In our annual Leaders Forum, we ask the experts to look ahead into 2025. Today we talk surveying with Travis Gains from Survey Management Solutions.

What opportunities and challenges do you see in 2025?

The cost-of-living pressures and project cost overruns this year have been the dominant challenges facing the construction industry. We will increasingly utilise new technologies as they enable us to increase our client’s productivity and reduce their project spend. Typically, survey costs on most construction projects are a small percentage of the overall project value.

However, our teams are heavily integrated across all project aspects and are integral to the success of these broader project components. This positions us well to implement small-scale innovative solutions which, when amplified across multiple project components, deliver significant benefits.

What is your attitude to emerging tech such as AI?

We have a great record of being early adopters of emerging technologies and consider this vital to helping us to better meet our clients’ needs. A strong knowledge of GPS machine control systems, and collaborating with industry experts in hydraulic lockout systems, enabled us to take the concept of a 3D machine control excavator system with a hydraulic lockout system from an initial R&D stage through to a fully developed product with industry collaboration.

I see AI providing an important part in addressing the skills shortages in the industry as well as providing better digital solutions to help reduce project costs.

Can and should the geospatial sector work more co-operatively?

Yes. Despite having about 100 staff across four states, each day we work collaboratively with other surveying firms to help cover our projects and are very fortunate to have built some long-lasting relationships with our trusted subcontractor firms. Collaborating with other firms helps ensure our clients’ needs can be met.

It would be great to see more collaboration between the geospatial sector and government agencies, to use the immense data collected by surveying and locating firms across the country to update their databases.

What will you be keeping your eye on in 2025?

I am eager to see what new technology we can integrate to enhance our productivity and counter the skills shortage the industry is facing. We are particularly interested in technology that assists with project quantification and emerging software to streamline workflows in the digital engineering.

I will be keeping an eye on autonomous drones’ flights and emerging AI software developments in the digital engineering space. There has been some great technology released in 2024 for autonomous drones but, in terms of practical usage for our urban projects, we are yet to see this come to fruition with regulation approvals and would want to see some traction in this space before committing to embracing this technology.

What are your organisation’s plans for 2025?

After successfully expanding our offering to South Australia this year, we are looking to continue growing our team and capabilities in that state. We will also be targeting new growth areas and refining our capabilities in service locating and servicing infrastructure projects.