You have probably seen him in our Topocad demo videos or maybe talked to him when giving Adtollo a call. Since last spring, Jakob Samani, supports our Support department in various ways and is also involved in the development of Topocad’s functions.

Jakob enters the office with his headphones, computer backpack and skate board and sits down in front of the screen, behind his desk. In just a few months he has gotten a given place with us at Adtollo. He possesses a solid knowledge from the surveying industry, that the rest of us have an incredible use of and he happily shares his thoughts and tips.

Jakob has seen prisms and total stations since he was a child, as a great part of his family has worked within the surveying industry.

Was it obvious for you to choose a job whithin surveying?

– My dad worked with stake out as well as my grandfather. Also, I have uncles and cousins who work within the surveying industry, Jakob tells us. It’s a bit of a family profession, so perhaps it was the obvious choice. But I didn’t think like that when I was younger. I was a little pushed by my dad to start reading surveying technology, which I am grateful for now.

After high school Jakob studied surveying and map technology at Karlstad University.

– It was a wonderful time and I still regularly meet with my friends from that time, Jakob says.

At the university, Jakob took courses in mathematics, GIS, photogrammetry, database technology, geodesy, building geodesy, GNSS, cartography and real estate law, among others. His first job was as a technical specialist at NCC. There he worked with road surveying, mainly with laser technology on larger projects where he performed surveying and measurement consultant on major infrastructure and building projects, until he ended up at Adtollo as a surveying specialist.

How would you describe the atmosphere at Adtollo?

– Adtollo has a very relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. The colleagues care about each other and we are lika a big family. It’s very nice here.

What does a normal day at Adtollo look like?

Every day looks different, which Jakob truly appreciates.

– I often talk to customers on the support and help them solve their problems. Not only does it lead to a problem being solved, it also leads to ideas on how different functions in Topocad could be improved, in order to get a smoother workflow in Topocad.

Jakob also tests different technologies and finds new partners to inspire future development of the software. It’s important to be able to think both here and now, but also what the need will look like in five years.
A new recording room has been set up in the office and is where Jakob spends some time recording demo films and web courses for customers.

– Sometimes I record a movie in the morning to receive calls in the afternoon where customers want to know more about the features I have shown. It’s nice to have such close contact with our users, Jakob says.

What’s the best thing about the job?

Jakob enjoys the challenge of dealing with tricky problem solving. It’s also incredibly stimulating to see his ideas become reality, to see it becoming something concrete that others can use and benefit from.

– The reason I applied here was exactly this. Here I can influence the industry and decide what the tools of the future should look like.

What are you working on right now?

Right now, there is a big focus on Topocad 20, which will be released in the beginning of the year, where many news will be included. Jakob writes down his own ideas, captures wishes and feedback from the users and specifies functions that move on to the development pipeline.

– The users’ own wishes are incredibly valuable to us. We gain an understanding of how the program is used by different people in different types of projects. It also makes it possible for us to improve and build new features to suit the users’ needs. At Topocad Live, our user conference in January, many of our customers are gathered and everyone has a chance to make their voice heard regarding the future development of the program.

In addition to version 20, Jakob digs deeper into Topocad’s calculated sections. In the fall, he will be holding a course in the subject.

Do you have any tips for anyone who wants to work as a surveying specialist in the IT industry?

Be curious and learn as much as possible about all the tools, instruments and software that you see around you – that will make you attractive to those on the IT side, who doesn’t have that expertise.

What would you rather do on your spare time?

The answer comes quickly: Music. Jakob tells us that he has his own studio at home, mixing and master his friends’ and own projects.

– It’s incredibly rewarding to deal with music, to start with a thought in your head and then hear what it sounds like when you play it. Helping others is about getting the full potential of the song through the technical mix. This is important for the artist you’re working with. When it ends up good, you feel very proud.

Playing music yourself is a different thing. It’s “zen”, Jakob says, laughing. You’re communicating with all your senses, being very active and in the present. It’s not like anything else, it’s the most fun I know.