Share Point Cloud Data to the Cloud Immediately - Consensus Building with Clients Speeds Up Dramatically

Table of Contents

• Introduction

• Challenges in Reaching Agreement with Clients

• What Is Point Cloud Data?

• Benefits of Sharing Point Cloud Data via the Cloud

• Simple Surveying with LRTK

• FAQ

Introduction

In construction and civil engineering sites, reaching agreement with the client (project owner) is a key to project success. However, traditionally it has not been easy to convey site conditions or the finished image using only drawings and photos, and misunderstandings have often led to rework and schedule delays. To avoid being told later by the client “This wasn’t what I expected,” it is important to share the site accurately and intuitively and obtain agreement early.

In recent years, a solution attracting attention is the cloud sharing of point cloud data. By uploading point cloud data obtained from laser scanners or photogrammetry to the cloud immediately and sharing it with all stakeholders, the site can be experienced in 3D even remotely. As a new method that dramatically speeds up consensus building with clients, it is rapidly spreading throughout the construction industry. This article explains in detail how sharing point cloud data solves traditional problems and what benefits it brings to consensus building with clients.

Government-led promotion of construction DX is also supporting this trend. As part of its *i-Construction* initiative, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism recommends the use of three-dimensional surveying techniques and is developing guidelines for remote site inspections (online site verification). Digital consensus building using point cloud data is likely to become an increasingly standard practice.

Challenges in Reaching Agreement with Clients

Whether it’s new home construction, remodeling, or civil engineering works, reaching agreement with the client is indispensable in any project. However, traditional methods have several challenges.

First, it is difficult to share the finished image. It is not easy for non-expert clients to grasp the post-completion appearance from two-dimensional drawings such as plans and elevations alone. Even when looking at drawings, it can be hard to perceive spatial height and depth, leading to mismatches where the result differs from what the client expected. Such discrepancies in image can cause rework, resulting in on-site redo work and additional costs. If consensus building takes time, it directly leads to overall schedule delays and increased costs.

Next is the time lag in information sharing. Even when changes or problems occur on site, traditionally people took photos and sent them by email or reports were delayed until the next regular meeting. If the client is located far away, they may need to travel to confirm the site in person, which involves scheduling and travel time. This time lag often delays decision-making and slows down the pace of consensus building.

Furthermore, difficulty handling the data was also a problem. Even if site details were recorded in 3D models or point cloud data, the data volumes are enormous and can only be viewed with specialized software. Handing over large files on USB sticks or asking the client to install a viewer on their PC was cumbersome, making it unrealistic for clients to freely check the data themselves. As a result, detailed site data that had been collected often remained unused.

What Is Point Cloud Data?

A point cloud is a collection of many points (coordinates) obtained by scanning a site using laser measuring instruments or cameras. It is a three-dimensional dataset composed of countless points that records the shapes and positions of objects with high accuracy. For example, if you perform point cloud surveying of the interior of a building, the positions and dimensions of walls, ceilings, and furniture are preserved as a digital “cloud” of points. Because point cloud data effectively copies the real space, it can accurately capture details that conventional manual measurements or drafting might miss.

There are two major methods for acquiring point clouds. One is laser scanning, where a device emits laser light at the target and measures the distance by analyzing the reflected light to generate a point cloud. The other is photogrammetry (e.g., SfM), which extracts feature points from multiple photos and calculates three-dimensional coordinates based on correspondences between images to produce a point cloud. Either method can acquire millions of coordinate points in a short time, recording high-density information that was not possible with traditional manual surveying. The enormous point cloud dataset obtained in this way can be described as a digital clone of the entire site. Because it reflects subtle terrain undulations and architectural details, it offers clients an experience close to seeing the actual site.

Benefits of Sharing Point Cloud Data via the Cloud

Considering the traditional challenges, there are various advantages to sharing point cloud data in the cloud. Here are the main benefits cloud sharing brings to consensus building with clients.

