Dura Vermeer collaborates with Geodirect: Digital technicians at work around the railway

“With Geodirect’s solutions, we can collect data quickly and accurately and deliver projects faster”

Dura Vermeer Railinfra is responsible for various activities on and around the railway. This includes installing, adding, relocating, maintaining, and replacing cables and pipelines near tracks and platforms. This is a task that often must be completed in complex environments, within fixed timeframes, and in collaboration with other parties. The use of the right solutions that ensure fast and accurate measurement and processing of geographic data is of great importance.

Kelven Berendsen is a GIS Engineer at Dura Vermeer and a specialist in accessing, analyzing, and interpreting geographic data. He and his colleagues work on various rail infrastructure projects using Geodirect’s measuring equipment and software. At Dura Vermeer, he applies his knowledge and experience in digital surveying.

“Before I started at Dura Vermeer Railinfra, I already had over 12.5 years of experience with projects involving cables and pipelines. I gained experience with digital surveying there and used Geodirect’s measuring equipment. I was enthusiastic about the equipment and the contact was always very good, so for me, it was only logical to collaborate with Geodirect again at Dura Vermeer. They know what they are talking about and truly think along with you. If an issue unexpectedly arises with the measuring equipment during work—for example, because you adjusted a setting—they help you immediately by logging in remotely to assist. This way, no valuable time is lost.”

Easy to understand and quick to deploy

“Geodirect is naturally not the only provider of digital measuring equipment, but the solutions they offer are easy for everyone to understand, and anyone can get started with them quickly. The biggest challenge we had was ensuring that our own people could perform the measurements in the field so that we are no longer dependent on an external party. Previously, we used external parties for measurements, which was costly and time-consuming. Now that we work with Geodirect’s digital measuring equipment, we can perform these tasks ourselves. The software is clearly structured. This is incredibly important for our projects. We must carry out our work within specific time windows. If that fails or if we have to return, it is a significant organizational task to reschedule. Another advantage is that we can check the data immediately indoors. If we see something strange or unusual, we can check it right away and don’t have to return later. That saves both time and money.”

Field data sent directly to the drawing boards

In addition to the physical measuring equipment, Dura Vermeer also works with the Geolantis software solution. “This software integrates perfectly with our programs. The data we collect in the field is now transferred to the drawing offices via the cloud. We are currently working on linking Geolantis with our own GIS systems so that we can process the data even faster and deliver even more quickly.”

Innovative solutions

The collaboration continues to go well. “Geodirect is a pleasant supplier. They truly think along with us regarding innovations or more suitable solutions. A small example of this proactive approach is that they advised us to place sand feet on the measuring poles so that we do not damage the cables. It is a real example of thinking along in terms of safety.”