If you asked any kid what a cloud was 10 years ago you’d probably get an answer about tiny droplets water. But even kids these days probably know the word by another definition. The cloud is now this wonderful place where all of our pictures and files are kept. It’s like heaven for our information. Those in the know probably think of clean, cold aisles of computer equipment, which is really what the cloud is. How does the cloud help those in the 3D laser scanning industry? There are a few key ways.
File delivery
The files the result from 3D laser scanning data can be quite large. Of course, there are many factors that influence just how large, such as the number of scans, the resolution used, color information that is included and whether the data has been unified or optimized in any way. It is in increasing challenge to send information to and from team members and then to the customer. The way things are trending, files are only getting bigger, and unfortunately internet speeds don’t seem to be keeping pace. But the cloud is a place where one can upload their data to and make it available for recipients to download when they are ready. It makes it possible to share huge datasets just by sending a link in an email.
Storage and backup
The cloud can be an option for storing 3D laser scanning data in a safe place. Uploading to the internet can be slow, but once there it is virtually assured to be safer than residing on a hard drive or USB stick somewhere. These can be lost or broken. Since it is very likely that 3D laser scanning data stored in the cloud has redundancy and will never be lost, one could make the case that data is safer in the cloud. Of course, one needs to insure that proper security measures are in place so that no one else can access the 3D laser scanning data.
Virtual workstations
Processing 3D laser scanning data requires a good computer with a lot of memory and CPU power. It is expensive to buy a computer that can be considered fast at scan registration. Virtual cloud-based workstations make it possible to utilize a very powerful cloud-based computer to do registration without having to buy any hardware. Best of all these workstations can be activated on an as-needed basis, which provides overflow capacity is always available.
Project collaboration
3D laser scanning projects go better when there is good communication. Cloud-based file upload areas and web meetings help groups stay in sync with large projects.
Automated processing
There are now web-based services that will allow you to upload raw scan data and receive a registered result.
3D laser scanning – easier than it used to be
3D laser scanning is not the easiest task to undertake, but it is a lot easier than it was 5-10 years ago. We have many resources at our disposal, from software rental to cloud-based workstations, that there is less up-front investment required to obtain the benefits of 3D laser scanning. Call us to discuss your next project.