Share Survey Data with One Tap! How Land and House Surveyors Can Use LRTK Cloud

In the work of land and house surveyors, precise management and sharing of survey data are key. However, traditional methods often cause survey data to become scattered across multiple office PCs, USB drives, and paper drawings, making it difficult to know which version is the latest. In the worst cases, there is also a risk of losing data that was painstakingly collected. It is by no means uncommon for a USB drive to fail or be lost, forcing a re-survey. Many issues have existed, such as recording coordinates measured on-site by hand and later introducing errors when transferring them to drawings in the office, or spending time sending data to other team members or contractors via email attachments or USB transfers. In such situations, not only does efficiency in boundary confirmation and drawing production decline, but the risk of troubles caused by erroneous entries also increases.

In recent years, the wave of digital transformation (DX) that leverages the cloud has reached surveying operations, and the need to share on-site survey data in real time to the cloud is growing. One solution attracting attention in this context is LRTK Cloud. With LRTK Cloud, survey data acquired on-site can be uploaded to the cloud with one touch, allowing immediate sharing of information with distant offices and collaborators. This article introduces how land and house surveyors can utilize LRTK Cloud. It explains the benefits and concrete usage methods, from cloud management of survey point data and real-time sharing to integration with drawings and forms and securing evidence through automatic recording of work history.

Centralize and Share Survey Point Data with LRTK Cloud

LRTK Cloud is a cloud service that supports high-precision RTK surveying. It is a platform for saving and sharing survey point data obtained by the small RTK-GNSS receiver for smartphones called “LRTK Phone” and by a dedicated app to a cloud on the Internet. Latitude, longitude, and height coordinate values that can be obtained simply by pressing a positioning button on-site, as well as point names, timestamps, notes, geotagged photos, and even point cloud data obtained by a smartphone’s LiDAR—every kind of surveying information can be centrally managed in the cloud.

Once data is uploaded to the cloud, the latest on-site information can be shared immediately before returning to the office. Because the field and office can access the same data, confusion over “which file is the latest?” disappears. Data on the cloud is organized by project and can be checked anytime, anywhere with an Internet connection. Information that was formerly kept in notebooks or spreadsheets—such as survey point coordinates and control point details—can be stored on LRTK Cloud so it is searchable and viewable when needed. In addition, storing data in the cloud automatically secures backups, so even if a tablet or PC fails or is lost, the data remains safe.

The main features of LRTK Cloud are summarized as follows.

• Cloud aggregation of surveying data: High-precision positioning data (coordinate values) obtained on-site, as well as geotagged photos and point clouds, can be uploaded to the cloud and managed centrally. On the cloud, survey points are plotted on a map, allowing intuitive grasp of each point’s coordinates, elevation, and notes.

• Real-time sharing and collaboration: Uploaded data can be viewed by the entire team immediately. Since it can be accessed from a browser without special software, office staff can check positioning results in real time even when away from the site.

• Easy external sharing: When providing data to external parties such as contractors or clients, LRTK Cloud can issue share links with one click. You can set passwords and expiration dates when issuing links, and recipients can access and download web-based data without logging in if permitted.

• Integration with drawings and CAD software: Survey data on the cloud can be exported in CSV or SIMA formats, making it easy to import into CAD or GIS. Conversion to the plane rectangular coordinate system and geoid corrections for heights are automatically calculated, facilitating reflection in survey drawings and design plans.

• Security and backup: As a cloud service handling construction and surveying data, security is a consideration. Communications are encrypted, and cloud servers are operated in reliable data centers with robust backup systems. In the event of unexpected device loss or disaster-related data loss, data can be quickly restored from the cloud. Entrusting security and stable operation to a professionally secured cloud environment can provide greater safety and reliability than maintaining an on-premises server.

Share Positioning Data Immediately! Smooth Coordination Inside and Outside the Company

One of the greatest benefits enabled by LRTK Cloud is the immediate sharing of positioning data. After completing a survey on-site, simply upload the acquired data to the cloud on the spot. For example, if a land and house surveyor uploads boundary point measurements immediately after taking them, a colleague in the office can view those results instantly in a browser. This allows the office to check for omissions or measurement errors before the field team returns and, if necessary, direct additional measurements. Traditionally, results could not be shared until the field worker returned to the office, and discovering an error often meant a redundant trip back to the site. Real-time sharing helps prevent rework and improve operational efficiency. Furthermore, in large-scale projects where multiple survey teams work in parallel, each team can upload their results to the cloud from the field immediately. Teams can work while monitoring each other’s progress in real time, preventing duplicate measurements and delays waiting for communication, thus smoothing overall project coordination.

Data collaboration with external parties is also significantly easier. LRTK Cloud allows you to select specific survey data and issue share links to send to contractors or clients. Recipients only need to open the URL sent by email to view survey point information and photos on the cloud without logging in. For instance, when collaborating with another land and house surveyor’s office or delegating part of the work to an assistant surveyor, there is no need to hand over data on a USB drive or worry about file format compatibility. Even when dealing with government agencies, sharing via the cloud can speed up verification processes. Using password-protected limited share links provides security and peace of mind when handing data to external parties.

As a concrete example, consider a land and house surveyor who receives a site survey request, conducts on-site measurements using LRTK, and immediately shares the acquired boundary point coordinates and photos to the cloud. Office staff on standby can check the data and begin creating survey drawings, and if necessary, show the client the map on the cloud to report “this point was surveyed.” With all stakeholders sharing the same latest information in real time, communication losses are reduced and the overall project accelerates.

