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The Point Cloud Cloud: Realising the Full Potential of a Single Source of Truth

Geospatial Insights
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Point Share Plus coined the term “Point Cloud Cloud” to describe an online platform that provides on-demand storage, visualisation, analysis, and collaboration for large-scale 3D spatial data. Today, that definition has evolved to reflect the next frontier in digital project delivery: the seamless integration of cloud-hosted point clouds directly into desktop design tools like Autodesk Revit.

The Evolution of the Single Source of Truth (SSoT)

As digital transformation accelerates, the need for a Single-Source-of-Truth (SSoT) has never been more critical. Spatial professionals working across disciplines—surveying, engineering, architecture, and construction—must coordinate around a central, consistent dataset to reduce error, avoid rework, and drive project efficiency.

Historically, achieving an SSoT with point cloud data was aspirational. Massive file sizes, hardware constraints, and incompatible software ecosystems made collaboration fragmented and inefficient. The Point Cloud Cloud helped overcome these limitations by centralising access and eliminating data duplication.

Now, with the ability to stream point cloud data directly into Revit and other design platforms, the SSoT vision is fully realised.

Streaming Point Clouds into Design Tools: Why It Matters

Streaming eliminates the need to download and locally store massive datasets. Instead, users can load and interact with point clouds in real time, within the software environments they already use.

This capability delivers several game-changing benefits:

  • Real-Time Collaboration: Design, engineering, and modelling teams can simultaneously work on the most current version of the data, no exporting, transferring, or syncing required.
  • Improved Accuracy: By referencing live point cloud data inside Revit, teams reduce the risk of misaligned models or outdated reference files.
  • Reduced Workstation Demands: Because data management is handled in the cloud, even standard desktop machines can access and manipulate complex datasets.
  • Accelerated Decision-Making: Teams can overlay BIM models on live site conditions, quickly validate design assumptions, and iterate faster.
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Breaking Down Traditional Barriers

Traditional workflows around point cloud data are riddled with inefficiencies: multiple file versions, redundant uploads, siloed team communication, and constant back-and-forth between stakeholders. An SSoT hosted in the cloud breaks these patterns:

  • Surveyors upload once, designers and engineers immediately access and work from that same dataset.

  • Project managers and clients can view progress and provide feedback in real time.

  • Data consistency eliminates version confusion, improving coordination and accountability across the project lifecycle.

Why Cloud-Based SSoT is the Future

Cloud-based SSoT platforms like Point Share Plus are not just alternatives to legacy systems, they are essential tools for modern project delivery.

Key advantages include:

  • Scalability without infrastructure investment.

  • 24/7 access from anywhere with internet connectivity.

  • Enterprise-grade security with automated backups and encrypted access.

  • Future-proofing your workflows with built-in support for next-generation tools and integrations.

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A Glimpse into Practice

Take, for example, a brownfield site redevelopment. The survey team captures as-built conditions and uploads them to the cloud. The design team accesses the point cloud directly within Revit, overlaying proposed models and validating their feasibility in context. The project manager reviews progress in real time and coordinates with subcontractors, all from a centralised platform. What once took days or weeks of coordination now happens in a day, or even hours.

The Point Cloud Cloud is no Longer a concept, it's a capability, one you need to be leveraging.

The combination of cloud-hosted point clouds and real-time streaming into design tools marks a fundamental shift in how the built environment is conceived and delivered. If you're still relying on outdated workflows, now is the time to adapt.

The Point Cloud Cloud is here to stay. It’s fast, intelligent, connected, and it’s changing how spatial professionals deliver value across every phase of the project lifecycle.

Ready to embrace the next level of data management and design integration?

The future is here, and it's streaming.