Written by Draco the Dragon
Company Name – Leica Geosystems
Location– We are based in a big town in the middle of England called Milton Keynes – Often called the concrete city. Our UK head office is much nicer than the cave I used to live in!
Why did you get involved in Get Kids into Survey?
Leica Geosystems and the profession of surveying have been around almost as long as dragons. Like dragons, something with so much heritage and importance is worth protecting. That’s why I’m proud to help Get Kids into Survey spread the word about surveying to the next generation of talented young surveyors and engineers. Ultimately, who can breathe new life (and fire) into the industry and set the world alight?
What do you do?
At Leica Geosystems, we design and build lots of exciting equipment that help people do all sorts of jobs all around the world. It could be a laser scanner to capture 3D images of a castle, a detection instrument that helps find dangerous objects deep under the ground or a drone that helps surveyors get a dragon’s eye view of the area they’re working in.
How long have you been in the Survey Industry?
The origins of Leica Geosystems date back 200 years when I was just a little baby. It all started with a company called Kern & Co in Switzerland. Over the next two centuries, the company grew in various forms to become what it is today. One thing that has never changed is that Leica Geosystems is still number one when it comes to surveying innovation.
How did you get into the Industry?
I got into the surveying industry almost 100 years ago when there was no such thing as drones. I used to fly over worksites and, thanks to my excellent photographic memory, could tell my colleagues exactly what I saw down to the millimetre. Today, I help Leica Geosystems by flying with their new drones such as the Leica Aibot AX20 as a quality check. If the new drones pass the Draco test, they’re ready to go out to our customers.
Funny Fact about you
I love toasting marshmallows by breathing fire. Although I burn most of them, it makes the ones I don’t burn even better.
Favourite piece of kit and why?
Apart from the drones, I love the Leica DSX. It’s a GPR instrument (that stands for ground-penetrating radar). The DSX uses radar technology to locate objects buried underground, making it very useful for utility surveys. If someone is about to dig, it’s important to make sure there’s nothing dangerous hiding below like electric cables or gas or water pipes. It’s also perfect for treasure hunts!
Favourite Survey technique and why?
My favourite survey technique is aerial surveying – with the help of the Leica Aibot drone of course. The Aibot can see everything from above just like me and it’s great fun flying around while it works it’s magic. Plus the Aibot’s photographic memory is even better than mine!
Your website: https://leica-geosystems.com/en-gb