Questions surveyors ask

Questions and answers

Can a firm outside India use GISweaver?

Yes. A firm in any country can create an organisation and declares its country when it signs up; during the beta, sign-up needs an access code from support. Delivery and links work between organisations in different countries, so a processing subcontractor can hand finished work to the prime contractor or the asset owner the same way a local firm does. The data is stored in India, in AWS’s Mumbai region. Prices are in US dollars; the Pricing page shows the plans offered in the country you choose. Security and data residency

Is there a tool for browser-based storage and delivery of survey data?

GISweaver stores and delivers land surveys, drone surveys, LiDAR point clouds, orthophotos and CAD drawings as a versioned, checksummed release. The client opens it from a link or in an organisation of their own, views and measures it in a browser, and downloads the files, with nothing to install on either side. Survey delivery

How do I send survey files without email attachments or shared drives?

Send an expiring link that opens in the browser with no account, or name the receiving organisation by the code it gives you. Either way you choose how long access lasts, and the platform records when it was opened and downloaded. There is no attachment to resend. Replacing email and Drive

Can a client get a browser view of a 3D scan, drone LiDAR or DXF survey?

Yes. An ASCII DXF drawing becomes a map layer a client can look at, measure and download in the browser. A LAS or LAZ point cloud opens in the 3D view of the surveyor’s own project and, when the surveyor sends a link, in the browser of the person who opens it. A delivery to another organisation opens as its 2D layers, and a point cloud in it is downloaded as a file. Supported formats

How do I store my LiDAR or drone point cloud data?

GISweaver is where a LiDAR or drone survey is delivered and reviewed, not an archive for raw captures. LAS and LAZ files are accepted up to your plan’s maximum file size, shown on the Pricing page. A point cloud opens in the 3D view of your own project and, when you send a link, in the browser of the person who opens it; a LAZ is read as it is. Keep your raw captures in your own storage and deliver the processed point cloud here. Pricing

How do I keep every version of a survey deliverable?

Every publish is a new numbered release with its own checksum, and a published release never changes. A correction is a new release that supersedes the last one, so every earlier version stays on record rather than being overwritten. Versioned releases

Where is survey data stored?

Survey data is stored and processed in AWS’s Mumbai region, India, with backups in AWS’s Hyderabad region, also in India. Access is controlled by organisation membership and, on a plan that includes Roles and permissions, by roles; a second factor is available to every account and optional for customers. The disclosed operational exceptions are stated on the security page. Security and data residency

Can a client review and sign off a survey online?

A client reviews a delivered survey in the browser and may record an optional acceptance. There is no approval workflow and no signature step. A firm can invite a client to review the draft, and the client comments on files and on features picked on the map. A delivery’s acceptance is optional, and a transfer receipt is written once every file has been downloaded. Review and sign-off

What drone survey, 3D scanning and land survey files does GISweaver accept?

Every file a survey firm uses, except programs, scripts, disk images, macro-enabled Office files and web pages, which are refused. GeoJSON, ASCII DXF, KML, KMZ, GeoPackage and zipped Shapefiles become map layers; LAS and LAZ open as a point cloud in 3D. Every other file, including DWG, binary DXF, GeoTIFF orthophotos and elevation models, PDF, photos and video, is kept with the project and delivered as a file. The Supported formats page lists each one. Supported formats

How does GISweaver handle EPSG coordinate reference systems, UTM grids and WGS84?

Every project has a native coordinate reference system, which you pick by its EPSG code when the project is created. GeoJSON with no named system is read as WGS84, ASCII DXF is read in the project’s own coordinate system, and on publication every feature is stored both in the project’s system and in WGS84 for display. A point cloud declared in a different system from the project’s is drawn reprojected, with a note saying which system it came from; measurements stay in the source system. Supported formats

Do clients have to pay to view, measure or download survey deliverables?

No. A client opens a link with no account, or receives a delivery into an organisation of their own, and either way reviews, measures and downloads at no cost, with no per-seat fee and no client software licences. Receiving a delivery

Can a client keep a copy of a delivered survey in their organisation?

Not yet. No plan includes this today. Receiving a delivery

How do I view Total Station, GNSS or CAD drawings without CAD software?

A Total Station, GNSS (DGPS or RTK) or CAD survey exported as ASCII DXF or GeoJSON is drawn as an interactive map layer in the browser. Clients can measure point coordinates, distances and parcel areas, and toggle drawing layers on any device without CAD or desktop GIS software. Survey delivery

What happens to client deliveries if our subscription lapses or pauses?

Nothing is deleted. Payment state decides whether your organisation can publish new releases; it never deletes or changes what is already published. If a lapsed subscription stays unpaid, the organisation may be frozen after notice, and while it is frozen you can still sign in, view and export, but your clients cannot open what you sent until you pay; their access then returns for the time it has left. Versioned releases

Why shouldn’t we just deliver survey files using Google Drive or a USB drive?

A release is a numbered, fixed copy of the survey with a checksum. It never changes after publication. It opens in the browser as map layers and point clouds, an expiring link can be ended, and a receipt is stored on both sides when every file’s download completes. Replacing email and Drive

How is GISweaver priced?

Plans are per organisation and not per seat, and each plan sets how much your organisation can hold: team members, projects, storage and uploads. The Pricing page shows the plans offered in your country. Receiving a delivery or opening a link costs the recipient nothing. Pricing

How do I get my land, house or building surveyed or 3D scanned?

Hire a survey, drone or 3D scanning firm. GISweaver is software for survey firms: it does not survey or scan anything itself, and it has not verified the firms in its public directory, which you can search by service, place or equipment. A firm that delivers on GISweaver can send the finished survey as a link, or to your organisation and to your architect’s or engineer’s. Receiving it costs you nothing. Find a provider

Can site photos and PDFs be kept with a survey project?

A site photo from a phone is kept on the project’s Files, prepared so any colleague can open it, with a preview made so it can be looked through without downloading it. A PDF kept the same way gets the same page-by-page preview. Documentation