Driving industry-wide growth by providing faster and better data access

Several years ago, Trimble put collaboration and data integration at the heart of its innovation strategy, with a focus on bringing together information from different hardware and software solutions so multiple stakeholders could work seamlessly with diverse tools. How has that vision evolved since then, and what does it look like in practice today? At Intergeo 2025, we caught up with Ron Bisio, Trimble’s senior vice president of field systems, to find out.

How is Trimble’s high-level strategy of ‘connecting the physical to the digital’ having a real-world impact?

In our main focus industry – construction – we’re seeing a 40% increase in the adoption of some of our connected workflows from field to office, which is clearly driving productivity. Currently, 45 million people are using Trimble Connect, our common data environment, to collect and utilize data, and there are 23 million projects underway on it. That really shows the value of collaboration and visualization downstream. And it’s still growing rapidly because as more people start to use the existing data, it encourages others to start capturing new, different or even better data.

Which technological developments have had the greatest impact on the geospatial industry over the past decade, and were there any surprises?

The overwhelming adoption of the cloud has been essential for us as the central place to connect people, data and platforms. Beyond that, the new reality capture platforms that enable point clouds to be made available much faster and much easier. As people discover they can get answers out of them, they start to put the point clouds to work, which fuels enthusiasm for capturing more point clouds – driving not only reality capture platforms, but also mobile mapping, scanning, drones… they all go hand in hand.

How is AI already reshaping geospatial data processing and usage, and what developments do you expect next?

There is a lot of focus on AI-related dangers and concerns, but I believe it’s important to view it as an enabler. It can really optimize productivity, and I think that our industry is moving beyond the hype of AI faster than others because we have so many repetitive tasks it can improve, whether by reducing human error in the in-field collection process or extracting geometry and categorizing assets faster and more accurately. And let’s be honest, that’s work nobody really wants to be doing. Data capture is a necessary evil because somebody needs to deliver a report, do some analysis, or estimate how much construction work has been done. AI helps them to get those answers faster, which makes it a really exciting time for us.

Underpinned by geospatial data, digital twins are becoming central to infrastructure, construction and urban planning, to name but a few. How is the need to ensure that digital twins remain accurate, reliable and useful over an asset’s lifecycle changing the surveyor’s role?

Because AI reduces the amount of repetitive work, geospatial professionals can step up and evolve to become data custodians or data stewards. People also need help understanding the technology and bridging the gaps, especially where field meets office. So geospatial professionals can shift to advising their clients on which data is appropriate and how it can be used, what level of accuracy they need, which tools are available to capture it, how they can get it into their workflows faster, and how often the data should be updated. That’s a much more exciting and value-adding role, and surveyors are the best placed professionals to fulfil it.

Surveyors tend to produce precise datasets, whereas planners work more conceptually. How is Trimble helping to close that workflow gap so that geospatial information truly informs planning decisions?

With Trimble Connect, we’ve developed a central hub connecting surveyors and downstream users. From surveyors performing scanning, to construction professionals or planners who are working on projects, being able to access and use all the necessary specialized data via the cloud makes it so much easier for the two sides to work together. And then as planners gain faster and better access to that data, they want even more data to support their decision-making. That creates an information loop and drives further growth.

Much of the value of geospatial data is lost when it can’t be translated into the language of policymakers and planners. How can this be resolved?

The key thing is making these technologies more accessible without compromising accuracy. This involves tools and capabilities around cloud-based workflows. But it’s also really important to bring in geospatial professionals – surveyors and others – who understand the accuracy of the data and can help advise downstream users what data they are going to need for which tasks. As for the translation aspect, we’re really focused on that. We’re working to adopt numerous open standards – for example BIM standards and IFC 4.3 – to ensure that downstream users get easier and faster access to the data.

Which of Trimble’s solutions for surveyors and geospatial professionals best illustrate where you see the industry heading?

