On the road with Greenland's Survey

"You always feel that you know what is about to happen when you go to work in the morning, but then something always something changes and challenges us in one way or another. One can say that our work is about measuring nature, but unfortunately nature does not care about our time frame. This is definitely not an ordinary 8-16 job."

"In the summer, we are in a hurry to travel all over the country to take advantage of the good weather. It is significantly easier for us to do our work when it takes place in plus degrees instead of 20 degrees frost. In addition, we often make water measurements, and, of course, this is not possible, if the water is frozen. We are also very challenged by rain and snow, and the fact that the weather can turn upside down in just a single day. The unpredictability has to do with the fact that we cannot be sure to get a lift home if the weather conditions suddenly change while we are out on a field trip. The helicopter will not stay there waiting for us. For example, we can leave in bright sunshine and wake up to a snowy landscape next morning. In one case, a couple of my colleagues had to wait a whole week to be flown back from a field trip. It also happens that we get halfway to the location and then get surprised by snow or sleet, where there is a danger of icing because the pilot can see that sub-zero temperatures are on the way. Then we have to regroup and wait until some other day to go out. "

"Since a large part of our work takes place in the field, our computers need to be able to function in the open without breaking and without error messages that are impossible to do anything about on site. We've been using Panasonic TOUGHBOOK lap-tops for seven or eight years without any problems, even though they've experienced a little bit of everything. Earlier this year, we switched to computers of the same brand – still without problems. Of course, we try to avoid it, but sometimes computers are dropped or thrown out in the field when things need to go fast. It is a great practical and mental advantage that we know that the devices can withstand a couple of beatings. In addition, it has proven important that the Panasonic computers have USB ports with covers on, so we also do not have to worry about dust or rain finding its way in. It's hard work, but also incredibly exciting. It has taken some getting used to working the way we do, where we are often away many days at a time and work in rather extraordinary conditions. Whether it rains, snows or is extraordinarily windy, we still have to carry out our tasks. There's something quite unique about that. "