Resources
Practical guides on point clouds, photogrammetry, drone survey delivery, and spatial file formats — written by people who have actually been down a mine with a scanner.
Comparing the best survey data delivery platforms in 2026: Swyvl, SurveyTransfer, Pointscene, DroneDeploy, and Propeller — format support and pricing reviewed.
3D Gaussian Splatting produces photorealistic scenes from drone or camera footage. How it works, how it compares to photogrammetry, and what it means.
Most drone operators send Dropbox links. Here is what professional drone survey delivery actually looks like — and how to upgrade your client workflow today.
LAS files need specialist software most clients don't have. Your options for sharing point clouds — from Dropbox workarounds to seamless in-browser viewing.
Full pipeline tutorial: drone flight planning, processing in RealityCapture, exporting to 3D Tiles, and sharing a browser-viewable point cloud with clients.
A practical comparison of the best tools for drawing on maps, highlighting areas, and annotating spatial data in 2026 — from simple web tools to full GIS platforms.
May 19, 2026The DJI Zenmuse L2 and L1 produce high-quality LAZ point clouds and GeoTIFF orthomosaics. Here's how to go from DJI Terra output to a professional client delivery.
May 19, 2026A practical guide to capturing high-quality 360° panoramas with DJI drones and delivering them to clients via a browser-viewable link — no specialist software required.
May 19, 2026Pix4D and Metashape produce accurate point clouds and orthomosaics, but delivering them to clients is a different problem. Here is the professional workflow.
May 19, 2026Procore manages construction projects. Swyvl delivers spatial data. They're not competing — but if you're using Procore to share point clouds and orthomosaics, there's a better option.
May 19, 2026File storage keeps files. A spatial data delivery platform gives clients a way to actually see what they received. Here's the distinction — and why it matters for surveyors and drone operators.
May 19, 2026Honest 2026 cost ranges for drone, LiDAR, and mobile mapping. Equipment, software, day rates, hidden costs, and when to DIY versus hiring a specialist.
May 18, 2026How drone, LiDAR, and 360° capture are reshaping construction documentation. Deliverables, stakeholders, capture cadence, and where the workflow breaks.
May 18, 2026Open-cut, underground, and processing plant. How mines use 3D capture for stockpile volumes, slope monitoring, geotechnical mapping, and compliance records.
May 18, 20263D Tiles 1.1 was ratified by the OGC in 2023. Implicit tiling, metadata, and multi-content tiles explained — and what surveyors actually need to care about.
May 18, 20263D Tiles streams massive survey scenes progressively. OBJ, GLB, and FBX are single-asset formats. Here is how they differ and when to deliver each to clients.
May 18, 2026The best browser-based Gaussian splat viewers in 2026 — SuperSplat, Spark, mkkellogg's Three.js renderer, and more, compared on format support and performance.
May 18, 2026Gaussian splat formats compared: PLY, SOG, SPZ, KSplat, and SuperSplat compressed PLY. Compression ratios, browser viewer support, and when to use each format.
May 18, 2026Where Gaussian Splatting fits in a survey workflow. What splats are good at, what they're not, and how to capture them effectively on a survey-scale site.
May 18, 2026Photogrammetry, NeRF, and Gaussian Splatting all reconstruct 3D scenes from photos — compared on accuracy, file size, processing time, and best use cases.
May 18, 2026Practical guide to creating Gaussian splats with Postshot, Polycam, and Luma AI — covering capture technique, processing steps, costs, and output formats.
May 18, 20263D Tiles is a folder of thousands of files, not a single download. Your hosting and sharing options — from S3 to Cesium ion to purpose-built platforms.
May 18, 2026Gaussian splat files are large and require specialist viewers. Your practical options for delivering splats to clients — from raw file dumps to branded portals.
May 18, 2026AI models reason over documents and code. The next frontier is physical-world data — but only if it is structured, organised, and programmatically queryable.
May 12, 2026Building inspectors and property developers rely on documented site history. How time-indexed records replace photo dumps and emailed PDF inspection reports.
May 12, 2026Environmental monitoring depends on repeat visits and time-series comparison. How spatial data gets stored, organised, and compared over time effectively.
May 12, 2026Heritage agencies managing portfolios of listed buildings need more than a shared drive. How to build a permanent, time-stamped digital record for each site.
May 12, 2026SharePoint stores documents well, but IFC and multi-GB LAS files break generic document management. Here is what is replacing it on construction projects.
May 12, 2026File storage keeps files. A site record builds a permanent, time-indexed history of a physical place — queryable by your team and, increasingly, by AI.
May 12, 2026Every callout adds to a site's history. How field service teams build searchable, time-stamped site records so the next technician knows what's there.
May 5, 2026Inspections generate LiDAR scans, drone footage, point clouds, and reports that must stay accessible for years. What a well-structured system looks like.
May 5, 2026Most cloud storage was not built for spatial data. What to look for: regional data residency, audit trails, format support, and site-based organisation.
May 5, 2026Underground mines, pits, and plants generate enormous spatial data volumes. How mining operations are moving from scattered folders to queryable site records.
