only expect that

amount from the group that I individually put into. At this point I

have not been able to contribute to the professional group because of

pressing obligations from teaching, service and research but I would be

open to the idea of discussing what members could do to contribute.

 

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

ASLAcomputingBlog useful? ...entertaining?

I have looked at this about twice a month.

Please let me know if I can be of further service.

David

2:52:04 PM    comment []

Sixth Response:

...received on 23 June 2003, 1PM...

>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

Group?

To stay informed.

>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>2. What are the two most pressing office IT issues you face on a daily

>practical basis or on a strategic office management basis?

How to teach students--through broad exposure or limited in-depth knowledge.

How to keep current, so I can prepare my students

>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>3. What do you expect on IT from Landscape Architecture Magazine and the

>ASLA Computing Professional Interest Group?

I love the NY TImes weekly digital section; a LA version of one of

those articles in LAM every month would be great!

>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

>useful? ...entertaining?

 

I just don't have time to visit sites. As a Dept Chair, I am always behind!

Regards,

Beth

ehf annotation: The NY Times weekly digital section attraction is that it is a summary, a filtering of a huge amount of digital news, made readable to end-users like ourselves.  It is the intent of this blog to work that crowd and gradually bring broader awareness of the digital issues in IT and LA.

2:46:20 PM    comment []

Fifth Response:

...received 23 June 2003, 11AM...

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

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

Group?

To see what the IT state of the art is for LAs. Network with other

like minded LA folks.

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

2. What are the two most pressing office IT issues you face on a daily

practical basis or on a strategic office management basis?

Moving data from GIS to CAD to graphic presentation worlds

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

3. What do you expect on IT from Landscape Architecture Magazine and the

ASLA Computing Professional Interest Group?

 

The different points of view on design computing including the null

position that LAs don't need design computing. This could be a sort

of count counter point article.

Also how about featuring the top ten LA firms with regard to design computing.

Also how about the top ten schools when it comes to design computing.

This would be interesting to be international with the German schools

and maybe Edinburgh.

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

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

useful? ...entertaining?

It would be if more people participated.

Once a week.

Madis

ehf annotation:  The last two posts highlighted the issues of graphic file formats and the irregularities often encountered when moving them from CAD and GIS primarily vector image programs into the primarily raster image programs like PhotoShop. 

2:39:29 PM    comment []


2:32:40 PM    comment []

Third Response:

...received on 23June2003, 1PM...

 

Hi, Ed. I'm not able to answer the questions as fully as you might like,

but I thought you might like an academic's perspective, as opposed to a

practioner-dependent-on-IT-on-a-daily-basis perspective.

I need the IT articles to stay current and to argue with colleagues and

administrators about what we need to buy to stay ahead of the edge in our

courses. I learn so much about the advances, advantages and disadvantages

from the IT pieces, and I'm not at all fluent in Computerese. That's why

the LAM articles are so important - I know they are selectively aimed at

people who see this as vital information and I can count on them to be

concise about it.

I don't have time to be current on everything so the LAM articles give me

just enough knowledge to be able to get my end of the job done - preparing

young people for practice. I don't follow through on the links or other

resources listed but I'm often forwarding them to my students.

2¢ worth, and thanks for looking into this.

Virginia

ehf annotation:  This comment again supports the problems of the shifting paradigm--learning new ways to communicate the basic, the fundamental, the core landscape architecture heritage.  Many professionals, myself included, need to have an oversight picture of the direction and tools of IT/digital landscape architecture.  But this is only part of the story and it leaves a gap for exploring these tools and their impact on the design process, the design forms, the design production. 

We have yet to see an emerging body of research on these in landscape architecture.  While in urban design(new geography speak for landscape architecture) and geo-computation, the body of research into these things is growing nicely in places like the Center for Advanced Spatial Analysis(CASA) at University College, London.  Check out these working papers on line, and while you are there look into the research and publications; and also, please look at the GeoVista Center at Penn State.

10:42:48 AM    comment []

Second response:

...received on 22June2003, 5PM...

 

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

Group?"

1) General interest & to see what others in the profession are doing.

Our primary IT use is Autocad; a small bit of "Powerpoint"; and Mosrosoft

Access for office data.

 

"2. What are the two most pressing office IT issues you face on a daily

practical basis or on a strategic office management basis?"

2) Taking the time to teach non-techies like me how to print/plot at a

specific scale when the techies are not in the office.

I would love to be more streamlimed / efficient in the relationship between

my "Address Book" (Palm V) and my email. Cutting & pasting addresses, email

archiving, etc.

 

"3. What do you expect on IT from Landscape Architecture Magazine and the

ASLA Computing Professional Interest Group?"

3) Barely have time to read LAM. My expectations are modest.

 

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

useful? ...entertaining?"

4) Very infrequent visits.

Best, Jim

ehf annotation:  The turmoil generated by a changing communication paradigm--analog hand communication to digital IT communication will not dissipate in a 5 or 10 or maybe 25 year window.  It will take a generational shift.  When generation-long geek-friendly landscape architects turn gray, then the questions like Jim's will have dissipated...until then...what you can get on the street rules.  Who can you find in the market place to ease these problems and still not ruin your profit margin?  Got to look in new places.  Not asla.org/joblink/resumes only. Need to be more creative, more breadth, more flexibility.   

10:15:38 AM    comment []

First response:

...received on 22June2003, 4PM...

 on 6/22/03 7:44 AM, Ed Flaherty at EHF@johnsoneng.com wrote:

> Please read the following questions, and please, send your answers and

> opinions in general and specifically:

Ed,

Below are my responses to your

latest email in order of questions asked:

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

Group?"

1) Because they made me. Actually, I did it assuming it would allow more

info exchange between interested and (I guess) up to date technology users.

I have an interest in this area and like to stay informed.

 

"2. What are the two most pressing office IT issues you face on a daily

practical basis or on a strategic office management basis?"

2) The most pressing issues related to maintaining required/expected/desired

technology are simply keeping up with the huge and fast paced changes in

hardware - its expensive, especially to be a pioneer. The second issue is

keeping up with software and OS changes. This includes keeping the bugs out

from the all important internet.

 

"3. What do you expect on IT from Landscape Architecture Magazine and the

ASLA Computing Professional Interest Group?"

3) I like to know about products that will make my day to day operation move

more smoothly and or quickly - and what the other guys are using and doing

with their stuff. I would also like to hear about competing products,

instead of the constant barrage from and about AutoCad and the "PC". Because

we are supposed to be free thinkers and looking at the whole picture, I like

to think that us Apple geeks aren't always left out. It is not right to push

products of only one company - makes it look like someone is getting paid

behind the curtain.

 

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

4) I like the links, but its a lot to review - even though you have

explained that you already have sorted from a much larger pool. I find

things of interest there and try to hit it every week or so.

In closing, I think your efforts have been better and more consistent than

in the past.

Because I haven't made it to a national meeting in several years, it would

be great to have LAM do a rundown on the tech lab (not sure what name it has

now) where software and hardware are showcased, following this year's

meeting.

Dave

ehf annotations: These comments reflect the breadth of IT concerns in any LA office.  The question is how can you solve these in your spare time in a small office.  My suggestion is the tech intern from a known local family. 4Jul2003

 

9:53:24 AM    comment []