Niels van de Graaf has been with IMAGEM for 5 years

Niels van de Graaf joined IMAGEM in 2015. He serves as the Government Market Manager and works closely with clients on a daily basis to help them optimize their processes. To celebrate his five-year anniversary, we asked him about his time at IMAGEM what he has learned during that time.

Please describe your job.

I am the Government Market Manager, and together with my colleagues, we are constantly working to help government clients solve their problems and optimize their work processes by providing environmental information. All government processes involve a location, so it makes sense to apply location intelligence. I believe that IMAGEM technology can help IMAGEM government work more efficiently and effectively.

What is your background?

I have been working in the public sector for nearly twenty years. I started out as a specialist in noise and vibrations, specifically environmental noise, building acoustics, and occupational noise. I then moved on to the IT sector, where I worked for various engineering firms and large IT organizations. However, large ICT organizations do not offer specialized roles, so in 2007 I transitioned into the geospatial sector. I worked there for about five years. The world of artificial intelligence piqued my interest, and I subsequently spent five years working in the field of knowledge automation—the automation of knowledge-intensive processes. And now I have been working at IMAGEM for five years.

What are your fondest memories with the IMAGEM?

What immediately comes to mind is my first year and a half to two years, during which we successfully marketed the M.App Enterprise technology in the Netherlands alongside our colleagues. With this Smart M.App technology, we really made waves in the Dutch geoinformatics sector. Everyone watched with interest to see how this new approach could be used to create geoinformation. No more GIS viewers.

Another thing that really stands out in my memory are the events, particularly the transition from standard client days to our annual conference, Make Geospatial Matter, in 2017—especially the energy and fun we all experience as IMAGEM such a day. 

And, of course, HxGN LIVE [the conference organized by our partner Hexagon ] in Las Vegas. It was great to attend knowledge sessions there with colleagues and clients, brainstorm ideas, and, of course, have a great time.

To mention just one more: the launch of the Luciad two years ago. A new 3D technology that represents the physical world in digital form and demonstrates how it can support work processes. With this, IMAGEM has taken IMAGEM step of giving substance to the concept of digital twin and highlighting the added value this technology offers the government.

What attracted you to this job?

First, the Smart M.App technology. When it was introduced, I saw a completely new way of presenting geospatial information. It was—and still is—something I truly believe in. Smart M.Apps does something completely different from traditional GIS viewers, or “data buckets.” With Smart M.Apps, you create real location-based information that is intuitive, interactive, and understandable to everyone. I no longer believe in GIS viewers. It’s about information, not data. In addition, I was eager to use my years of knowledge and experience to IMAGEM develop and grow.

What is your favorite project at IMAGEM?

Right now, that’s our Environmental Act application. Together with the municipality of Almere, we’re making a dream come true: bringing the physical reality into alignment with the legal and administrative reality. This allows us to simulate various scenarios before they’re actually implemented. Laws and regulations are automated and made applicable within a 3D representation of the physical reality.

What do you like about working here?

I really enjoy the mix of younger and older colleagues. And I’m very drawn to IMAGEM innovative approach, with its ambition to serve our clients even better in the coming years. And, of course, to let the market know that there are better alternatives than the “usual suspects” in the geospatial sector.

What achievements are you most proud of?

I am very proud of how we at IMAGEM have worked IMAGEM first two years to break into the market with Smart M.App technology. I am also proud of IMAGEM increased visibility IMAGEM the market—we’ve done a great job. Most people in our market now know that IMAGEM , but more importantly, they know what we can do for them.

I’m also proud of how we’re able to help our clients with location intelligence challenges. Within the company, I’m proud of my colleagues and the way we interact with one another—we have a great time and work well together. We challenge and support one another. We strike a good balance between business and fun. I’m also incredibly proud of the partnerships we’ve established with, among others, the municipalities of Almere and Capelle aan den IJssel, as well as the police. It shows how, together with them, we’ve embarked on a path of innovation that will soon benefit the entire government.

Who at IMAGEM you like to switch jobs with?

I’d love to swap roles with Walter [front-end developer] and Arjen [senior developer], because I don’t know anything about programming, but I’d really like to learn. I think it’s awesome what you can create and do with programming. Anything is possible.

What was the first thing you learned at the company?

We have to be patient; not everything happens at the pace you want. Everything takes time—that’s something I’ve learned.

What three words would you use to describe your job?

If I were to describe myself in my role, I would say I am an inspirer, a motivator, and an advisor. I support my clients and colleagues by inspiring and motivating them with my advice.

If you could change one thing about the company, what would it be?

I’d like to spend more casual time with my coworkers, like going on more team outings or having game nights together. Basically, doing more things together after work. That’s what I’d change.

[Unfortunately, this is harder to organize due to the pandemic, but we hope to do this more often soon!]

Who was your first desk mate? And who is it now?

Actually, there were two of them: Dirk Voets and Mark van de Sant. Now my desk mates are Patrick de Groot [Sales Director] and Mark Dunnewind [Inside Sales].

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.

When I was a teenager, I lived in Mallorca for two years. My mother moved there, and we went with her. We lived in a beautiful spot high up in the mountains of Mallorca. I spoke Spanish fluently there, but unfortunately I’ve since forgotten it. I only spoke English and Spanish while I was there, so when we came back, I had to relearn Dutch.

What a lot of people don't know is that I was born and raised in Twente. I used to have an accent even thicker than Herman Finkers'. Fortunately, you can't hear a trace of it anymore.