From paving to excavator control: GeoMapper in action

The challenge: modernizing the city's base map

"When I started in the surveying department of the city of Darmstadt in 2020, my first assignment was to look into the procurement of new software for managing the city's base map," explains Jens Bingenheimer, head of the department. This marked the beginning of extensive research that led to a European tender. The contract was ultimately awarded to the bidding consortium of rmDATA and GEOSOFT.

The 16-strong department - nine office staff and seven field staff - is responsible for recording and providing spatial information for all planning and building departments of the city administration. The city base map includes road and path boundaries, walls, fences, trees, relief, bodies of water, above-ground supply and disposal objects and all other objects in public spaces.

Complex requirements - an integrated overall solution

"With the introduction of the new GeoInfoDok, a system change was imminent at the office," explains Bingenheimer. "Our aim was to find a provider that could meet our comprehensive requirements and map the entire data flow." Thanks to the partnership between rmDATA and GEOSOFT, exactly this solution was found.

At the heart of the solution is a central multi-user database in which the entire city base map is managed without the need for a page cut. The workflow is well structured:

An office employee first selects the project area for processing in the rmDATA graphics software rmDATA GeoMapper and hands it over to the field service. After surveying, the geodetic calculation is carried out in the GEOSOFT product, which also masters the specifications of the Hessian cadastral survey. rmDATA GeoMapper then demonstrates its strengths in processing CAD and GIS data and creating plans. Finally, the new data is transferred to the central database via the rmDATA graphics software in a quality-assured manner - supported by comparative displays and logging of the changes.

A particular advantage: the possibility of a live database with any number of processing statuses guarantees simultaneous work in a large organization such as a city administration.

Decisive factors for success

Numerous software features in the overall package were decisive for the city of Darmstadt. Bingenheimer cites a few examples: "The functioning batch processing of the GEOSOFT product, the crack creation in GeoMapper including text exemption and distorted display - and that you can integrate terrain models into plans."

Another crucial point: "We wanted to reduce dependencies on third-party providers and instead have a direct point of contact - and we found that with the two software providers."

Bingenheimer particularly emphasizes the dedicated customer support provided by rmDATA - from the loss-free data transfer to the creation of a special configuration and ongoing support. "We are very satisfied with the project support during this implementation phase. A business relationship turned into a collegial relationship between all those involved, because everyone wants one thing: To create a good solution together."

Your digital city map - talk to us!

Are you facing similar challenges with the digitization of your city map? The experts at rmDATA will be happy to advise you on customized solutions for your specific requirements. Contact us today for a no-obligation consultation and find out how your municipality can benefit from our many years of expertise.

The surveying service of the City of Science Darmstadt is responsible for the spatial recording and mapping of the city's topography. As a central service unit, the department provides important spatial information for all planning and construction offices. The range of tasks includes engineering surveys, canal surveys and the provision of the city base map. Everything that can be seen outside is recorded - from street furniture to the entire inventory of public spaces. The employees also provide citizens with the city atlas, a slimmed-down version of the extensive city base map.

The team supports urban construction projects from the planning stage through the construction phase to the final measurement. The resulting geodata is made available to the public in accordance with the applicable regulations.