LRTK Cloud Usage: From Viewing Point Cloud Data to Measurements Using Only a Browser

Table of Contents

• What is LRTK Cloud?

• Uploading Point Cloud Data to LRTK Cloud

• How to View Point Cloud Data in a Browser

• How to Measure Point Cloud Data in a Browser

• Benefits and Use Cases of LRTK Cloud

• Simple Surveying Enabled by LRTK Cloud

• FAQ

Have you ever struggled after collecting 3D point cloud data on site because “the data is too heavy to handle” or “I can’t view it without specialized software”? LRTK Cloud solves those problems and is an innovative cloud service that allows you to view point cloud data and perform distance and area measurements using only a browser.

In recent years, it has become possible not only with drones and laser scanners but also easily with smartphones to scan your surroundings in 3D and obtain “point cloud data.” Point cloud data (point clouds) are 3D data that represent real-world shapes as a collection of many points. Each point contains X, Y, and Z coordinate values indicating position (and sometimes color information), and the collection of points can record the shapes of terrain and structures in detail. Traditionally, using such 3D point clouds required expensive specialized software and high-performance PCs, but with LRTK Cloud you can view and share point cloud data in a browser and measure distances, areas, and even volumes.

This article explains what LRTK Cloud is, its basic usage, how to view and measure point cloud data in a browser, and the practical benefits of using it, in a way that beginners can understand. At the end, we also introduce simple surveying using LRTK. Now, let’s dive into detailed ways to use LRTK Cloud.

What is LRTK Cloud?

LRTK Cloud is a web service that lets you manage and utilize high-precision 3D data acquired with the smartphone-linked surveying device LRTK Phone in the cloud. If you upload on-site point cloud data and positioning information via the internet, you can view 3D point clouds and perform various measurements in a web browser without installing specialized software. You can also display multiple point cloud datasets or 3D models simultaneously and check positions on a map. Because on-site data can be shared to the cloud immediately, you can grasp the situation remotely and check required dimensions or perform analyses. It is truly an innovative cloud service that enables everything from viewing to measuring point cloud data using only a browser.

Uploading Point Cloud Data to LRTK Cloud

So how do you import point cloud data collected on site into LRTK Cloud? The procedure is very simple. First, use the LRTK Phone (a GNSS receiver mounted on a smartphone) and the dedicated app to perform on-site point cloud scanning and positioning. After data acquisition, when the smartphone is connected to the internet, simply tap the sync button in the app to upload the measurement data to the cloud. Large 3D datasets are automatically saved to the cloud, so they won’t consume your phone’s internal storage. Once the upload is complete, you can immediately view and use the cloud data from an office PC.

You can also upload additional data files from the LRTK Cloud web interface. For example, if you upload design drawings (CAD data) to the cloud, you can overlay them with point clouds for comparison. Photos taken on site and coordinate point information are also synchronized to the cloud, enabling centralized management of related materials.

How to View Point Cloud Data in a Browser

Once your data is uploaded to the cloud, open the point cloud in a web browser. Log in to LRTK Cloud from a PC or tablet browser and select the relevant project or dataset. Opening a point cloud launches a 3D viewer in the browser, displaying the acquired points in color. You can freely move the viewpoint with mouse drag or touch gestures to observe the site from various angles. Zooming in and out is smooth, allowing you to inspect details closely.

Using the location information contained in the point cloud, you can display maps or aerial photos as the background in the viewer. This lets you understand where the point cloud corresponds geographically and check the overall site from a geographic perspective.

LRTK Cloud’s viewer can handle multiple datasets simultaneously. For example, you can overlay separately scanned point clouds or superimpose design 3D models on point clouds for comparison (since point clouds have absolute coordinates, they are automatically positioned correctly). If photos taken during point cloud acquisition are available, you can view those photos in the viewer as well. Clicking a camera icon in the point cloud lets you compare actual site photos with the 3D data, making it easier to identify details that are hard to discern from the point cloud alone.

In this way, with LRTK Cloud you can intuitively view 3D data in a browser without specialized software and clearly confirm site conditions. Even high-resolution point cloud data are optimized and displayed in the cloud, so you can operate smoothly regardless of your PC’s specifications.