May 5, 2026A practical comparison of point cloud sharing platforms in 2026: Swyvl, Pointscene, SurveyTransfer, ATIS.cloud, Cesium Ion, Sketchfab, Lidarvisor, and more.
April 12, 2026Comparing Dropbox, WeTransfer, and Swyvl for sharing survey deliverables. File transfer solves half the problem — clients still can't open a LAS file.
April 12, 2026DTM, DSM, and DEM are three types of elevation model used in surveying. Here is what each one represents, how they are created, and when to use each one.
April 12, 2026Construction teams receive survey data via Dropbox and SharePoint but can't open LAS or GeoTIFF files. Why generic tools fail spatial data — and what works.
April 12, 2026Surveyors capture incredible spatial data but often deliver it like it's 2010. A complete guide to professional file delivery for surveyors and drone operators.
April 12, 2026LiDAR files regularly exceed 5 GB. How to compress, organise, and deliver large LAS point cloud files to clients with browser-based viewing and tracking.
April 12, 2026FARO and Leica terrestrial scanners produce massive E57 and LAS files clients can't open. The complete pipeline from scan to browser-viewable delivery.
April 12, 2026LAS, LAZ, and E57 are the three main point cloud formats. How they compare on file size, software compatibility, and when to use each for client delivery.
April 12, 2026LiDAR and photogrammetry both create 3D spatial data, but they work differently. Here's a detailed comparison to help you choose the right technology.
April 12, 2026How to send multi-GB point clouds, drone video, 3D models, and CAD to construction clients. Email, WeTransfer, Dropbox, FTP, and specialist platforms compared.
April 12, 2026Drone surveys produce LAS point clouds, GeoTIFF orthomosaics, OBJ/GLB 3D models, DEMs, videos, and more. Every format explained with file sizes and viewers.
April 12, 2026DXF (Drawing Exchange Format) is an open CAD file format from Autodesk. What is inside a DXF, how it is used in surveying, and how to view one online.
April 12, 2026A GeoTIFF is a TIFF image with embedded geospatial metadata. Here's how georeferencing works, what COGs are, and how to view and share GeoTIFFs online.
April 12, 2026A point cloud is a collection of millions of 3D coordinate points representing a physical space. What they are, how they're captured, and how to view.
April 12, 2026IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) is the open standard for BIM data exchange. What surveyors need to know about IFC files and how to deliver them to clients.
April 12, 2026An orthomosaic is a geometrically corrected aerial image mosaic used in surveying, construction, and agriculture. How they work and how to share them.
April 12, 2026A Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG) uses internal tiling and overviews for progressive loading via HTTP range requests. How to create, use, and share COGs online.
April 12, 2026LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) uses laser pulses to measure distances and create 3D point clouds. Here's how it works, the types, and what it's used for.
April 12, 2026Dropbox solves file storage but not file viewing. The five pain points driving surveyors to purpose-built spatial data delivery platforms with browser viewing.
April 12, 2026Sharing 3D models with clients who lack modelling software is a common challenge. The best browser-based options for GLB, OBJ, and FBX delivery to clients.
March 15, 2025WeTransfer is convenient for one-off transfers, but survey deliverables need permanence, professional presentation, and client viewing — and it falls short.
March 5, 2025E57 is the ASTM standard format for terrestrial LiDAR point clouds and scanner imagery. What it contains, how to open it, and how to deliver it to clients.
February 25, 2025LAZ is the compressed version of LAS — the standard format for LiDAR and photogrammetry point clouds. What it contains, how to open it, and how to share it.
February 20, 2025Potree is the open-source WebGL viewer powering browser-based point cloud visualisation. How it works, what it displays, and how to use it for delivery.
February 10, 2025GeoTIFF files contain geospatial raster data, but most clients can't open them. How to share orthomosaics, DTMs, and raster layers online without GIS software.
January 28, 2025View LAS and LAZ point clouds directly in a browser using Potree or 3D Tiles streaming. How it works and how to share point clouds with clients the same way.
January 20, 2025CesiumJS is the open-source WebGL engine behind browser-based 3D Tiles visualisation. How it works, who uses it, and how surveyors get their data into it.
October 10, 2024Step-by-step guide to exporting 3D Tiles from Pix4D, Metashape, and RealityCapture so drone survey outputs can be streamed and viewed in any modern browser.
September 5, 2024What 3D Tiles is, why it matters for surveyors, and how the OGC streaming standard handles massive point clouds and photogrammetry models in any browser.
July 22, 2024GIS stands for Geographic Information System — what does that mean for someone capturing LiDAR scans or drone imagery? A plain-English, grounded explanation.
June 10, 2024Comparing the best panorama stitching software for surveyors — from free tools like Hugin to professional-grade solutions. Which is right for your workflow?
May 20, 2024Step-by-step guide to stitching 360° panoramas from single-lens cameras — overlap requirements, camera settings, and the full workflow from capture to share.
April 18, 20243D mapping turns the physical world into digital datasets. How LiDAR, photogrammetry, and drone capture technologies work, and how the data gets used.
March 12, 2024From ancient rock art to Victorian-era buildings, 3D scanning is creating permanent, shareable digital records of heritage sites facing erosion or demolition.
February 28, 2024