How Much Does a Point Cloud Survey Cost?
posted 28th June 2024
Point cloud surveys are complex processes that require expertise and precision. The cost of using a survey of this nature is tied to the amount of time it takes to complete. Charge can start from around £1,000 per day. This price varies based on the scale of the project and what you need, whether you need a 2D plan or a 3D model, along with others.
What affects the cost of a point cloud survey includes:
Level of Detail
The amount of detail in the point cloud survey is tied to the point density. The precision of a measured survey is determined by the distance between the laser scanner and the object. It is important to bear in mind the potential and future use of what is produced.
Highly dense point clouds will take longer to complete, they need to be created and processed, which means larger files. These are likely to be more expensive.
Colour or Black and White
The surveyor can use a laser scanner with an integrated digital camera, improving visualisation, adding colour to the files. This not only lengthens how long it takes to complete your survey, due to the post processing, it can increase the cost of your survey. Asking for full colour can increase the cost of a point cloud survey by forty percent.
Accuracy
Point clouds are made up of thousands of individual scan positions. The scanner creates each piece of the point cloud from these scan positions, which are placed together to create the final product. It needs to be done properly to ensure accuracy. This requires an experienced and knowledgeable surveyor with state of the art software who can create and process your survey for you, providing you with a final drawing.
Time Consuming
While the actual on-site survey itself may not take as long as you expected, the post processing is what takes the time. The process aligns numerous scans covering an entire area, these are registrations. Registering the scans is exceptionally time-consuming, that adds to the cost of the point cloud survey.
Advances in Technology
While there are numerous aspects of a point cloud survey that can increase the cost, there are some that can reduce the cost. Advances in point cloud processing has helped reduce the costs, speeding up the survey and ensuring you receive your drawings, plans, or maps within a shorter period of time.
Traditional surveying methods required surveyors to manually measure pieces of land or buildings. This was time consuming and cost money. When returning to the office, they would have to draw up the plans or maps, based on the clients requirements. This took a lot of time, along with the risk of human error, increasing the cost of the survey.
Point cloud surveys use advanced technology, helping to drive down the cost of the survey. It reduces how long the surveyor is on site, along with reducing the amount of time it takes to process the information. New technology now allows for automation of certain processes, speeding up the processing time to save money.
Conclusion
On average, you can expect to pay anywhere from £500 to £5,000 or more for a point cloud survey in the United Kingdom. These prices are based on a number of factors, including the size of the land being measured, the complexity of the environment, and how much detail is required.