Table of Contents

• The Current State and Challenges of Drone Surveying

• What Is the On-Site Innovation LRTK Drone Point Cloud?

• Cost-Reduction Benefits of Cloud Utilization

• Efficiency Benefits of Cloud Utilization

• Key Features and Characteristics of LRTK Drone Point Clouds

• Zero-Blind-Spot Site Measurement with Drone + Smartphone Surveying

• Conclusion: The Future of Field Surveying Expanded by the Cloud

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The Current State and Challenges of Drone Surveying

In recent years, aerial surveying using drones (drone surveying) has rapidly spread across construction and civil engineering sites. Because drones can capture entire sites from above in a short time and produce high-accuracy 3D data, they offer advantages in safety and efficiency compared to traditional ground-based surveying (TS surveying). In fact, a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism survey reported a case in which a site of 0.31 square kilometers took about 45 days with TS surveying but was completed in about 1.5 days with drone surveying. Using drones can drastically reduce surveying days and personnel, and enable safe data acquisition even in steep terrain or disaster sites where people cannot enter.

However, there are also several challenges to making drone-acquired data useful for on-site operations. Generating 3D deliverables such as orthophotos and point cloud data from the many high-resolution photos taken by drones typically requires specialized software for image analysis (SfM processing) and high-performance PCs. On large sites, the number of photos can become enormous, and processing can take from several hours to several days. License fees for specialized software and the preparation and maintenance of high-spec PCs incur costs, and if there are no skilled operators in-house, analysis is often outsourced.

Additionally, the point cloud data obtained are very large in file size, and the need for viewer software and the effort to share data are also challenges. If the generated 3D data cannot be shared and viewed by all stakeholders, it becomes difficult to use them for consensus building or quick decision-making on site. Furthermore, because drones capture from the air, blind spots exist. Areas not visible from above—such as beneath trees, the underside of bridges, or building interiors—will have missing point cloud data. In urban areas where drones cannot be flown, it is necessary to bring in terrestrial laser scanners or other equipment, which also increases cost and effort. To truly turn drone surveying into on-site innovation, measures to address these challenges are required.

What Is the On-Site Innovation LRTK Drone Point Cloud?

Introduced as a solution to the issues described above and to unlock the true value of drone surveying is the “LRTK Drone Point Cloud.” The LRTK Drone Point Cloud is a cloud service that automatically generates point cloud data from photos taken by drones on the cloud and supports everything up to on-site sharing and utilization. It is developed and provided by a domestic manufacturer, and a notable feature is that you can receive extensive support from introduction through operation.

With LRTK Drone Point Cloud, the previously required high-spec PCs and complex analysis tasks are unnecessary. Using LRTK’s proprietary point cloud generation algorithm, simply uploading photo data to the cloud yields a high-accuracy 3D point cloud model with latitude, longitude, and elevation information. During generation, a georeferenced orthophoto (an image looking straight down like a map) is also automatically created, and all data are assigned absolute coordinates based on real space. No difficult parameter settings or specialist knowledge are required; it is designed so anyone can easily use it with intuitive cloud operations.

In short, by introducing LRTK Drone Point Cloud, you can realize a one-stop workflow: drone capture → point cloud generation → viewing, analyzing, and sharing survey data. For companies that want to utilize aerial point clouds from large sites, it is a tool for on-site innovation that eliminates concerns about “preparing processing environments” and “expertise for data utilization.”

Cost-Reduction Benefits of Cloud Utilization

Utilizing the cloud service LRTK Drone Point Cloud brings various cost-saving effects. First, investment costs for equipment and software are greatly reduced. Traditionally, expensive workstations and licenses for dedicated software were needed for drone point cloud processing, but with LRTK Drone Point Cloud this is unnecessary. Because you can use cloud-based processing engines and viewers, an ordinary laptop is sufficient. There is no need to purchase a dedicated viewer separately, as it is included in the cloud usage fees.

Also, cost reductions are expected in labor and outsourcing fees. When difficult point cloud processing was entrusted to specialist staff or outsourced, labor and outsourcing costs accumulated. With LRTK Drone Point Cloud, on-site personnel can simply upload the captured data and obtain results, enabling operation with fewer people. It is not a problem if there is no in-house personnel with advanced analysis skills, and training costs can also be reduced.

Furthermore, the cloud provides unlimited storage, so there is no need to prepare expensive servers or storage devices to save and manage large point cloud data. Because you can use cloud resources as needed, you can flexibly respond to project-specific loads. This avoids wasteful over-investment in equipment for peak periods.

Overall, cloud utilization with LRTK Drone Point Cloud enables optimization of capital and operating costs. By avoiding unnecessary initial investments and using resources only when needed, total costs can be drastically reduced.

