Field Stories | The Fastest Fielder in the West

Here at IKE, we provide value through IKE Analyze, but everything we do revolves around data coming from the field. Often overlooked, field data collection has the power to make or break a project. It is about more than just venturing out to a pole to have a look. A good fielder knows that collecting data is an art. It is far too easy to compromise efficiency or accuracy with a lack of focus. Still, there are people we come across every day who demonstrate just how impressive field data collection can be.

We are proud to introduce Field Stories, our new series detailing the best stories from the field. Trust us, there’s more here than just animal encounters and extreme weather. Our first story dives into the efforts of Ryan Scott, the Fastest Fielder in the West. Learn how running pole to pole and using IKE to save time allowed him to collect more poles in 2 weeks than we have ever seen from one person.

If you like what you see, keep an eye out for even more Field Stories. The next one is available here. You can learn more about IKE Field Tools by contacting us today. If the contact form above isn’t for you, we also welcome any of these methods (except #4, it’s a bit much).

Field Story Transcription:

Narrator:  This is the story of Ryan Scott, who collected over 2000 poles in 2 weeks and redefined what’s possible using an IKE.

Ryan Scott: There was a municipal broadband project out in Southern California and there was a need to audit the entire aerial system in the city as soon as possible. So, we ended up thinking through the methods of capturing this data, trying to look for the most efficient way possible to collect data in narrow alleyways dealing with quite a bit of growth. IKE was a clear choice for data collection in that particular application.

I don’t know what happened but out of boredom or necessity, I begin jogging between pole the pole just to save time and finish the day early.

Coming from a background of being outside, working out,  training, and enjoying being outdoors, I decided to make it more of a challenge rather than just thinking of this as a job. So, that was an easy way to mentally break it down make sure that the target was met.

Whether it was the beach that was calling each day or simply wanting to be as efficient as possible that’s what it ended up being.

Narrator:  2000 poles in 2 weeks redefined what we thought was possible for field data collection, but even at that speed, it would take years to make a dent in the 200 million poles that dot the American landscape.

That’s why we hired Ryan to bring his passion for productivity to the masses by improving field productivity and streamlining back-office processes for each and every IKE customer as they create hundreds of thousands of photo verifiable IKE records each week.

So, reach out. Meet the analysts. Meet the team who worked to process those poles. Besides connecting with them, you might learn a little bit about the new norms, the new standard in field data collection. Until we hear from you, just keep on collecting.