TECHNOLOGY
THE POINT CLOUD
REVOLUTION Survey equipment was developed to establish reference points on jobsites. While that remains essential, much of the focus today is on building virtual models.
C
onducting a topographic site survey is not what one would consider to be a do-it-yourself project. Recently, however, CanBIM president and CEO Thomas Strong was able to capture the topography of a site, where he is building a house, using the LiDAR scanner on his smartphone, and then layering that onto a 3-D photo survey. This scenario shows how rapidly the technology for collecting and integrating
18 / APRIL 2022
site data is evolving, both in terms of price and ease of use, and hints at the many new possibilities for contractors. GPS features, drones and 3-D digital camera technology have also benefited from the consumerization trend, making the equipment more affordable, portable and versatile. “You can now capture the mechanical room on a jobsite using your $1,500 phone and a free app,” says Strong. “A
few years ago, you would have needed a survey instrument that cost $130,000 to do this.”
SEEING IS BELIEVING The explosion in data collection technology is helping contractors adapt to a digital era where virtual site models are becoming the de facto standard for large projects. This changes the game for surveying because surveyors are not only recording refer-
PHOTO: COURTESY OF FINNING CANADA
BY JACOB STOLLER