Efficiency Benefits of Cloud Utilization

Beyond cost, cloud utilization greatly contributes to operational efficiency. First, there is reduced processing time. Because powerful servers on the cloud perform image analysis for LRTK Drone Point Cloud, you do not need to burden in-house PCs for long periods. For example, even for very large dam-site photo datasets, there is a proven case where point cloud generation completed in about one hour. Staff can proceed with other tasks while waiting for processing, which speeds up the overall workflow.

Next, immediacy of data utilization is improved. 3D point clouds and orthophotos generated in the cloud can be viewed from anywhere via the internet. If you upload data captured on site immediately, you can share them with stakeholders in the office the same day and hold meetings or make decisions based on the latest conditions. There is no need to install dedicated software or wait for large files to be sent, and all stakeholders can view the same data on the same platform in real time.

Additionally, the LRTK cloud includes a full set of survey analysis functions, reducing post-processing effort. Measurements of distance, area, and volume can be executed with one click, and earthwork volume calculations on the scale of thousands of cubic meters can be completed instantly. You can also extract arbitrary cross sections from point clouds and save them as DXF drawings, greatly reducing tasks that previously required manual CAD work. There is also a function to overlay design data on 3D point clouds and automatically color-code differences, allowing you to instantly determine whether as-built conditions match the design. This streamlines construction management and inspection processes and helps early detection of defects.

Moreover, the expert support from the LRTK team helps prevent wasted rework. Staff with extensive drone surveying know-how support flight planning consultations and flight feasibility judgments, so even first-time drone surveying users can operate smoothly. This total support minimizes time loss from on-site trial-and-error and rework.

By leveraging the cloud in this way, the entire flow from data processing to sharing and analysis is made more efficient, realizing improved productivity across the site.

Key Features and Characteristics of LRTK Drone Point Clouds

Below is a summary of representative features and characteristics provided by LRTK Drone Point Cloud.

• Automatic Point Cloud Generation: From multiple photos taken by a drone, the cloud automatically generates high-density point cloud data. No specialist knowledge is required; after upload, automatic processing completes 3D modeling in a short time.

• Orthophoto Generation: High-resolution ortho-mosaic images are created simultaneously during point cloud generation. These top-down images of the entire site are useful as plan views and for as-built management.

• Absolute Coordinates and High-Precision Positioning: Generated point clouds and orthophotos are assigned latitude, longitude, and elevation absolute coordinates, enabling perfect overlay with maps and other survey data. If necessary, you can specify ground control point information on the cloud to align positions, improving accuracy to the centimeter level (cm level accuracy (half-inch accuracy)).

• Web 3D Viewer: A viewer function allows viewing and manipulating 3D point clouds in a browser without installing dedicated software. It is accessible from tablets as well as PCs, so anyone can easily check 3D data.

• Unlimited Cloud Storage: LRTK Cloud includes unlimited storage, so huge point cloud datasets can all be kept in the cloud. This prevents pressure on local PC disk capacity and simplifies project-based data management.

• Measurement and Analysis Tools: In the cloud viewer, you can perform various measurements using point clouds—distance, area, volume, height difference, slope, etc. You can immediately obtain the numbers you need on site without relying on additional analysis software.

• Cross Section Creation and CAD Integration: You can extract arbitrary cross sections from point cloud data and download the cross-sectional shapes in DXF format. This facilitates smooth integration with CAD drawing creation and earthwork calculation software (as-built management software).

• Comparison with Design Data: You can upload design 3D models or drawing data and overlay them with the as-built point cloud to display differences with color coding. This lets you check at a glance whether the finished shape matches the design and helps detect inconsistencies for quality control.

• Point Cloud Editing and Noise Removal: The cloud provides functions to automatically remove or edit unnecessary noise points and outliers from acquired point clouds. Data clean-up can be done without routing through other software.

• Data Sharing via Shareable Links: Projects on the LRTK cloud can be easily shared with external stakeholders by issuing shareable links. The recipients can view the data even without an LRTK license, and they can smoothly check 3D data without a high-spec PC.

Zero-Blind-Spot Site Measurement with Drone + Smartphone Surveying

There are inevitably places that a drone alone cannot fully cover, but LRTK provides means to complement that. By using the smartphone-mount GNSS receiver in the LRTK series, the LRTK Phone, you can obtain high-precision point clouds simply by holding up a smartphone and walking in narrow spaces or areas not visible from above. The LRTK Phone is a small device that attaches to a smartphone (iPhone/iPad) and combines centimeter-class satellite positioning with the smartphone’s built-in LiDAR sensor and camera to 3D-scan the surroundings. For example, areas that are blind spots for drones—under tree canopies, under bridges, or indoor spaces—can be easily measured in 3D using the LRTK Phone.

