Developing together, grounded in practice

In the Netherlands, we have 1,500 employees working across several divisions. We all share the same mission: to make the Netherlands a little more beautiful every day. As Director of Environment, Safety & Health, I work with my colleagues to create a safer and healthier environment.’

‘To constantly improve our services and processes, Antea Group continues to challenge itself in the areas of innovation, sustainability, visibility and people. Using a 1001-day plan, we take concrete steps that contribute to our mission.

For example, we plan to organise the longest drone flight ever, of no less than 750 kilometres. We also bought a forest in the south of the country where we are investigating how we can promote nature restoration and improve the living environment with the help of technology and artificial intelligence. TerraIndex plays an important role in this.’

‘Environmental soil investigation is very important to us. Our collaboration with TerraIndex began around 25 years ago, when the company was still called IT Works. At that time, we still carried out the entire soil investigation process with pen and paper. TerraIndex software brought far-reaching process optimisation: from fieldworker to office consultant, from coordination to delivery. Moving to the web version also helped us significantly reduce administration costs.

TerraIndex continues to develop its software together with its customers. We have the domain knowledge, great software in TerraIndex and the expertise to take ideas further. Antea Group is also working closely with TerraIndex to develop new functionalities, such as an algorithm for mixing samples and a link to the Smart Helmet.’

‘Multiple samples are taken in the field and need to be mixed correctly in order to perform a reliable analysis. Selecting representative samples, figuring out the right ratios and the corresponding rules takes a lot of time. A colleague came up with the idea of developing an algorithm based on a large number of previously performed mixing processes.

We pitched this idea to TerraIndex, after which our staff and the TerraIndex team worked together for a year to develop the idea further. Samples can now be imported, after which the algorithm automatically indicates the correct composition. This makes the process a lot smarter and more efficient.’

‘Another example of a collaborative project is the use of a Smart Helmet and the deployment of artificial intelligence. Our field workers wear a Smart Helmet which is used to make observations of the environment. By linking these observations to the data entered by the field worker, drilling profiles can eventually be automatically registered and recognised. This development also provides opportunities for a wonderful interface with TerraIndex.

These kinds of collaborations are really exciting and I really believe in them. Both parties have their own expertise. By combining this expertise and complementing each other’s strengths (instead of trying to do everything themselves) something really powerful is created.’

‘I would certainly recommend TerraIndex software to colleagues abroad.

At an international level, working with the same data structure can be very interesting. This can provide valuable insights and open up opportunities for further joint innovation. TerraIndex enables smarter, more efficient processes, offering benefits in quality and time savings.

TerraIndex isn’t a huge company, which ensures great cooperation and short lines of communication. It’s a nice company with pleasant and professional people, who are always open to feedback and discussions.’