There Is An App For That
There Is An App For That
I recently attended a meeting related to new technology and new start up businesses. Although it wasn't exclusively a gathering for software developers, the primary topics
discussed seemed to be in the area of software and "applications" (Apps) people were developing. I must say it was one of the more interesting meetings I've ever been to. It was like looking into the future. I felt like I was in a room full of future Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, and truth be told, I probably was.
Anyway, what I took away from that meeting was that if you think "Apps" are just a fad and they will eventually be going away, you couldn't be more wrong. As a matter of fact, Apps are going to be creeping into every aspect of our lives. Many of you reading this article will likely lose your job to an App at some point in the future. 
There is some amazing stuff going on out there. One of the presenters at the meeting I was at had built an App that could design an entire house based on the parameters you selected for that house. You just input the basics parameters like how many bedrooms you wanted, size of the rooms, number of bathrooms, etc... There were lots of input parameters, but when you finished, it would spit out about 25 different floor plans to select from (more were possible) and all the mechanical (electrical, plumbing, etc...) details, specs and materials that would be needed to build that house. It could do this in just a couple minutes once you input all the parameters. It appeared to be a very user friendly App too that was designed for the lay person. No Engineer, Architect or Auto-CAD needed. Probably need an Engineer or Architect to sign off on the final plans, but you don't need one to draw them up. What used to take weeks and cost $10,000-$15,000 or more, can now be done in about an hour. He has plans on expanding into commercial type buildings next. Don't ever think you aren't replaceable at some point.
There is some amazing stuff going on out there. One of the presenters at the meeting I was at had built an App that could design an entire house based on the parameters you selected for that house. You just input the basics parameters like how many bedrooms you wanted, size of the rooms, number of bathrooms, etc... There were lots of input parameters, but when you finished, it would spit out about 25 different floor plans to select from (more were possible) and all the mechanical (electrical, plumbing, etc...) details, specs and materials that would be needed to build that house. It could do this in just a couple minutes once you input all the parameters. It appeared to be a very user friendly App too that was designed for the lay person. No Engineer, Architect or Auto-CAD needed. Probably need an Engineer or Architect to sign off on the final plans, but you don't need one to draw them up. What used to take weeks and cost $10,000-$15,000 or more, can now be done in about an hour. He has plans on expanding into commercial type buildings next. Don't ever think you aren't replaceable at some point.
This brings me to the SampleServe.com App. Our App is similar to the App I mentioned above in that it automates what a lot of the Project Engineers/Geologists currently do on a daily basis. If you have a few minutes you can view a 3-minute slideshow explaining the App here.
The overall impact our App, and the likely eventual development of other Apps, will have on the environmental industry remains to be seen. After all, it can do in about 2 minutes what currently takes the typical Project Manager and Auto-CAD Technician about 2 days and a couple thousand dollars to do. It's hard to compete with that.
As with all technology, the innovators and the early adapters will benefit the most with the late adapters and laggards being the ones looking for the new job in a new industry. So where are you on this curve?
-Russell
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