We are in the midst of the emergence of a new paradigm for data collection. For our purposes, we can best define paradigm as a "model or pattern that is commonly accepted as a way of doing things".

In our daily work as technicians, it pertains to the tools and methods we use to perform routine tasks that produce the required results.

A significant change in an accepted paradigm is typically accompanied by an exponential, not just incremental, increase in productivity. Improvements in productivity generate many other positive effects - reduced costs, increased profits, easier workflows, faster production of deliverables, and a general improvement in the quality of our lives as technicians.

Consider how technology has changed accepted paradigms over the last 40 years. A drawing board, pencil and vellum were the first tools of my design career. I resisted CAD until I fully experienced the exponential increase in productivity I could achieve. No more trying to carefully make changes to pencil or ink drawings. The electric eraser stayed in the drawer. Life got better.

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