THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Can you trust advanced tools without qualified professionals behind them?

To make confident decisions about renewable energy assets – from building a wind farm to monitoring dam performance or optimising asset management – owners and operators need precision data they can trust.

As the renewable energy sector becomes increasingly digitised, the quality of measurements matters more than ever. Digital twins, predictive analytics, AI-driven performance tools and remote operations all depend on reliable, precise and traceable data.

Good data provides visibility. It lets owners and operators detect faults or safety issues early, optimise performance, and protect reliability and revenue. For example, accurate turbine alignment during installation or refurbishment could save hundreds of thousands of dollars in downtime and maintenance.

However, data only provides value if it has the right level of accuracy for the job intended. If the data isn’t up to scratch, the decisions won’t be either.

Keeping pace with technology is a steep learning curve

Surveying has always been the backbone of infrastructure development, land management and industrial precision. From the early days of using theodolites and chains to today’s cutting-edge technologies like laser scanning, UAV photogrammetry and LiDAR, the discipline has evolved dramatically. Yet, one constant remains: the need for appropriately qualified and experienced professionals.

Surveying is far more than measuring distances – and achieving precision requires more than sophisticated instruments. It requires a deep understanding of geodesy, data integrity, error propagation and spatial analysis. Traditional instruments such as theodolites and total stations demand mastery of angular measurement and trigonometric principles. GNSS-based methods introduce complexities like satellite geometry, atmospheric corrections and datum transformations. As technology advances, the learning curve steepens: laser scanners and UAVs generate massive point clouds, while LiDAR systems demand expertise in filtering, classification and 3D modelling.

Surveying principles now extend beyond land and construction into industrial metrology, where precision is measured in microns rather than millimetres. In the renewable energy sector, the applications are vast, from assessing hydropower turbine blade wear and integrity of concrete structures to verifying the verticality of wind turbines and ensuring accurate positioning of new hydraulic equipment. Here, advanced techniques like laser trackers and terrestrial laser scanning dominate, and the margin for error is extremely small.

Precision gives confidence that the data feeding an asset’s digital models is accurate, consistent and aligned with recognised standards. When survey instruments, operational sensors and digital monitoring systems all work within a strong metrological framework, asset owners can be confident that their decisions are based on fact, not noise.

The human behind the technology

However sophisticated today’s measurement tools and technologies may be, their outputs are only as trustworthy as the professionals behind them.

Without properly qualified and experienced operators, advanced tools can become liabilities rather than assets. Misinterpretation of data or incorrect calibration can lead to costly errors in construction, infrastructure alignment or asset management.

Using the wrong technique or sensor for the use case and conditions, neglecting appropriate calibration, and a lack of adequate redundancy can lead to major issues and costly mistakes.

Specialised, qualified professionals will think through these issues early, ensuring that accuracy and tolerance requirements are clearly defined from the start and that data integrity is maintained throughout with robust quality control and assurance procedures.

Human insight provides the environmental and engineering context and assurance that automated systems alone cannot deliver. Surveying and metrology professionals can determine whether readings are valid and offsets are accounted for – and will be able to distinguish genuine change from measurement anomalies.

Ultimately, it is professional judgement that transforms accurate data into actionable insights and confident decisions.

Accuracy drives advantage

Today’s surveying advances are transforming how decisions are made. Spatial data is no longer just a technical input; when validated and interpreted by qualified professionals, it becomes a valuable source of real strategic insight and advantage. When the data is right from the start, every subsequent step becomes more certain and the outcomes have the best chance of being more efficient and sustainable. Such clarity can be the difference between success throughout an asset’s lifecycle and expensive lessons learned.

As technologies advance, so does the need for qualified professionals who understand both the science of measurement and the realities of complex, dynamic infrastructure. By ensuring accuracy, compliance with standards and efficient workflows, the qualified surveyor safeguards projects from financial and reputational risks – enabling the reliability, safety and commercial confidence that every asset owner depends on.

If you’d like to talk to us about the potential of advanced surveying and metrology on your project, contact Phillip Ellerton or a member of our Spatial & Data Services Team.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt Reid is Entura’s Team Leader, Spatial and Data Services. He is an experienced operator of GNSS, total stations, digital level, and laser scanning drone instruments to capture and process data. Matt is a qualified drone pilot and is experienced in imagery and remote sensing data capture for orthophotography and terrain modelling. He has 2 decades of experience in the spatial industry working predominantly in land development and infrastructure construction.

26 November, 2025