Data from LRTK Drone Point Cloud and LRTK Phone are all captured in a common coordinate system. Therefore, by adding smartphone-acquired point clouds to drone-generated wide-area terrain point clouds, the positions automatically align and a seamless integrated model is produced. This allows on-site immediate supplementation of details that were insufficiently dense in the drone point cloud or blind-spot areas that were not captured. In practice, when an area of woodland that had been in shadow during drone capture was later scanned with the LRTK Phone, the point cloud gaps were perfectly filled and highly detailed terrain data were obtained. By combining drone and smartphone surveying in this way, you can achieve zero-blind-spot site measurement from ground to air.

In addition, the LRTK series includes an omnidirectional camera integration solution, “LRTK 360.” By storing 360-degree panorama photos of the site together with point cloud data in the cloud, you can vividly grasp the site situation even when not physically present. If you record the full set—drone point cloud + smartphone point cloud + 360° images—you can inspect site details from the office and greatly streamline meetings and review tasks.

Conclusion: The Future of Field Surveying Expanded by the Cloud

To maximize the potential of drone surveying, cost reduction and efficiency through cloud utilization are key. The on-site innovation LRTK Drone Point Cloud has emerged as a solution that realizes both, providing an environment where anyone can easily use high-precision 3D data. Its workflow, which swiftly completes everything from data processing to sharing, removes the traditional barriers of equipment cost and technical hurdles and truly accelerates on-site DX (digital transformation).

New cloud-based surveying methods can reduce on-site workload, speed up decision-making, and ultimately improve overall construction productivity. Going forward, combining not only drones but also simple surveys using smartphones will make site measurement even more flexible and agile. The LRTK series is an all-in-one platform that supports such cutting-edge surveying. From large-scale civil engineering works to small-scale site surveys, anyone can easily acquire and utilize the necessary data with LRTK. Change your approach to field surveying with LRTK and take a step toward smart surveying that balances cost reduction and efficiency.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is LRTK Drone Point Cloud? A: It is a cloud service that automatically generates point cloud data from photos taken by drones and provides one-stop viewing, analysis, and sharing of 3D data. You can easily create high-precision point clouds and orthophotos with absolute coordinates.

Q: Do I need dedicated equipment or software to use it? A: No, you do not need special hardware or software. One internet-connected computer is sufficient. Access LRTK Cloud from a web browser and upload photos; the cloud performs the analysis. Results can also be viewed in the browser.

Q: Can I use it without an RTK-capable drone? A: Yes, it can be used with photos taken by standard GPS-equipped drones. LRTK Drone Point Cloud also supports establishing and surveying ground control points, and you can perform position correction on the cloud using ground control points as needed to ensure high accuracy. Using an RTK-equipped drone makes improving accuracy easier, but it is not mandatory.

Q: How long does processing take? A: It varies with the number of photos and the area size, but cloud processing yields results in relatively short times. For several hundred photos, processing typically takes tens of minutes to about an hour; even for large projects, point cloud generation is usually completed within a few hours. Because your PC is not tied up during processing, you can continue other work in parallel.

Q: What level of accuracy do the point clouds have? A: Relative accuracy (internal consistency of the point cloud) is very high and can reproduce terrain and structures at levels of less than a few centimeters (cm level accuracy (half-inch accuracy)). Absolute accuracy (alignment with a known coordinate system) depends on the drone’s GPS accuracy and whether ground control points are used, but by appropriately using RTK or ground control points, errors can be kept within a few centimeters (cm level accuracy (half-inch accuracy)). In any case, the data obtained are accurate enough for civil engineering surveying and construction management.

Q: What should I do in places where drones cannot be flown? A: Don’t worry—LRTK’s lineup includes the “LRTK Phone” for easy surveying with a smartphone and the ground-based measurement device “LRTK LiDAR.” Using these, you can acquire high-precision 3D data even indoors, in narrow spaces, or in populated areas where drones cannot be used. Captured data can be integrated with drone point clouds in the cloud.

Q: How can I share the data I create? A: On the LRTK cloud, you can issue a shareable link for a project to share data with internal and external stakeholders. Recipients can view 3D point clouds and orthophotos in a browser simply by accessing the link. They do not need special software or accounts, enabling smooth information sharing with clients and subcontractors.

Q: Is data uploaded to the cloud secure? A: Yes, data in the cloud are securely managed. Communication is encrypted, and data viewing requires an issued shareable link. Access permissions can be managed per project, so you can safely store sensitive survey data in the cloud.

Q: Can I download point clouds and drawing data? A: Yes, point clouds and generated cross sections on the cloud can be downloaded in standard file formats as needed. Point clouds support LAS and PLY formats, orthophotos support GeoTIFF, and cross sections support DXF, among others, facilitating smooth import into your CAD or analysis software.