How to Measure Point Cloud Data in a Browser

On LRTK Cloud, you can do more than just look at point clouds—you can directly measure the dimensions you need. Even without going to the site, you can find the lengths or areas you need from the office as long as you have the point cloud. Main measurement functions include distance measurement, area measurement, volume measurement, and coordinate confirmation.

First, distance measurement calculates the distance between two points in the point cloud. Click any two points you want to measure in the viewer to display the straight-line distance. This lets you easily understand dimensions of buildings or structures, spacing between distant objects, height differences, and more.

Next, area measurement calculates the area of a specified region in the point cloud. By connecting multiple points to draw a polygon, the internal area is computed. You can accurately derive planar areas such as ground parcel size or wall surface area, and even surfaces on slopes that are normally difficult to measure.

Volume measurement is used to determine volumes for tasks like fill or excavation in a specified region. When you define the contour of the target area on the point cloud, the contained soil volume is automatically calculated. This allows quick calculation of fill volumes or accumulated material quantities at construction sites and supports earthwork management and completion verification.

The coordinate confirmation function allows you to click any point in the point cloud to obtain that point’s 3D coordinate values (latitude, longitude, elevation, or X, Y, Z values in the chosen coordinate system). For example, if you want to know the elevation or position of a particular location, you can get accurate values on the spot from the point cloud.

Additionally, the cloud provides a function to extract arbitrary cross-sections from point cloud data and generate drawings. Simply specify a cross-section line in the viewer to generate a cross-section with elevation information, and you can export it as CAD data (DXF format). This enables direct use of point clouds to create simple as-built drawings and report materials.

All of these measurement functions can be executed easily in the browser, and the results appear on screen immediately. There is no need to create drawings in specialized CAD software or perform manual calculations. Even if you forgot to take measurements on site, you can retrieve required dimensions later from the cloud point cloud data, saving the trouble of returning to the site.

Benefits and Use Cases of LRTK Cloud

As described above, LRTK Cloud makes it dramatically easier to utilize 3D point cloud data. Finally, let’s summarize the benefits and introduce situations where it is helpful.

• Handiness and efficiency: Because it runs in a browser without specialized software, anyone from the field to the office can operate it immediately. Uploading and sharing data is a one-tap process, eliminating the hassle of exchanging files via email or USB. If a single person uploads data to the cloud on site, colleagues in the office can check it instantly, greatly reducing operational time loss.

• High-precision measurements: Point cloud data from LRTK Phone have centimeter-level positioning accuracy (cm level accuracy (half-inch accuracy)), and the cloud preserves that high precision for distance, area, and volume measurements. Tasks that previously required survey specialists spending long hours to compute volumes can now be scanned on site and yield immediate results in LRTK Cloud, enabling rapid decision-making.

• Handling of large-scale data: Because it handles large datasets in the cloud, dense point clouds and wide-area scans are no problem. You can view and analyze heavy point clouds without worrying about your PC’s specs. With effectively unlimited cloud storage, you can accumulate data and easily retrieve past site data for comparison later.

• Various use cases: LRTK Cloud is powerful for earthwork and progress management on civil engineering and construction sites. For example, by recording daily excavation and fill volumes with point clouds and calculating volumes in the cloud, you can streamline process management and quantity tracking. In disaster site surveying, you can scan surrounding areas without personnel entering dangerous locations and safely derive necessary dimensions in the cloud. For infrastructure inspection, saving periodic point clouds and comparing them with past data in the cloud makes it easy to grasp deterioration. Moreover, by overlaying acquired point clouds with design models or drawings, you can remotely verify whether constructed areas match the design.

Additionally, 3D data stored in the cloud can be used with the LRTK app’s AR display function on site to overlay and verify against the actual scenery. Combining cloud and AR enables intuitive recognition of discrepancies between design and current conditions on the spot, realizing smarter construction management.

These benefits help LRTK Cloud improve field productivity and speed up decision-making. From field personnel to construction managers and designers, sharing the same 3D information in the cloud prevents misunderstandings and enables smooth collaboration.

