Trends and megatrends

Introduction

CSIRO released its latest update today - 5 Sep 2012 - in a series entitled Our Future World. The 2012 revision is cited as follows:

Hajkowicz SA, Cook H, Littleboy A. 2012. Our Future World: Global megatrends that will change the way we live. The 2012 Revision. CSIRO, Australia.

The French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr is attributed with the maxim excerpted from Les Guêpes, (January 1849) that is usually translated into English as:

The more things change the more they remain the same.

If an important human purpose is to maintain a meaningful existence for a lifetime and leave the world in a state that does not prejudice the chances that future generations can also survive meaningfully, then our production systems need to reflect stability rather than the the crisis-filled management of boom and bust  Some smoothing and stabilisation becomes important to maintain employment, housing, and food production as well as  continuity in income for an ageing population less reliant on savings or social welfare.

Megatrends

Many of the things that CSIRO has identified as megatrends relate to systems for producing goods and services that contain elements of continuity that have not changed for millennia. These elements may be likened to a fundamental metabolism - the ability to ingest food, water and air of adequate quality as part of maintaining physiological and psychological health in human beings. This requirement for producing and consuming metabolites extends to a community problem that extends to supporting people who are too young, too old or incapacitated in some way to contribute fully towards their own upkeep.

The ability to do more with less will depend on human ingenuity in using the resources at hand more effectively. The pathway needs to be seen in terms of changing circumstances that influence what will be produced and how it can be done.

The surveying and mapping industry in Queensland has undergone considerable progress since the 1960s in becoming more responsive to 

John S Cook, An interpretation of current progress towards an industry model for Queensland's surveying and mapping industry. In 39th Australian Surveyors Congress, 8-13 November 1998, Launceston, TAS., reissued as a digital version on 8 August 2012 with revised references to online digital content.

Further comment will be made on many of these issues at QSSC2012 - the conference to be held on 13-14 September 2012 at the Brisbane Convention Centre.

Recent representations to Parliamentary Committees

CSIRO's 2012 Update is already common knowledge to competent socioeconomic analysts. It is important nonetheless in providing a readable, credible and authoritative expression of opinion that is likely to filter into news stories about current affairs and become more widely appreciated within a broader community.

Moreover, the key messages serve to reinforce the advice from the Queensland Division of the Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (QSSSI) through its Land Resources Commission (LRC) to two current parliamentary Committee Inquiries.

The ability of a profession to change to meet the needs of the public

A fascinating read if you have the time is tracing the history of the profession through the directions governing cadastral surveys and plans in Queensland since 1847. These directions are available for DNRM on CD for those who do not have it.

I believe it is only when you understand the rules and  regulations of those whom we follow that can you truly appreciate how to apply our land tenure system and how the profession has evolved to what we have today. 

History of the profession

The directions under which surveyors practice and operate has evolved from a two page document in 1848 to 206 pages in 2012. The registrar directions for the preparation of survey plans has evolved from 2 pages in 1890 to only 118 pages.

The profession through these regulations has shown the ability over time to evolve and adapt with  changes and technology and public need. 

One example of this is the recent changes to the rules that govern survey of land fronting an ambulatory boundary in Queensland. The profession has again been tested and has come up with a solution to the change in public policy to preservation of public waterways and beaches. This will not be the last....

An interesting example of why surveyors need to set the regulations not others......

At the forefront of most in relation to surveying is accuracy. But it is surprising that the accuracy requirements for performing rural surveys has not changed since the 1898 directions to surveyors which stated a limit of error of closure of 1 link in 50 chains or 1:5000. Wages have increased since 1898 (slightly)..

Most people would say that is crazy....Surveyors measure more accurately now than they did in 1898,why haven't they changed and increased the accuracy specification to that equivalent to what is being used. Well to a surveyor like me I believe there has been no need for change as this regulation still meets the public need.

A need to organise and participate

Anticipating the public need is important in how we regulate the profession and how it remains viable.

I think there are real challenges that lay before the profession especially from the perspective of number of people who will administer land in the future. A growing need and a reduced workforce. We (the surveying profession)  need to get smarter and more efficient in the way land is managed to deal with this to meet the future 'public need'.

I hope surveyors can lead the regulatory reform that effects the Surveying profession in Queensland through recent changes in technology and public policy,  rather than being lead by those who do not have an understanding of the history and importance of the profession and our regulations to meet the needs of the public.