How digitalization is revolutionizing cemetery management

Cologne (ots) – A navigation system for cemeteries – with this innovative solution, Stefan Schumacher makes the work of cemetery administrations easier, supports the trades working there and improves the visitor experience.

PBSGEO GmbH has already won several awards with this internationally sought-after service. In this article, Dipl.-Ing. Stefan Schumacher reveals the specific advantages offered by the digitalization of cemeteries, the mission of PBSGEO GmbH and what it has to offer its visitors as the organizer of the Cologne Symposium for Digital Cemeteries.

Most cemetery visitors are familiar with the problem: even if they consciously memorized how to find the graves of their loved ones during their last visit, the next time they wander through the countless aisles of the extensive park that all look the same. It would be almost impossible to describe the correct route to third parties. This means that not only visitors, but also service providers such as morticians, cemetery gardeners and stonemasons, are constantly faced with the challenge of finding their way around the large grounds. If the cemetery administration is not staffed, the search for a specific grave can quickly become a time-consuming and nerve-wracking affair. “It also involves a lot of effort for the cemetery administration if there is no standardized overview,” says Dipl.-Ing. Stefan Schumacher.

“That’s why we have developed a solution that offers a kind of navigation system by digitizing the cemeteries,” continues the Managing Director of PBSGEO GmbH. As an innovation driver, leading expert and sought-after partner for cemetery digitization and the digital management of public green spaces, the company helps public, church and private institutions and organizations to create a digital image of their cemeteries. Because all users can then access the data from any location and at any time using any end device, this creates great added value for cemetery administrations, the trades working in the cemetery and visitors. This year, they are once again organizing the Cologne Digital Cemetery Symposium, which is regarded as a top event on the subject of the digitalization of cemeteries, to give interested parties an understanding of the other benefits of the application and how it works.

II Cologne Symposium of the Digital Cemetery shows great added value

As the organizer of the II Cologne Symposium of the Digital Cemetery, PBSGEO GmbH has managed to attract renowned industry experts as speakers. In addition to Frank Geyer, Head of Department of the City of Baden-Baden, Prof. Dr. Dr. Tade M. Spranger, for example, will share his knowledge of burial law with the audience. “As a real star in the industry, Prof. Dr. Dr. Tade M. Spranger manages to talk about a very dry topic in an entertaining way and with a healthy dose of humor, which makes his lectures very entertaining,” reveals Stefan Schumacher. In addition to expert knowledge on the topic of digital cemeteries, visitors can expect an up-to-date insight into the state of the art of cemetery digitization. This includes comprehensive presentations, discussions and networking with leading employees from public, church and private cemetery administrations and answers to their questions about the digital cemetery. Anyone interested in taking advantage of the two-day event in October to obtain all the relevant information on the innovative technology from PBSGEO GmbH should register now via the website – as almost two thirds of all places have already been allocated.

The decision to digitize a cemetery comes with many advantages: the structured plan can be shared with external parties, such as trades or visitors, so that everyone has the same information. This not only increases the service quality of the administration enormously, but also greatly reduces the workload of cemetery employees. “For example, external parties can open the digital cemetery plan very easily by scanning a QR code and access an online grave search,” explains Stefan Schumacher. It is also possible to create memorial pages with historical information on individual graves. For the cemetery administration, the application serves as a task management system with location links, among other things. “Our integrated tool simplifies communication between the office staff and the employees at the cemeteries. Any tasks that arise are clearly described with coordinates, a photo, priorities, etc., so that everyone involved knows where each task needs to be completed,” reveals the Managing Director of PBSGEO GmbH. “By defining task priorities and deadlines, it is also clear to all employees which tasks need to be completed next. If a task is assigned to a specific person, the person responsible receives a notification by email.” The basic application is so simple that it does not even require any training.

PBSGEO GmbH is the market and technology leader in the digitization of cemeteries

As the market and technology leader in the digitization of cemeteries, Dipl.-Ing. Stefan Schumacher and his fifteen-strong team manage over three million graves for more than 200 customers. While the former civil engineer initially set up his own business providing consulting services in the field of geographic information systems, his company now specializes in the digitization of cemeteries and public green spaces. PBSGEO GMBH’s customers include many large cities and administrations in Germany, Europe and even South America. For example, PBSGEO GmbH has digitized all the cemeteries of the city of Frankfurt am Main and supplemented the cemetery plans with images and search functions for deceased persons and burials. “Cemeteries are not just places of mourning. They are parks with outstanding landscape architecture and focal points of the city’s history,” says Stefan Schumacher. “Our aim is to make cemeteries more accessible and tangible, thereby giving them greater significance.”

As a public, church or private institution or organization, would you like to benefit from the many advantages of the digital cemetery? Contact Stefan Schumacher from PBSGEO GmbH now (https://www.pbsgeo.com) or secure a ticket for the Cologne Digital Cemetery Symposium (https://www.friedhof-symposium.de/)!

Source: Rheinische Post, August, https://rp-online.de/advertorial/presseportal/pbsgeo-gmbh-wie-die-digitalisierung-das-friedhofsmanagement-revolutioniert_aid-118279895

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