Character Spotlight ‘Pix4D’

Hi, I’m Pixie! Pix4D’s official mascot…

1.   Company Name

Pix4D

2.   Location 

Our headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, a beautiful city on the shores of Lake Geneva. But we also have offices in places like Denver, Berlin, Madrid, Tokyo, and Romania. More importantly, our users are all over the world, bringing Pix4D’s mapping tools to over 170 countries. We’re everywhere you are!

3.   Why is it important for your company to help Get Kids into Survey? 

At Pix4D, our mission is to help build a better world, and we believe that starts with curious minds.  Surveying is about using technology to solve problems. With our tools, you can create maps to check on the health of forests, help map neighborhoods to create greener, safer spaces, or help farmers grow healthy food for us all. 

When you can see everything—from a tiny detail on the ground to a whole city from above—you can build safer roads or protect our planet’s special places.  

All of these jobs are about using technology to see the world in a new way and make a positive difference. We need future explorers and problem-solvers, and we know that kids are the best at that! 

4.   What do you do? 

We make software that helps people turn their pictures into maps. You take photos of a place with a drone or a smartphone, and our software uses a technique called photogrammetry to turn them into a digital copy of the real world.

We help all kinds of people—from surveyors and engineers, to farmers, or policemen. Our tools let them create detailed 2D maps and 3D models that make their jobs easier, safer, and faster. 

5.   How long have you been in the survey industry? 

Pix4D has been in the survey industry since 2011. We started as a group of university researchers at the EPFL in Switzerland, one of the top technical universities in the world! Back then, surveyors weren’t commonly using photogrammetry because it was too complicated or too costly. As pioneers in the field, we saw the potential of combining drones and photogrammetry to make it more accessible. 

For over a decade now, we’ve been helping professionals around the world turn their pictures into maps and models.

6.   How did you end up getting into the geospatial industry? 

I was created by some very clever people at Pix4D who were trying to solve a big problem: making the science of mapping easy for everyone. They wanted a friendly face to show that this technology wasn’t scary or hard to use. So they made me!

My curiosity for exploring is what got me into the geospatial industry, and I’m happy to be a part of it!

7.   State a funny fact about you…

I tried to solve a mystery I saw behind a window, but all I found was a funny-looking alien! It made for a very interesting map…

8.   Favourite Survey technique and why?

My favorite is photogrammetry! It’s like a big puzzle. You take lots of pictures of a place from all different angles with a drone or a smartphone, and then our software stitches them all together to make a digital replica of reality. This is what makes all the magic happen here at Pix4D!

9.  Your website

10.  How did you choose the character, and what does he/she/it represent? Mean to you? What’s his/her name?

My name is Pixie! I was created to be the friendly and curious face of Pix4D who represents our values.

My curiosity for exploring and discovering new things is our secret to innovation! As your “Just Ask Pixie” helper, my job is to give you good answers and a hand when you need it, and that’s how we build trust. 

And because my maps are made so quickly, it means you have more time to get out and play! Lastly, the little checkerboard on my head is a Ground Control Point, which is our way of making sure every map is perfectly accurate.