A New MobileGIS Workflow: Trimble Goes Device-Agnostic

Earlier this week, I stepped outside of the box I’ve resided in for many years when I wrote a GPS World article about a specific product. It was unusual because for the more than seven years I’ve been writing for GPS World, I’ve never written specifically about a certain product. No, I’m not caving into advertiser (or potential advertiser) pressure or influence. I don’t play that game.  I’ve chosen to write about specific products or services when I feel they represent significant industry changes.

Now, for Geospatial Solutions this week, I’m in the same predicament. So, for the second time in a week, I’m stepping outside of my box.

Since its incorporation, Trimble Navigation’s name has been synonymous with GPS devices. Its mission, at least to me, was to build GPS receivers and software solutions to sell its GPS receivers. Historically, the company has made it difficult for other companies to utilize their technology. I recall back in the 1990s when I was in charge of GPS mapping hardware/software for one of Trimble’s competitors. Trimble submeter GPS base stations blanketed the U.S. (and many parts of the world) and the company kept the data in the proprietary SSF format so that none of its competitors could use its base-station data. Trimble’s GPS/GIS ecosystem was closed to their competitors and their market share for GPS mapping devices (such as GeoExplorer or GeoXT/XH) dominated the GPS/GIS mapping industry. Trimble’s distribution channel thrived, which further contributed to its market dominance.

For a long time, the device-centric marketing strategy worked well for Trimble employees and shareholders. However, every party must come to an end, and this case is no exception.

In Trimble’s latest financial release (April 30, 2013), the company reported that GIS revenues declined in its third quarter and that “Non-GAAP operating margin was down primarily due to product mix in GIS sales.”

The days of high-end GNSS receivers dominating the GIS data-collection market are coming to an end. Yes, there will be some innovative new features like inertial positioning, MEMS and other positioning technologies that will allow manufacturers to command a higher price, but the cost of mainstream, high-precision GNSS devices is declining and will continue to decline. Furthermore, tablets and mobile phones muddy the waters as they are increasingly more powerful devices that can run powerful data-collection software.

What is Trimble doing about this?

This week, the company introduced the Trimble TerraFlex software ecosystem.

I saw a sneak preview of the concept a couple of months ago. When I saw it, I knew it was a paradigm shift from the classic Trimble device-centric ecosystem to a device-agnostic, workflow-centric ecosystem.

Translated: You can use any mobile device and/or GPS receiver of your choosing within Trimble’s TerraFlex ecosystem.

Perhaps the coolest feature of the software is that you can run it on an Apple (iOS 5 or later), Android (4.x or later), or Windows Mobile (6.5 or later) device. In these days of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to work, that’s a powerful feature. Support for Windows Phone devices is missing, but that’s understandable because of the lack of traction for those devices to this point.

TerraFlex supports iOS (5 or later), Android (4.x or later), and Windows Mobile (6.5 or later)

Of course, it’s still an ecosystem, so although the mobile apps are free, you must subscribe to Trimble’s cloud service ($250/year per user), much like using the free ArcGIS for Android/iOS/WindowsMobile apps requires an Esri cloud subscription. However, at $21/month it’s very affordable and flexible. Use any GPS/GNSS receiver you like and use the mobile device you are comfortable with.

With the desktop software, you can build the data-collection form for the mobile device, complete with attributing.

TerraFlex Form Editor for designing mobile device data-collection forms

In speaking with the Trimble marketing folks about the ecosystem, their intent is not only to reach the traditional people involved in GIS data collection, but also those who aren’t, such as a city public works crew, a utility worker, a construction worker or others who are already comfortable with the mobile device they carry. Will it work? Perhaps, but it will take someone at the enterprise level to assume the lead in designing the forms. Either way, it’s probably got the best potential to reach the non-GIS market that I’ve seen so far.

