The Nigerian Institution of Surveyors has advised its members to be innovative in the discharge of their functions, as well as acquire new skills due to the dynamic nature of the profession.
Speaking at the 37th Annual Olumide Memorial Lecture in Abuja, the President, NIS, Alabo Charles, told surveyors at the event that the profession of surveying prides itself as being the primary source of any developmental project.
He said, “As much as that is true, what have we done to establish primacy and dominion over our environment? The surveying and geo-informatics profession is a leader and should always prime itself for that role, ready to adapt and innovate.
“We are faced with challenges of technology every day. Yes we use them but we need to find a way to establish usefulness to relevance with the work of other professionals not only in the built industry but across the society.”
Charles told his listeners that the present day society was beset with advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
“We now have Building Information Modelling that integrates all professionals’ input into a model that facilitates professional communication and actions to ensure timely project actualisation,” he stated.
The NIS president added, “BIM also engenders effective cost management and project quality, performance evaluation and control, as well as timeline management.
“We must therefore evolve and adapt in our skills sets to ensure that we retain primacy and relevance in the industry.”
In his address, the guest speaker, Prof. Akin Osibogun, who spoke on the theme, ‘Microbes and Disease as Existential Threats: The Need for Constant Watchfulness,’ urged surveyors to be conscious of the fact that they had high exposure to microbes due to the nature of their job.
He said, “You are always breaking new grounds and in breaking new grounds, you come across microbes, which is why you need to know how to stay safe, especially when coming in contact with some microscopic organisms.
“Microbes can knock out a surveyor if not dealt with adequately. Microbes cause disease and a disease will not spare its target. So, you have to be careful with your drinking water sources when you are in the field.”
Source: Punchng
