Dutch structural monitoring innovator recognised for equipment innovation and specialist supplier excellence
TotaLite, the optical sensing technology redefining structural deformation monitoring, has been shortlisted for two Ground Engineering Awards 2026: the Award for Equipment Innovation and Specialist Geotechnical Supplier of the Year. The double nomination recognises TotaLite’s emergence as a credible, field-proven alternative to traditional monitoring methods demonstrated across live UK and European monitoring projects.
A Practical Answer to a Real Engineering Problem
Monitoring projects increasingly demand continuous, reliable deformation monitoring in environments where access is constrained, conditions are harsh, and intervention must be minimised. Automated total stations have long provided high-quality data, but their cost, size, power requirements, and maintenance demands make them difficult to sustain on complex sites; particularly in tunnels, embankments, and live infrastructure corridors.
TotaLite was developed to address these constraints directly. Its compact, low-power optical sensor tracks standard survey prisms to deliver continuous 2D-displacement data, enabling engineers to observe how ground and structures behave over time rather than relying on periodic manual readings. Installation takes under one hour – an understated benefit when customers often only have a time window of two to four hours at night to install monitoring equipment as operations cannot be stopped for longer.
In such a short time window a total station installation is not feasible; TotaLite is. The system operates at as little as 0.3 W at hourly measurement intervals, enabling battery or solar-powered deployments. Monitoring project costs are reduced by up to 40% compared to conventional approaches.
Validated on Live UK and European Projects
TotaLite’s shortlisting is backed by a growing body of real-world field evidence. In January 2025, the system completed its first UK tunnel monitoring deployment, installed alongside an automated total station to observe the same targets during nearby construction works involving excavation, piling, and dewatering. Installation was completed within a planned tunnel closure without disrupting other maintenance activities. Over a three-month monitoring period, TotaLite achieved greater than 95% uptime and displacement measurements within 2 mm of the total station data.
In France, TotaLite monitored tunnel convergence across two sections of Andra’s Cigéo nuclear waste repository in Bure: 500 metres underground, in a restricted-access environment where reducing human presence is both an operational and safety priority. The system achieved 0.5 mm measurement repeatability and delivered continuous data transmission to Andra’s acquisition system throughout a twelve-month pilot, working alongside the Fugro France team.
Further afield, at Mirabeau in southern France, TotaLite was deployed in support of infrastructure works associated with the ITER international fusion energy project, operating through near-100% humidity, persistent fog, and black ice alongside an ATS benchmark. Geo-Instruments, the specialist monitoring company leading the project, concluded that TotaLite performed on par with the ATS throughout, including during the critical period when a Tunnel Boring Machine passed beneath the monitored road.
Industry Recognition
“This recognition belongs to everyone who believed in what we were building,” said Epco Berger, Managing Director at TotaLite. “We set out to tackle a practical problem ground engineers face every day: how to achieve continuous, reliable monitoring in an affordable and scalable manner whilst reducing site complexity or maintenance burden. Being shortlisted twice by the industry we set out to transform tells us the momentum is real.”
The Ground Engineering Awards celebrate technical excellence, innovation, and outstanding project delivery across the UK geotechnical and specialist contracting sector. The Award for Equipment Innovation recognises excellence in new product or technology development, while Specialist Geotechnical Supplier of the Year celebrates businesses that have delivered clear milestones in innovation, quality, and value. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in London on June 12, 2026.
Momentum Into 2026
TotaLite is currently scaling with deployments expanding across tunnelling, embankments, infrastructure and construction monitoring. Feedback from early projects, including the UK tunnel deployment supported by Academy Geomatics, has been directly incorporated into its next-generation system, improving accuracy, environmental robustness, and plug-and-play data transmission.
For organisations seeking to reduce monitoring costs, eliminate manual site visits, and maintain continuous data quality across demanding environments, TotaLite is available for demonstration at www.totalite.io.