However, building a better mousetrap doesn’t always work. In 1960, Jerome McCarthy published Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach, which discussed the four Ps of marketing: product, price, promotion, place (distribution). With geospatial technologies, especially geospatial hardware, place (distribution) has played an important role. In fact, dealer support can make or break a new product or deny a company access to the market. In thinking about Trimble, its mapping and GIS division (in its various forms) has built a strong dealer network over the past 20+ years, and salespeople in its distribution channel have been selling device-centric products since the beginning. This is going to be a serious issue in promoting Trimble’s TerraFlex software. Trimble dealer salespeople are accustomed to selling hardware, not services. Furthermore, Trimble dealers are accustomed to receiving 20 percent margin on GPS receivers that sell for thousands of dollars, and sales of those devices has been pretty easy due to Trimble’s market dominance. That won’t be the case with TerraFlex. It’s a new concept that will require the salesperson to sell the concept, not a device that one can hold in one’s hand. How seriously will salespeople promote a service that sells for $250/year per device? How can one convince and transform a dealer salesforce from being device-centric to workflow-centric? That task may be more difficult to accomplish than the effort it took to design and write the TerraFlex software.

Thanks, and see you next time.

Follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GPSGIS_Eric

Webinar This Thursday

Nightmare on GIS Street: GNSS Accuracy, Datums and Geospatial Data

Date: Thursday, June 20, 2013
Time: 10 a.m. PDT / 1 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. GMT

Summary: A look at the challenge of dealing with horizontal datums in your GIS. We are moving into a new era in dealing with datum transformations. Geodata 2.0 is coming, and it can create big headaches when attempting to combine disparate geospatial databases. Sensors such as GPS receivers, remote sensing imagery, and 3D scanning provide much more accurate data, setting up a collision with outdated and mismatched legacy horizontal datums.

Speakers:

Kevin Kelly, Geodesist, ESRI, Inc.
Kevin Kelly is a Geodesist with ESRI in Redlands, California where he researches and implements geodetic algorithms and applications for the ArcGIS software. His experience spans over 35 years in hydrography, geodesy, surveying and most recently, geographic information systems. He has held the posts of Manager of Geodetic Services for the Province of Ontario, Chief Geodesist for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Military Survey Department and Senior Project Surveyor for The Keith Companies (now Stantec, Inc.). Mr. Kelly received a Master of Applied Science in Geodesy at the University of Toronto, Canada and holds an Honors Diploma in Hydrographic Surveying Technology from Humber College in Toronto. He is also a licensed Geodetic Surveyor in the Province of Ontario, Canada.

Craig Greenwald, Technical Director, GeoMobile Innovations
Craig Greenwald is the Technical Director and a principal at GeoMobile Innovations Inc. He has worked in the GPS and Mobile GIS industry for over 13 years, including seven years for GIS software leader, ESRI and is well known for his work on the ESRI ArcPad team. Craig leads the GeoMobile software development and consulting team specializing in Mobile GIS and field data collection applications and technology providing Mobile GIS software, consulting, and training services to GeoMobile Innovations? clients. Craig has real world experience designing, implementing, and consulting on all sizes of projects, ranging from local campground trash mapping to the U.S. national census, and has been a key developer in GeoMobile?s commercial applications such as LaserGIS for ArcPad and Geo-Photo Inventory Tool for Garmin GPS solutions.

Michael L. Dennis, RLS, PE, Geodesist, NOAA
Michael L. Dennis, RLS, PE, is a geodesist at NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) where his duties include analysis of geometric (“horizontal”) and vertical datums; evaluation of data processing and survey network adjustment procedures; development and promotion of standards and guidelines; integration of NGS products and services with GIS; and public outreach. Mr. Dennis is also a registered professional engineer and surveyor with private sector experience, including ownership of a consulting and surveying firm. Mr. Dennis is an officer of the American Association for Geodetic Surveying (AAGS), an American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) Fellow, and a member of the Arizona Professional Land Surveyors Association and the Geomatics Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Moderator:

Eric Gakstatter, Editor of Geospatial Solutions Monthly and Survey Scene
Eric Gakstatter has been involved in the GPS/GNSS industry for more than 20 years. For 10 years, he held several product management positions in the GPS/GNSS industry, managing the development of several medium- and high-precision GNSS products along with associated data-collection and post-processing software.

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