The Trimble Reality Capture platform service has been one of the most exciting introductions in my view. As an extension to our cloud-based platform, it covers almost everything we’ve just discussed, allowing fast and easy access to scanning and mobile mapping data. The platform is how we actually make things happen. For many years, mobile mapping and scanning were held back by how long it took to process the data due to having to move hard drives around and deal with slow workflows. Services such as our Reality Capture platform make it possible to access, improve and visualize data way more quickly, which is really important. And our entire reality capture portfolio – our scanners, the X9, the SX12 – benefits from this, because as the platform makes it easier to put data to work, people increasingly want more solutions that actually capture the data.

When it comes to survey instruments, how are market demands for features and capabilities shifting?

From a geospatial data perspective, people are not only moving bigger datasets and want faster access, but they also want the data to be always at hand and directly editable. They want to use the data in the field, and they want to process it out at the edge. Additionally, it’s about connectivity, connectivity, connectivity! So the challenge is to be able to access the data and also put it to work faster through simplified geospatial workflows, also allowing more people to join the geospatial profession. Another goal, especially in construction, is improving productivity, data quality and data integrity. That involves removing a lot of the data conversion, the duplication and the handovers. We’re exploring the incorporation of artificial intelligence into a cloud-based platform to help customers get past some of those hurdles.

The construction industry used to be seen as lagging behind when it comes to digitalization. How is that evolving?

The construction industry offers a real opportunity to put our solutions to work, from the field to the office, to help people work faster, safer and greener. More and more machines are connected, and so too are surveying professionals, which means we’re truly in a position to help move the industry forward. For example, whereas machine control technology was only seen occasionally, it’s everywhere now – and that makes a real difference in terms of both speed and accuracy. You can capture high-quality information about the work that’s done, look at the data afterwards and feed it back into the design process. It’s a really exciting time for construction.

During my visit to Trimble Dimensions last year, I heard several Trimble leaders emphasize the importance of open standards and avoiding siloed data. How is Trimble working with competitors and industry groups to advance data interoperability?

We’re very heavily involved in working ‘across the aisles’, because we know our customers use machines and instruments from multiple manufacturers, and we as an industry need to work together to facilitate that. We participate in key organizations and associations globally, including the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and the World Geospatial Industry Council. A big step forward in the industry’s adoption of the ISO 15143-4 worksite data exchange standards is the new functionality in our WorksManager software that we just announced, which allows users to send design files to other vendors’ grade control systems. These standards are designed to drive integration and simplify the exchange of job-site data across mixed equipment and technology fleets. Additional new features in WorksManager include an advanced 3D visualization module, built on the Trimble Connect 3D Viewer, that lets users bring together geospatial data from many sources into one environment to view, measure and analyse an entire job site.

Rob Painter, your company’s president and CEO, has described geospatial as “one of the best kept secrets”. What steps is Trimble taking to make surveying and geospatial careers more visible and appealing to younger generations?

Reality capture tools are really exciting. Working in a cloud-based environment enables you to see the results of your work really quickly, rather than having to wait three weeks for the data to be processed in another country, for example. It’s also important to help youngsters realize that behind in-vehicle navigation systems and video games and Google Maps on their phone, there are geospatial professionals who helped build those platforms and put the data to work. And that should start young. As part of our strong focus on that, we’re setting up Trimble Technology Labs at universities around the world, and donating lots of equipment to smaller universities and colleges offering associate degrees. These are kids who want to be outside rather than working in an office or a cubicle. Let’s get them involved in surveying and help them see that geospatial is an exciting field for them to work in.

Is there anything else you want to share with our readers?

On the topic of bringing young people into the industry, I think everybody needs to step up. We as an industry, all of us, need to be looking for opportunities to sponsor a high school class or introduce our technology to a club. That’s something we can all work on together, and we will all benefit from. We’re a great sector to work in, but we should be much more visible in showing what we do, why it matters, and the exciting opportunities it offers to the next generation. Growing the surveying profession and encouraging more kids to come and work in this industry is something we should all collaborate on – because we need them.