Check survey deliverables before handover
Every file in a survey package can look right on its own and still be wrong next to the others: a DWG exported in a local grid, an orthophoto that stops short of the boundary, an IFC sitting a metre off the scan. Load the whole package into one SkyGIS project and check it together, the way the client will open it, before it goes out.
- Checks
- Coordinates, coverage, placement, presentation
- Package
- Point clouds, CAD, GIS, IFC, LandXML, imagery
- Ends with
- A findings list and a tested share link
Four checks before a survey package goes out
Do them in this order. A coordinate error found in the first check will show up again in every check after it.
Coordinates
Confirm each file's source CRS and units against the project's. A few control points read off in the viewer should match the survey report.
Placement and coverage
Turn layers on in pairs. Kerbs in the DWG should sit on kerbs in the scan, and every layer should reach the agreed boundary.
Detail
Colour the cloud by intensity and classification to see what was captured and classified. Then measure two or three dimensions you have independent checks for.
The client's first view
Rename layers and set default visibility and colouring. Opening the share link in a private window shows you what the client gets.
Typical findings
Problems that only appear when layers meet
A package comes together from three people: the scan from the field team, a topographic DWG from the CAD office and an orthophoto from the drone pilot. Each was checked by whoever produced it.
Loaded into one project, the DWG lands well away from the scan because it was exported in a local site grid, and the orthophoto covers the site but not the access road the client asked for. Neither problem shows in any single file. Both are obvious in one project, and cheaper to fix before the link goes out than after.
Files you can check in one project
Each file becomes its own layer, so you can switch between them at the same spot.
- Point clouds
- LAS, LAZ, E57 and ASCII
- CAD and GIS
- DWG, DXF, SHP, GeoPackage, GeoJSON, KML and KMZ
- Models
- IFC, and LandXML surfaces and alignments
- Imagery
- GeoTIFF, JPEG 2000, TIFF or JPEG with a world file, and 360° panoramas
- Coordinates
- EPSG search for the project and each source file, or a local coordinate system
When a layer is in the wrong place
Start with the source CRS chosen on import. The usual causes of an offset are a wrong EPSG code, wrong units or a drawing exported in a local grid. Choosing an EPSG code tells SkyGIS how a file's coordinates are expressed; it doesn't register an unaligned scan.
A layer offset or rotation can correct a known shift for the review, but the real fix usually belongs in the source file. Re-upload the corrected version. Every upload is versioned, so the previous one can be recovered.
Mark each finding with a point of interest (POI). POIs are listed in the attribute table and can be exported, which gives the QA record a list of findings with their locations.
Questions
Why check a survey package before it goes to the client?
Because some problems only show when the files meet: a drawing in the wrong grid, an orthophoto that stops short of the boundary, a model sitting off the scan. Fixing them before handover costs less than a rework request and a second delivery.
Who on the team can run the check?
Anyone who knows what the package should contain. It runs in a browser, so a project lead or QA reviewer can check the whole package without the CAD and scanning software it was produced in.
What does the check leave me with?
A list of findings, each marked as a point of interest you can export for the QA record, and a share link you've already opened the way the client will.
Does SkyGIS certify survey accuracy?
No. It shows the delivered files together so you can spot visible problems before the client does. Accuracy still depends on control, instrument checks and your own documented QA procedure.
Try it with your own data
The free plan includes one user and 5 GB of storage, with no credit card required. Upload a file and open it in your browser.