This time last year, I was a FEMA employee working in the field of GIS. I was pondering at that time how to develop mobile GIS data collection software that worked on an iPad or iPhone and could be deployed into the field with the Public Assistance teams (their current process involves paper and GPS units, and a lot of data entry done in hotel rooms). This mobile app would need to be extremely easy to use, be able to feed data into a database, and the data be viewable on a live map. This was a challenging proposition, but one that excited me.
After a lot of effort in database configuration and testing, it became clear that I needed to think outside of the box, as I had experimented with dozens of mobile GIS data collection software solutions currently on the market. It was at that point that a coworker recommended that I “check out Fulcrum.”
Giving Fulcrum a try
That day, I signed up for a Fulcrum trial and immediately noticed its ease of use, flexibility, and mapping capabilities. Within a single day, I built a prototype app, deployed it to an iPad, and demonstrated a fully functioning version. I quickly realized that Fulcrum provides a GIS data collection platform simple enough to reach entirely new markets. Many users may not even recognize they are leveraging GIS technology while benefiting from its powerful capabilities. At the same time, Fulcrum offers GIS professionals a streamlined data collection platform that simplifies traditionally complex workflows. A new era has arrived, making costly and overly complicated GPS units a thing of the past.
This was so inspiring to me that I contacted Fulcrum’s CEO and VP and expressed my enthusiasm for their product, and it was shortly thereafter that I joined their team. I am now Fulcrum’s Product Manager, and I truly believe that Fulcrum is creating a paradigm shift in the way people collect data in the field. Using off-the-shelf tablets and smartphones, we have customers collecting data in some of the most remote locations in the world. The days of my GIS worldview requiring expensive and complicated systems are in the past. The future of GIS data collection is fast, easy and powerful.