John Kerrigan - Ireland Country Manager

There’s no doubt that technology and practices have transformed over the last decade in the survey industry. One man that’s been at the heart of it is John Kerrigan, who’s celebrating 10 years with Leica Geosystems.

John credits his fond experience with the company to several factors. The people, management, technology, service, customer care, and support have all played a part in his decision to stay and grow with Leica Geosystems. He explained, “There are many reasons why I’ve continued working for Leica Geosystems for so long. Leica Geosystems manages to attract the best people, and we all challenge each other to be the best in our industry and strive to deliver for our customers.”

John’s Career and Education

Leaving school with a love for geography and maths, John discovered Land Surveying after looking for college courses that incorporated aspects of both. And from very early on in his studies, he knew that it was the right choice. John instantly loved working outdoors, and the great sense of achievement that came with seeing days of work visualised in digital form. Another favourite part is getting to see and experience fantastic places. John recalls great memories of projects in Waterford, Cork, Donegal, and the Isle of Skye.

Working At Leica Geosystems

Every day in John’s role sees new challenges, new problems to solve and new workflows that enable customers to do their job more efficiently.

John told us, “It’s a dream to work for a company that continues to bring the most amazing solutions in our industry to market. We continue to win innovation awards on a yearly basis, and the investment that Leica Geosystems and Hexagon put into Research and Development is unparalleled.”

Just recently, John was working on the Craigmore Viaducts. A Consulting Engineer from Translink wanted to scan the voids between the arches. John and the team came up with a workflow that dropped a BLK360 into a 150mm core with an adjustable tripod, to scan different levels of the void. The project was a great success and the data collected was extremely valuable to the engineering team, who have suggested using this technique for future void surveys.

What Makes Leica Geosystems Different?

When asked what makes Leica Geosystems stand out, John explained that alongside the expertise, hardware and software solutions, the support network is second to none. Direct and distribution partners ensure customers are extremely well looked after, and the team are always looking to solve their daily challenges.

John works closely with Leica Geosystems distribution partners in Ireland. They hold many decades of experience serving the Irish survey and construction industries. The companies invest heavily in the latest equipment for their hire fleets and are authorised service centres for Leica Geosystems equipment. “Our distribution partners work tirelessly to ensure the best service is delivered to Leica Geosystems customers. I’m very lucky to be able to work with these organisations and have their support to deliver our solutions into the Irish marketplace.”

The Past, Present and Future of Surveying

John’s seen and experienced the change from single point measurement with total stations and GPS, to mass point collection with laser scanners and imaging sensors.

When John first started out as a surveyor he was using two-man Total Stations, and GPS was in its infancy as a technology, so getting any job done was a team effort. Reflecting over the past decade, John explains that in some ways the industry has changed greatly, and in others, it’s still very similar. “Like in every industry you need to do more with less, quicker. There are massive pressures on our customers to deliver for their clients. The data needs to be right the first time, and they need dependable equipment to meet these challenges.”

For example, in the Construction industry, the last few years have seen a massive uptake in 3D Laser Scanning to ensure what is being built is correct. Reduce risks and ensuring first-time accuracy drives the need for new solutions providing validation and verification. John explains that many sites are looking for near real-time progress reporting. As a result, technology and systems that didn’t exist 10 years ago are now used on a daily basis.

John is proud to be a part of a company like Leica Geosystems who strives to meet these changing industry demands. Customer needs continuously challenge the team to advance current solutions, and meet the needs of tomorrow.

What’s the Latest Piece of Survey Equipment That’s Taken Off in Ireland?

One of the frequent highlights of John’s career is the introduction and success of new survey technology in Ireland.

Leica RTC360 Laser Scanner
The RTC360 Laser Scanner has been a great success with its unmatched performance of speed, data quality and useability.

Leica BLK2GO
The BLK2GO is also being widely used on sites as an extremely efficient method of collecting scan data for site progress reporting.

Leica Nova MS60 MultiStation
There’s been great success with the latest MS60 combined with the iCON software for in-field Verification. The MS60 can collect scan data at 30K points per second making it the perfect tool for contractors using on-site verification, setting out and for as-built surveys.

Leica GS18 I GNSS RTK Rover with Visual Positioning
The GS18i excels in its capability for collecting imaging data from a GNSS Unit and turning that data into a dense point cloud. Surveyors can collect all the data they need without taking out another instrument and in some cases, survey an area behind a wall or fence that they couldn’t have collected without the GS18i.

The Future of Surveying in Ireland

Although John tries to look forward positively, the survey industry in Ireland is experiencing challenges with human resources. John says, “I speak to so many companies who are all crying out for quality staff.”

Institutions such as TU Dublin are working on ways to provide new courses, but John believes there is a real need for a Survey apprentice system. Advancing technologies can and will fill some of the gaps but surveyors are still needed to use the equipment, know when things aren’t right, and how to correct them.

John hopes Institutions will help those currently in or looking to join the industry, telling us, “As a profession, we need to look out for each other and being part of an Institution is a big part of that. I encourage surveyors to join an institution (CICES/RICS/SCSI) and work together as a profession to make our voices heard. I am a member of the CICES and currently on the Irish committee. I’m very happy to speak to any person or company who would like to become a member.”

• Connect: LinkedIn
• Email: john.kerrigan@leica-geosystems.com