QUESTION 4 One of the areas I know you have developed a specialism in is synthetic yacht rigging. What was it about this subject that interested you to want to develop your skills to a higher degree; and what implications are there for surveyors who do not understand this new technology as it gathers pace?
Most technology evolves through evolutionary change and it is not often that disruptive technologies emerge, and synthetic rigging is one of those. Disruptive technologies create space for and enables innovation. It is this innovation that captures my interest to understand a new technology and how it will change the status quo. My work as an Information Technology Consultant has demanded that I constantly keep abreast of technology, so I naturally embrace the marine discipline in the same way.
“If you always do what you’ve always done you’ll always get what you always got.”
- Henry Ford
Synthetic rigging increases the suite of specialised and differentiated services that a marine surveyor can offer, so it is beneficial for marine surveyors to understand the technology so that they can offer these services. It is prudent for practitioners to be ahead of the new technology curve so they can start to provide services to early adopters. Boat owners and marine Insurers are always unsure of the suitability and reliability of emerging marine
technology and look to organisations like IIMS and its practitioners to provide practical insights, guidelines for inspection and service life.
QUESTION 5 Given your background in and knowledge of IT, what do you feel will be the impact and significance of technology on the general life of a marine surveyor over the next 10 years?
Without a doubt, every industry is being impacted by the exponential rate of technological change these days.
The Third Industrial Revolution was the computer revolution, starting in the 1960s, that brought us the mainframe and then personal computing, as well as the internet.
Currently the Fourth Industrial Revolution is playing out, which will affect governments, businesses, and economies in very substantial ways.
There is significant change to come, as there are at least three differences between this revolution and the previous ones:
• Speed: The speed of change is even greater
• Change is not related to one area: It is an interplay between many technologies, accessibility and affordability of complex technologies will enable them to spread faster and farther.
• Innovation is driving entire systems: It is not about innovation of a single product or service.
“We’re just at the beginning of an explosion of intelligent software”. - Tim O’Reilly
In my opinion the technology advances which will significantly enable marine surveying will be:
• Artificial Intelligence • Machine learning • Spatial Computing in particular (Augmented Reality and mixed reality) · Augmented Reality: guided workflows seamlessly integrated with wearables and mobile devices.
· Mixed Reality (MR): the merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualizations, where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in realtime.
• Digital ID / Digital Wallet technology
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new”. - Socrates
QUESTION 6 How important do you think it is for marine surveyors to keep their skills up-to-date and what role should continuing professional development play?
Professional development is essential, but it must be relevant, current, and easy to access. At a time when many industry specific organisations were fighting to remain relevant, Mike Schwarz brought new direction that ensured and highlighted the
132 | The Report • June 2021 • Issue 96
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