A THORNBURY businessman has been honoured for his impact on the research industry.
Dr Steve Jenkins is the co-founder of Thornbury-based Snap Surveys, a widely known survey software company, and he is the inventor a highly important software component that is used worldwide today.
Dr Jenkins has now been inducted into the Association for Survey Computing’s (ASC) Research Technologist Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to the field.
The award celebrates individuals whose work has shaped the insights industry through advancements in research technology.
Dr Jenkins said: "I am privileged to be invited to join the ASC Hall of Fame.
"My first job was a bus survey 50 years ago for Bristol, analysed in SPSS.
"It was mostly cutting paper – because everything involved printouts, hole punches and a lot of filing.
"In the 1970s, I met Peter Wills.
"Within five years, we had set up Mercator Computer Systems and I was writing software for what were then called microcomputers – machines so small and underpowered that today your fridge has more processing power.
"One of those systems was Snap Surveys, which was first shown at the MRS Conference in 1981.
"Now, 45 years later, it is conducting and analysing billions of datapoints across the world."
Dr Jenkins, alongside business partner Peter Wills, founded Snap Surveys in 1981.
The company has grown from a small desktop system to a sophisticated global survey platform.
He is also known for his expertise in survey metadata and co-authored the Triple-S open standard for survey data transfer.
Dr Jenkins has contributed to numerous international standards bodies and government organisations focused on metadata frameworks.
He has maintained a long-standing relationship with the ASC and has spoken at multiple industry conferences since 1992.
During his acceptance speech at the ASC awards, Dr Jenkins credited the support of his colleagues.
He said: "Alongside Pete, I would like to give special mentions to Keith Hughes, Geoff Wright, Laurance Gerrard, Ed Ross and Pat Molloy.
"Sadly, Keith, Ed, and Laurance are no longer with us, but their influence is still very much part of the foundations of our field."
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