Streamline Drawing Integration (CAD Compatibility) and Report Output

Another advantage of managing survey data in the cloud is seamless integration with drawing production and report output. Survey point coordinate data accumulated on LRTK Cloud can be downloaded as CSV or in SIMA format, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan’s standard. These formats can be read by many surveying CAD and GIS software packages, so coordinate lists exported from the cloud can be plotted in CAD as-is to create survey drawings. This not only eliminates the need to retype coordinate values manually but also helps prevent transcription errors. For important tasks such as creating land area survey maps and boundary determination drawings, it is essential to accurately reflect measured points on drawings, and cloud-based data integration enables quick, high-precision drawing production.

Additionally, CAD integration with LRTK Cloud streamlines the output of survey reports. Since coordinate values and calculated distances and areas obtained on-site are stored as digital data in the cloud, various reports and application documents can be prepared quickly from that data. For example, a list of survey point coordinates required for a survey results ledger or boundary confirmation documents can have fields filled automatically by importing CSV data from the cloud, eliminating manual calculations and copy-paste work. Photo data is also stored with location information tied to it on the cloud, so when creating a photo ledger later, you don’t have to search for which photo corresponds to which point.

Moreover, because survey data on LRTK Cloud can be visualized on a map, you can create drawings and reports in the office while grasping the on-site situation. For example, trajectory data from consecutively measured points can be downloaded and imported into CAD to use as base data for longitudinal profiles or plan views. Smooth integration between the cloud and various tools simplifies the workflow from post-survey data processing to deliverable creation, contributing to overall time savings. Also, because many tasks can be completed on the cloud, reliance on paper drawings and notes is reduced, contributing to paperless information management efficiency.

Automatic Recording of Work History and Its Use as Evidence

By using LRTK Cloud, you also gain the added value of automatic recording of work history. Each survey point record automatically saves information such as the acquisition timestamp, the positioning mode used, and the recorder, and these are managed in chronological order. Because you can see at a glance which points were measured and when on-site, the need to keep separate handwritten daily records is greatly reduced. For example, at the end of a day’s surveying, the day’s entire record of acquired survey points is stored in the cloud, which is useful when creating later daily reports or reviewing progress.

These automatically recorded data are powerful when handling disputes or submitting evidence. In the work of a land and house surveyor, questions about boundaries or survey results may arise later. In such cases, referring to the survey history stored in LRTK Cloud allows you to immediately present reliable proof such as “On YYYY-MM-DD, boundary marker A was surveyed and its coordinate values were recorded accurately.” In addition, photos taken during surveying are linked to the survey point data on the cloud, making it easy to present them as “photographic evidence that the boundary marker was checked on-site.” In situations where paper records or verbal explanations lack persuasive power, having objective backing in digital data significantly increases credibility. Showing data at a boundary meeting can make it easier to gain the understanding of adjacent property owners and facilitate smoother consensus building.

Also, because work history is shared on the cloud, handovers between responsible personnel are smoother. For example, when another surveyor takes over the same site later, they can immediately understand what was measured on-site by reviewing past survey point data and photos left on the cloud. This increases the reproducibility of work and prevents re-surveying or inconsistencies even when personnel change.

Cloud Integration Improves Transparency, Reproducibility, and Speed

Cloud integration with LRTK brings dramatic improvements in three areas for the work of land and house surveyors: transparency, reproducibility, and speed.

• Transparency: Sharing data on the cloud ensures that all project stakeholders always have access to the same information. Visualizing the progress and results of surveying strengthens trust with clients and other engineers and prevents ambiguity about “what kind of surveying was conducted.” Data tampering or omissions become less likely, increasing the transparency of work processes.

• Reproducibility: Because survey point data and work logs are stored in detail, the same survey results can be reproduced even after time has passed. For example, if another surveyor needs to verify the same point later, they can use the coordinate values on the cloud to accurately re-measure on-site or compare and verify against past data. This makes it possible to reproduce and explain “why this position was chosen” based on objective materials.

• Speed: Real-time sharing and data integration accelerate the flow from surveying to drawing creation and deliverable production. Work can proceed without waiting for the field team to return to the office, reducing rework and shortening overall lead time. With less time spent on complex data organization, land and house surveyors can devote more time to expert decision-making and on-site investigation. Efficiency gains reduce overtime and ease the burden on staff. As a result, high-quality services can be delivered in a shorter period, which in turn enhances the office’s competitiveness.

These benefits have led to reports from sites that have actually introduced LRTK Cloud of significant reductions in working time and fewer errors.

Conclusion: Improve Operational Efficiency with Simple Surveying and Cloud Use via LRTK

As described above, using LRTK for simple surveying combined with cloud integration greatly streamlines the surveying work of land and house surveyors. Offices that have adopted LRTK Cloud report reduced effort in data sharing and improved work speed. By combining pocket-sized, high-precision surveying devices with cloud-based data management, a new workflow is realized that seamlessly connects the field, the office, and external stakeholders.

Whereas surveying, drawing production, and reporting used to require significant time and effort, LRTK Cloud enables on-the-spot data sharing and immediate drawing and document creation. This kind of workflow—sharing data acquired on-site instantly—may well become the new norm for land and house surveying work in the near future.

To enhance operational efficiency while demonstrating your expertise as a land and house surveyor, adopting the latest technologies is indispensable. Try incorporating the simplicity of LRTK surveying and the power of cloud services into your daily work.