Portable protective container for transporting an electrical surveying device designed for optical distance measurement and for detecting three-dimensional coordinates of distant objects, comprising - an outer shell enclosing an interior space configured to accommodate the surveying device, wherein the interior space comprises at least one holder specifically configured to accommodate a particular type of surveying instrument of known dimensions, - a closing mechanism configured to allow the protective container to be opened by a user, - a communication unit integrated in the protective container and designed to exchange data with the surveying device, and - a power supply unit for supplying power to the communication unit, characterized in that - the power supply unit comprises means for an external power supply and is designed for supplying power to the surveying device in the interior space by means of a cable, by means of electrical contacts or by means of induction, wherein a battery of the surveying instrument in the interior space can be charged by the power supply unit, - the protective container comprises on the outer shell a man-machine interface with a display unit designed as a touchscreen, wherein the display unit is designed to display information about the surveying device located in the interior space, wherein the information comprises at least a charging state of the battery of the surveying device, and - the communication unit is designed for the purpose of - providing the display unit with the information about the surveying device located in the interior space, - retrieving mission-related and/or mission-site-related data via a radio network and forwarding said data to the surveying device, and - transmitting data received from the surveying device over the radio network, wherein the data received from the surveying device comprise distances or 3D coordinates detected by the surveying device. - an outer shell enclosing an interior space configured to accommodate the surveying device, wherein the interior space comprises at least one holder specifically configured to accommodate a particular type of surveying instrument of known dimensions, - a closing mechanism configured to allow the protective container to be opened by a user, - a communication unit integrated in the protective container and designed to exchange data with the surveying device, and - a power supply unit for supplying power to the communication unit, - the power supply unit comprises means for an external power supply and is designed for supplying power to the surveying device in the interior space by means of a cable, by means of electrical contacts or by means of induction, wherein a battery of the surveying instrument in the interior space can be charged by the power supply unit, - the protective container comprises on the outer shell a man-machine interface with a display unit designed as a touchscreen, wherein the display unit is designed to display information about the surveying device located in the interior space, wherein the information comprises at least a charging state of the battery of the surveying device, and - the communication unit is designed for the purpose of - providing the display unit with the information about the surveying device located in the interior space, - retrieving mission-related and/or mission-site-related data via a radio network and forwarding said data to the surveying device, and - transmitting data received from the surveying device over the radio network, wherein the data received from the surveying device comprise distances or 3D coordinates detected by the surveying device. - providing the display unit with the information about the surveying device located in the interior space, - retrieving mission-related and/or mission-site-related data via a radio network and forwarding said data to the surveying device, and - transmitting data received from the surveying device over the radio network, wherein the data received from the surveying device comprise distances or 3D coordinates detected by the surveying device.