Even with the most innovative ideas and a wealth of industry experience, it is never easy to go it alone and launch your own business – especially when the world is going through a financial crisis.
As British-based survey and spatial data service, Terra Measurement, and our founder Andrew Beardsley prove, however, tough times can also be a moment of opportunity.
Celebrating our 10th anniversary this year, Terra Measurement has grown into an innovative and professional business that collaborates with worldwide clients across a broad range of market sectors.
Our services have been used on projects as far-ranging as scanning US Navy ships in Bahrain, National Trust properties such as The Vyne, the Dudley Zoo virtual tour, Spaghetti Junction and the Barclodiad y Gawres burial chamber and standing stones in Anglesey, but it did not all start so smoothly…
“Like many people I was hit hard by the aftermath of the 2008 credit crunch and so when I launched Terra Measurement in 2012, it was basically me, my van, my PC and a few surveying tools,” says Andrew, who started his career in the early nineties as a minerals surveyor.
From start-up to sustainable worldwide consultancy
Going it alone at a time of financial crisis, Andrew’s hard-earned reputation for problem solving, along with his wealth of experience within the industry, helped build Terra Measurement from a man-and-his-van start-up into a sustainable and growing consultancy built on trust, a collaborative approach, best practice principles and innovation.
“It sounds a little crazy in hindsight, but I really didn’t anticipate the strength of my reputation at the time. It was just not really something I ever considered,” says Andrew.
“As word spread about my new business, my project portfolio expanded, the diary filled, and I very quickly realised that Terra Measurement was never going to be just me. We moved into new offices early in 2013 and the team and capabilities gradually grew from there.
“We’ve never looked back and the growth of the business has vindicated my efforts to always work with integrity, best practice, innovation and care – values that are core to Terra Measurement.”
Spatial data saves time and money
Now, in 2022, Terra Measurement work around the world and in sectors as varied as railways and highways to minerals and heritage, as well as health trusts, prison services and the public sector. Each area brings its own unique challenges with every project.
“People definitely underestimated the potential of spatial data in the past, but it has proven itself to be possibly the single most essential, cost effective and budget saving part of any development, assessment or design process as it provides the vital information that everything will be designed to and constrained by,” says Andrew.
“It might surprise people but our work in spatial data has been hugely accelerated by improvements in gaming software algorithms and cloud-based internet streaming.
“These developments mean that highly detailed datasets can now be streamed real-time, and clients and stakeholders can enjoy virtual reality exploration and visualisation. It brings projects to life before they have even started.”
Innovating to bring heritage to life
As a guardian of The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), Andrew is passionate about using this real-world capture ability to help digital accessibility, particularly in a heritage context.
“Accessibility does not only apply to physical mobility, but also to financial and distance restrictions,” says Andrew. “Heritage sites and artefacts are not available to everyone, and we are proud to be successfully providing digital environments and artefacts for people to explore in immersive virtual reality – it’s spatial data in its most impressive form.”
Terra Measurement’s integrity and openness in collaborative relationships continues to help grow partnerships with clients, suppliers and fellow innovators across multiple sectors, creating ongoing and sustainable growth for our business. It is not just our own future that we are working hard to grow, however.
“With the perception of best practice spatial data improving all the time, we are going to create jobs and training opportunities for the next generation of geospatial surveyors, providing a long-term career and bright futures for many,” says Andrew.
“At Terra Measurement, we work hard to help our surveyors to have the opportunity to constantly develop and improve, and I can’t wait to see where we are in another 10 years’ time – but I’m absolutely certain that it’s going to be an adventure with many fascinating projects and collaborations along the way.”
- Trust the expertise and experience of Terra Measurement Limited to create your spatial data strategy and provide the data the project needs. Contact our team today to find out how we can help you to achieve the very best results.