Simple Surveying Enabled by LRTK Cloud

Traditionally, surveying required specialized qualifications and expensive equipment and took time and manpower to obtain results. However, with LRTK Cloud, a new form of surveying—what can be called “simple surveying”—has become a reality. With on-site scanning using LRTK Phone and immediate analysis in LRTK Cloud, anyone can obtain sufficiently accurate surveying results in a short time.

For example, to confirm the length and height differences of a small development site, you used to have to request a surveyor to measure with a total station. With LRTK, one person can walk around the site with a smartphone to obtain a 3D point cloud and immediately grasp distances and height differences in the cloud. Even for simple measurements that don’t require formal survey drawings, LRTK Cloud provides reliable numbers based on high-precision data that are useful as justification for on-site decisions.

Because LRTK Cloud saves acquired data as point clouds with absolute coordinates, it is also easy to compile formal drawings or reports later if needed. In other words, LRTK supports everything from rough on-the-spot surveys to detailed analysis at a later date. Even where surveys were previously omitted due to time or cost constraints, using LRTK Cloud allows decisions based on solid on-site data.

Thus, LRTK Cloud simplifies advanced surveying functions and makes them available whenever needed. Even non-experts can handle accurate 3D data, strongly supporting on-site digital transformation (DX). Please take advantage of LRTK Cloud, which completes everything from viewing point cloud data to measuring in a browser, for simple surveying in your daily work.

FAQ

Q: Do I need specialized software to use LRTK Cloud?

A: No, you do not. LRTK Cloud runs in a web browser, so you can use it without installing special software on a PC or tablet. It supports major web browsers and can be used without special configuration. As long as you have an internet connection, you can view and measure 3D point cloud data from anywhere.

Q: What do I need to use LRTK Cloud?

A: To make the most of LRTK Cloud, you need an LRTK Phone device for on-site data acquisition, a compatible smartphone (iOS), and the dedicated app. First, acquire point clouds and positioning data with LRTK Phone and sync them to the cloud to make them available in the browser. Note that the cloud functions themselves can be viewed by anyone with a browser, so you can also share data with stakeholders via a share link.

Q: What kinds of measurements can be done in the cloud?

A: In addition to basic dimensional measurements such as distance, area, and volume, you can confirm point coordinates and calculate height differences and slopes between two points. Even if you forgot to measure something on site, as long as you captured the point cloud, you can perform additional measurements in the cloud later.

Q: How reliable are the measurement results?

A: Point cloud data obtained with LRTK Phone combine GNSS (satellite positioning) and photogrammetry, achieving approximately 1–2 cm (0.4-0.8 in) horizontally/planar and about 3 cm (1.2 in) in the vertical direction. Therefore, distance, area, and volume measurements in the cloud can generally be trusted at the centimeter level (cm level accuracy (half-inch accuracy)). However, if you intend to submit results as official surveying deliverables, please be aware of legal requirements under surveying laws and consider the intended use.

Q: Can I use it at a site without internet coverage?

A: Yes. You can acquire point clouds offline on site. LRTK Phone uses satellite augmentation information and can achieve high-precision positioning even in mountainous areas with no cellular signal. Acquired data are stored on the smartphone, so you don’t need to be connected on site. When you return to a location with Wi‑Fi or cellular coverage, you can sync to the cloud. After upload, you can view and analyze the data from the office or other locations.

Q: Can multiple people view LRTK Cloud data at the same time?

A: Yes. If users have access rights to the same project, multiple users can view and measure the same point cloud data from their respective devices. For example, a field worker and an office technician can open the same data in their browsers and confirm it together over the phone. Having data in the cloud makes it easy to share 3D information in real time among geographically dispersed teams.

Q: Can I export point cloud data or measurement results from LRTK Cloud?

A: Yes. Point cloud data stored in the cloud can be downloaded as needed. You can also save measurement results as screenshots or export cross-sections generated from point clouds as DXF files, providing export functions for using acquired data and analysis results in internal documents or other software. Data collected on site can be retained in LRTK Cloud while still being retrievable locally for secondary use as required.

Q: Is the data in the cloud secure?

A: Yes. LRTK Cloud has measures in place to handle customer data securely. Communications are encrypted, and access permissions can be set per project so that only authorized users can view data. Storing data in the cloud also reduces the risk of data loss due to device loss or failure. Backups are maintained on a reliable infrastructure, so you can use the service with confidence.