• Experience the site without being there: Point cloud data uploaded to the cloud can be viewed by all stakeholders, including the client, via the Internet. Clients can inspect the site three-dimensionally on a PC or tablet from home or the office. Because they can experience the current conditions as if they were standing there, spatial scale and details that paper drawings could not convey can be shared. Remote clients can join meetings while sharing the screen online, greatly reducing the need to gather on site for consensus building.

• Instant sharing speeds up communication: If point cloud data is saved to the cloud immediately, the latest site conditions can be shared in a timely manner. For example, if a site staff member performs a laser scan, the point cloud data can be delivered to the client or designers via the cloud right afterward. A client in a distant office can check the latest site data simply by clicking a URL link. There is no need to wait for report compilation or mailing as before, and because you can share on-site changes in real time, decision-making speed improves dramatically.

• No specialized software needed to view: With cloud point cloud viewers, clients no longer need specialized software to view data. Systems that display and manipulate point clouds in a web browser remove the need to install dedicated software or have a high-performance PC. Stakeholders only need a shared link to view 3D data from their own PC or tablet. This eliminates the hassle of transferring large files and significantly lowers the barrier to data sharing. Even clients who are not tech-savvy can intuitively change viewpoints or zoom in and out, allowing them to independently review site data.

• Everyone sees the same information, sharing understanding: When all stakeholders can simultaneously view the point cloud—the “truth” of the site—communication quality improves. Clients, designers, contractors, and sales personnel with different roles can discuss while looking at the same 3D space, reducing misunderstandings and miscommunication. Subtle nuances that are hard to convey in drawings or text can be shared visually, enabling decision-making based on a common image. This helps prevent disputes over what was or wasn’t said and future recognition gaps.

• Visualize changes and the finished appearance: By overlaying CAD drawings or BIM models under design on the point cloud data, you can display the finished image in 3D in advance. For example, overlaying a new floor plan’s 3D model on the point cloud of a room before renovation lets the client instantly understand the sense of openness after removing walls or how furniture will be arranged. Using AR (augmented reality), you can share virtual completion predictions that combine point clouds and design data without visiting the site, increasing client confidence. By resolving anxieties like “We won’t know until it’s finished,” you can secure agreement in advance and reduce the risk of rework.

• Streamline site attendance to save time and cost: If the as-built condition is recorded and shared with 3D point clouds, clients or supervisors may be able to conduct inspections remotely. If issues can be checked and discussed remotely, travel time and travel expenses for stakeholders who would otherwise need to come to the site for inspections or meetings can be greatly reduced. In practice, there are reports from large infrastructure test constructions in which remote inspections using point clouds and 3D data reduced the number of on-site inspections required by supervisory staff. As remote site inspection systems develop in the future, losses associated with physical travel will decrease further, and expedited consensus building and cost reduction are expected to increase.

• Records remain and can be used as reference material: Point cloud data shared in the cloud can be referenced at any time during the project. Clients can revisit the data as often as they wish to measure dimensions or check details. This allows clients to deepen their considerations between meetings and prepare smoothly for the next meeting. Point cloud data also remains as a record after project completion, useful for future expansions or maintenance. Reusing once-acquired 3D data repeatedly reduces the need for additional surveys or explanations and streamlines the consensus-building process.

• Increased client reassurance and trustworthiness: Sharing objective evidence in the form of point cloud data allows clients to verify progress and quality themselves. This fosters trust in the contractor. Clients who may have felt uneasy with only photos or verbal explanations are more likely to be convinced and to entrust the process when they can understand the site in 3D. Transparent information sharing also greatly helps build good client relationships.

For example, there are reports where sharing the same point cloud model during discussions shortened meeting times and suppressed the need for re-surveying. Through 3D data, client and site understanding mismatches were resolved, reducing unnecessary rework and accelerating decision-making. As a result, overall project progress became much smoother, and the very process of consensus building has been changing.

Simple Surveying with LRTK

A solution gaining attention to make point cloud utilization even easier is simple surveying using LRTK. LRTK is a modern surveying and point cloud measurement system that uses smartphones and is designed to handle everything from 3D scanning on site to cloud sharing in a one-stop workflow.

