Territory: Germany
Home office: Wandlitz, Germany
Year founded: 2002
Founded in 2002 by four geoscientists from Freie Universität Berlin, terra4 – Gesellschaft für Geosystemanalyse mbH (terra4 for short) serves as the local NexSens value-added distributor for the delivery of buoy-based and other monitoring solutions to the German-speaking market. The company is currently owned and operated by founding partners Ronald Varlemann and Carsten Wirtz.
In its first years of existence, terra4 carried out field investigations on behalf of environmental authorities, institutes and engineering offices. Studies included the hydromorphology and morphodynamics of rivers and the stratigraphies of sediments in rivers and lakes, among others. These were performed by means of specialized and partly self-developed measuring and sampling techniques. The results were the basis for restorations as well as for evaluation of functionalities of hydraulic engineering facilities.
Since 2006, terra4 has represented manufacturers of sensors and data loggers for oceanography and hydrology in Germany. They work with suppliers who develop innovative solutions in the field of measurement technology and data transmission. Experience with many such instruments was gained through the earlier research work, which formed the basis for entry into the role of manufacturer’s representative. Initially intended as a supplement, equipment sales developed so successfully that environmental studies and consulting activities took a back seat. Field measurements currently are performed primarily in the context of demonstrations and trainings.
Carsten Wirtz, responsible for the NexSens Technology product line at at terra4, has more than thirty years of experience in the areas of environmental data collection, landscape planning, and nature surveys at water bodies and in wetlands. Parallel to his studies of physical geography at the universities of Heidelberg and Berlin, he worked on assignments for engineering and planning offices and environmental authorities. During his doctoral studies, extensive measurements of hydrodynamics were carried out on large rivers such as the Elbe, Rhine and Oder. Training as a research diver at the University of Rostock facilitated initial contact with oceanographic institutes, and a long-existing hobby was extended by means of scientific work.
On working with NexSens and in the field of environmental measurements in general, Dr. Wirtz added, “Due to the experience with measurement techniques and monitoring, challenges from the planning level to the implementation in the field are well known. It is always great fun to see what new possibilities arise due to innovative measurement technology, how access to large amounts of environmental data has become easier and how projects can be successfully realized that were unthinkable a few years ago.”
For enquiries in Germany, terra4 GmbH can be reached at the following:
Phone: +49 (0)33397 – 64 95 11
Email: info@terra4.de
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