There is a glaring shortage of surveyors

Lately, the writer these days has been receiving regular phone calls from employment agencies and recruiters, always with the same question, "You have a network in the GWW right? Can you put us in touch with surveyors?" So there is a hopeless shortage of surveyors, it turns out. Reason for GWW Magazine to make an appointment with Tommy van der Heijden and Jeroen Methorst of marXact. After all, that is the company that makes self-measuring accessible to everyone. 

Is measuring yourself a solution in all cases? Tommy answers, "With our equipment and app, everyone measures in the same quality as a hired surveyor, provided you use everything properly." Clear language, in other words.

Measuring to the centimeter

"Of course there is a difference in the way it works," Tommy continued. "Our UNI only uses GPS and that has its limitations in certain situations. A surveyor has other instruments at his disposal at those times, such as a Total Station, for example. But ... If you need an accuracy of 1-3 centimeters, you can digitally measure yourself almost anywhere in the Netherlands. Just assume that any situation that a hired surveyor can measure with GPS can also be measured by you yourself with our equipment."

Anyone who wants to measure something should think carefully about the application beforehand, is Jeroen's opinion. "Do you need a surveyor, or can I do this myself?", you should ask yourself. "Do you need to measure cadastrically, to the mm? Then you get a surveyor in. In many situations, however, measuring to the cm is more than enough. You also have to ask yourself what you want to do with the measured data. More and more companies are training their own people with our products, who are becoming more adept and faster purely by going into the field with them."

Self measuring for less than a penny per meter

The advantages of working with UNI are numerous. Tommy outlines, "We are talking about the one-time purchase costs, the support offered by marXact and the fact that you can offer surveying as a service to third parties. The great thing is that measuring with UNI-Complete costs less than a penny per meter." Jeroen adds, "Fiberglass surveying costs about 4 cents per meter. So what are you talking about?" 

The UNI-Complete kit includes the UNI-GR1 GNSS receiver to generate data, the easy-to-use and intuitive UNI-Connect software, which works on all browser and Wi-Fi enabled devices, UNI-Cloud to get data to and from the field in no time, remote telephone assistance and centimeter accuracy thanks to UNI-RTK Premium. Also included are a weatherproof Android tablet, a two-meter carbon fiber measuring stick and holder for the tablet. "And all that for only €4,995," notes Jeroen.

Also for certified surveyors

Seasoned surveyors also benefit from marXact's equipment. "Sending data directly to the Cloud, faster delivery to your customers, these are just a few examples," Tommy outlines. "At surveying, Geo and soil research companies, they can send beginners into the field with peace of mind with the UNI. Ideal, because then the people with expertise can use their knowledge where needed."

marXact is praised by customers for its remote assistance. "Our staff can watch and offer help remotely. Add to that the convenience of the Crash Course Surveying Day we hold once a month; very fun and accessible for both existing and novice customers. The great thing is that we can teach new features on such days, following an update," said
Jeroen. "Investing in personnel is more expensive than investing in our equipment."