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Event Report: Hexagon 2011
24 Jun, 2011 By: Curt MorenoThe inaugural gathering shapes diverse conferences and technologies into a single event that showcases the broad reach of metrology.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines metrology as "the science of weights and measures or of measurement." As I waited at the terminal gate, wondering what a conference focused on such a science would be like, I have to admit that I conjured a mental image of some very boring people, milling about in a hotel and measuring things with over-sized calipers. Little did I know what awaited me at the inaugural Hexagon Conference in Orlando, Florida.
I understood that the Hexagon AB company produces software and hardware solutions for a long list of industries, including my own industry of civil engineering. I had seen the Leica Geosystems brand of laser scanners and levels on many job sites; I had just never associated that kind of measurement with the term "metrology." Of course, all kinds of CAD and GIS (geographic information system) technologies depend on data about lengths and widths, distances and locations, material properties and part characteristics. Without metrology, the fancy software we use every day would be useless.
Something Old, Something New
Hexagon 2011 united conferences and technologies from Hexagon Group companies including Hexagon Geosystems; Hexagon Metrology; ERDAS; Leica Geosystems; Intergraph Process, Power, and Marine; and Intergraph Security, Government, and Infrastructure. Following Hexagon AB's acquisition of Intergraph, the measurement and visualization giant organized a large-scale conference addressing its many client industries.
Although previous years had seen smaller, separate conferences — such as the Leica HDS and ABS User Conferences and the Intergraph International Users' Conference — Hexagon 2011, held June 6–9, was one united event. Boasting more than 2,500 attendees from at least 65 countries, more than 400 sessions, 3 evenings of events, and more than 30,000 hours of information sharing, it offered the combined communities a wide selection of technical sessions and speakers from many fields of expertise.
I wondered how these metrology professionals felt about shifting from smaller, more intimate conferences to a single multidisciplinary event. While many attendees told me they had enjoyed the previous years' events, they were also excited to experience a large-scale conference offering a wider range of content. One attendee on the TechExpo show floor explained that he was beginning to see how Hexagon's related brands and offerings could play into his everyday work. At the time we spoke, he was exploring related software solutions offered by Hexagon Geosystems to supplement his current suite of applications. Prior to Hexagon 2011, attendees of smaller events would not have had such exposure or opportunity.
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