Traditionally, acquiring precise 3D point clouds required expensive laser scanners and specialized operators. However, with LRTK, by using a compact high-precision GNSS receiver attached to a smartphone and a dedicated app, one person can easily perform high-precision point cloud surveys. By scanning the surroundings with a smartphone’s built-in LiDAR sensor or camera and correcting positional information with LRTK GNSS, you can generate point cloud data with accuracy on the order of centimeters (half-inch accuracy). The acquired point cloud data is tagged with positioning coordinates in real time and is automatically synchronized to the project in the cloud immediately after scanning on site.

In other words, with LRTK you can share point cloud data to the cloud immediately at the time of measurement. Without worrying about specialized procedures or complicated post-processing, data flows seamlessly from the site to the office and then to the client. You can even review and discuss the shared 3D data online with the client on the spot.

LRTK also provides various functions to support point cloud utilization. For example, you can measure distances and areas on the acquired point cloud or overlay design drawings in AR to check differences from current conditions, all using just a smartphone. By consolidating processes that previously required multiple specialized devices and software into LRTK, on-site DX (digital transformation) accelerates rapidly. LRTK is far more economical than assembling dedicated 3D scanners and AR devices individually, and because it is a cloud-inclusive system, data management and backup are handled for you. There is no need to build a complex IT environment in-house, making it attractive for small companies to adopt easily. Its intuitive operation is easy to learn, so even sites lacking experienced surveyors can have newcomers carry out surveying and point cloud measurement. This helps address labor shortages and skill transfer issues and will support DX promotion across the industry.

Real-time information sharing and accurate site understanding are indispensable for faster and more reliable consensus building with clients. Simple surveying with LRTK is a next-generation solution that meets both requirements. If you are interested in sharing and utilizing point cloud data, consider adopting the latest tools such as LRTK. The previously complex surveying and consensus-building processes will become surprisingly simple, greatly contributing to building trust with clients and smoothing project execution.

FAQ

Q: Is using point cloud data difficult? A: In recent years, smartphones and drones have made it possible to acquire point cloud data, and it has become easier to handle even without specialized knowledge. With cloud-based point cloud viewers, data can be viewed intuitively in a browser. You may feel uncertain at first, but by choosing simple tools, anyone can relatively easily start using point cloud data.

Q: Do clients need special software or high-end PCs? A: No. Point cloud data shared via the cloud can be displayed with a web browser, so clients do not need to install special software or prepare a high-performance PC. With an Internet connection and a typical PC or tablet, anyone can check the site via a link to a 3D viewer. In practice, there are increasing cases in which clients check uploaded point clouds on a tablet at home.

Q: Are there problems sharing large point cloud files? A: Point cloud data can indeed become large, but when managed in the cloud you can stream only the necessary portion, allowing smooth viewing even for large datasets. Hosting data in the cloud also eliminates the need for email attachments or USB transfers and centralizes the latest data. As long as the communication environment is adequate, file size is not a major concern.

Q: Can consensus be reached smoothly with distant clients? A: Yes. By sharing point cloud data in the cloud, you can hold meetings online while sharing site conditions with distant clients. Because you can check details in 3D without traveling, you can provide the information necessary for consensus building. Remote clients can actually receive information more frequently, increasing communication density. Even far-away clients can achieve smooth consensus as if they were next to you.

Q: Are there security concerns? A: Many cloud point cloud sharing services provide encryption and access control so that only authorized users can access the data. In some cases, storing data on a reputable cloud can be more secure than keeping it on an in-house server. Of course, you should select a service that complies with your company’s internal policies, but by using established cloud providers you can share data while reducing the risk of information leaks.

Q: Is 3D point cloud sharing necessary for small sites? A: Accurate site understanding and smooth consensus building are important regardless of project size. Small sites often have less margin for manpower and budget, so preventing losses from rework is even more important. Easy point cloud measurement and sharing methods that can be completed with a smartphone are useful regardless of scale, so there is no reason to dismiss them as unnecessary for small projects. Now that anyone can use these tools, actively applying them on small sites can yield significant benefits.