GPR scanning can be a solitary trade, especially for those GPR professionals that are flying solo. In a recent LinkedIn post, we talked about a gift we were making for our true love: the ground penetrating radar (GPR) industry. We spent over two-and-a-half years creating and refining this present — and it’s finally ready to be unveiled.
Founding board members Forrest Sim of Enhanced Scanning, Jan Francke of Geolitix, and Andy Kitson of Murphy Geospatial proudly introduce the GPR Consortium, the first and only global professional association specifically for GPR professionals. Why consortium, you ask? Well, in this context it means a group “formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member.” In other words, it’s a collective, collaborative effort. It’s our gift to the industry and its growing customer base.
The Seeds Are Planted
When we first started this business, we were on an island. Sure, there were others in the ground penetrating radar field, but they were all on their own islands, far away from us and each other. There was no one to confer with, bounce ideas off of, get advice from.
Even if we ventured off our island once in a while, we found our ship was without a rudder. We had no idea what others in GPR scanning were doing, which made it difficult to know what services we could be integrating into our current offerings or how we could improve the quality of our existing GPR solutions.
What the GPR industry needed was a formal association of like-minded individuals, GPR professionals who wanted more ground penetrating radar training and a way to teach others their tricks of the trade.
We began reaching out to others in the GPR scanning niche and discovered that a lot of professionals wanted more connection with members of the international GPR community. They knew they were missing out on growing their knowledge through continuing education from GPR professionals around the world. They also knew they had knowledge of their own that they could share if only they had a forum in which to share it.
Lifting All Boats
Our mission for establishing the GPR Consortium is to collaborate with other GPR scanning professionals in other parts of the country and world to discuss industry standards, consolidate digital resources, analyze disparate data, increase networking opportunities, and spread the word about the capabilities of GPR technology. Achieving these goals will result in more comprehensive, higher-quality deliverables for all GPR customers.
You’ve probably heard the saying, “a rising tide lifts all boats.” The GPR Consortium is the rising tide and members who join and participate will all greatly benefit from its mission through deeper, more expansive industry knowledge. What’s even better is that as membership and the GPR industry grow, the tide will only continue to rise. No boat will be left behind.
GPR Consortium Membership Benefits
We intend the Consortium to be a sincere gift to all ground penetrating radar professionals and we’ve invested our own time, energy, and resources to build the elements of this gift so that it offers value to everyone involved. While we intend to continue expanding the benefits of membership based on the needs of participating professionals, we already have a robust set of perks available upon joining. These are:
- Learning Center: find videos, articles, and other media from our Consortium members
- Networking opportunities: connect with other GPR professionals in your city, across the country, or on the other side of the world
- Member Map: customers will be able to find you when they need you
- Classifieds: find ground penetrating radar equipment for sale or list your own equipment for members to buy; also list and find job openings from around the world that are just for GPR practitioners
- Industry Relations: discover companies that cater to GPR professionals
- Discussion Forum: ask a question, debate a topic, educate a member, and more in a discussion forum that is readable by the public but requires a membership for interaction
- Member Involvement: make your voice heard in the industry
- Member Pages: create a webpage for your company and benefit from the Consortium’s global footprint
- Negotiated Discounts: save money on supplies and equipment for your business
- Member Directory: see and be seen by other Consortium members to create partnerships, share jobs, and more
- Consortium Emails: communicate privately with other members through a secure email server
- Marketing Opportunities: advertise your services above our Member Map and at the bottom of our home page to attract more customers
Discover the GPR Consortium Now
The GPR Consortium website just went live and we’re looking forward to welcoming our new members soon. At Enhanced Scanning, we have always lived by the motto, “no one of us knows more than all of us,” and now we have a GPR association that allows all of us to teach and learn from each other. Let’s lift all GPR professionals’ boats together.
Visit the GPR Consortium’s website now to get more information about our labor of love and learn how to become a member.