What is Site Scan Manager for ArcGIS ?

Answer

Site Scan Manager for ArcGIS is a web application that is a component of Site Scan for ArcGIS. It keeps track of projects, and has many useful tools that allow the streamlining of workflows, such as the ability to share information and results with colleagues and clients, monitor a site’s progress, process or merge flights directly from Manager, and extract useful data such as volumes, areas and distance measurements, without the need for third-party tools and software.

Logging in to Site Scan Manager for ArcGIS

To start Site Scan Manager for ArcGIS, log in with Site Scan credentials.

Opening and editing projects

After logging in, select a project from the secondary menu on the left side of the screen.

Alternatively, click the Projects tab to open a new window of existing projects. Click the name of the project to open it.

From the Projects interface, there is the ability to edit key project attributes. Hover over the name of the project to edit. Click the pencil icon to open the Edit Project menu.

In the Edit Project menu:

• The name of the Project can be edited by typing it in the Project Name window.
• Change project location by typing it in the Project Location window, and it auto-fills while typing.
• Edit the Unit settings by selecting the ones to be used from the drop-down window.
• Choose between Meters, Standard Foot and U.S. Survey foot.

After editing the project, click Next to save the changes.

Choosing the right flight within a project

Select a project from the drop-down menu. Choose between all the flights within the project. Flights are arranged by date. If a flight has been processed, click the toggle next to Orthomosaic to overlay it on the base map.

Click the name of the flight at the top-left to open a drop-down menu to select between other flights in the project. There is the option to view them as a drop-down list, or in a calendar.

Processing flights

If there are any unprocessed flights, click the Process button at the bottom-left corner. There is a loading icon indicator next to the Orthomosaic toggle.

Once the processing is done, download the resulting files by clicking the Export icon at the bottom-left corner, and selecting the file to download from the Data Exports dialog.

Icons in Site Scan Manager

There are other icons and indicators in Site Scan Manager that have different functions, such as the Active Processing indicator. The Active Processing indicator only appears while a flight is being processed. This icon indicates the processing phase is not complete.

The toggle map on and off icon allows the base map to be hidden. This is useful when presenting the resulting orthomosaic file, while not disclosing the location of the job site.

The zoom level on the map can be controlled using the plus and minus icons. The map heading icon underneath this indicates the heading of the map, click it, and the heading changes back to the default, which is North.

Resulting files

Once the processing is finished, access the Export link through the array of resulting files Site Scan offers. Each of them provide a specific purpose and advantage.

• Orthomosaics (.tiff): These are the georeferenced orthomosaic maps of the flight area. Orthomosaics can be opened and manipulated in Google Earth Pro, ArcGIS, QGIS, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Infraworks, and other GIS programs.
• DSM (.tiff): These are the georeferenced Digital Surface Models associated with the orthomosaics. The value of each pixel corresponds to an elevation above the ground. DSMs can be opened and manipulated in ArcGIS Pro, Google Earth Pro, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Infraworks, and other GIS programs.
• Point cloud (.rcs, .las, .laz): These are the two-point cloud formats generated by Site Scan. RCS is the Autodesk point cloud format. Open and edit in ReCap, Civil 3D, Infraworks, or any other Autodesk product. LAS is the open point cloud format. Open in PointCloudViz or any CAD software, including Autodesk products.
• 3D Mesh (.rcm, .obj, .slpk): These are the two mesh formats generated by Site Scan. RCM is the Autodesk ReMake native format, optimized for viewing, flythrough videos, and simple volume measurements. OBJ is the open mesh format shared across many platforms.
• PDF is essentially a screenshot of the area to display. Display annotations, contours, and toggle off the base map to avoid disclosing the location of the job site.
• Photos allow the download all of the flight photos captured in a zip file.

Contour files

Contours lines are lines of equal value in a raster dataset that represent continuous measurable values, such as elevation, temperature, precipitation, pollution, or atmospheric pressure. The line features connect cells of a constant value in the input. Contour lines are often referred to as isolines, but can also have other specific terms depending on the object measured. For example, a line of equal pressure is called an isobar.

The distribution of the contour lines shows how values change across a surface. Where there is little change in value within a given distance, the lines are spaced farther apart. Where the values rise or fall rapidly, the lines are closer together. For more information on contour files, refer to How contouring works.

Site Scan allows the creation of contour files representing elevation directly from Manager, without the need for any third-party software. Export these files in .shp (shapefile) format.

1. Ensure the flight is processed.
2. In the Data Layers menu, use the slider to choose the contour interval.
3. Click Save. It takes a few minutes for the processing to finish, after which the contours can be displayed and overlain on the orthomosaic.

Measuring tools

Site Scan Manager has measuring tools to calculate Distances, Areas, and Volumes.

It is also possible to place Markers anywhere on the site that display the latitude and longitude. The Counter tool can be placed on any object in the map to get an accurate count.

All of these measurements are turned into annotations and are displayed under the Measurements menu on the left. They can be renamed or deleted by right-clicking them and selecting the desired option. They can also be toggled on and off.

Measure Distances by selecting the option from the Measure menu:

• Click once on the map to set the initial point from which to measure.
• Click once elsewhere on the map to add another point.
• Double-click to set the endpoint for the distance being measured.
• Click the line created to display the distance.

Measure both Area and Volume by selecting the Volume option from the Measurements menu. Layout new vertices by clicking once, and set the endpoint of the measurement box by clicking twice. Clicking the box displays the Area and Volume.

For volume measurements, access a wireframe view by:

• Clicking the View Volume in 3D button in the annotation
• Clicking the drawn polygon
• Right-clicking the annotation and selecting the option Inspect.

This allows determining the base point from which the volume is being calculated.

Compare flights

Compare two orthomosaics from the Project by clicking the Timeline option. Doing so opens the compare flight view. There is a timeline at the top to select which flights to compare. Drag the slider in the middle to compare both sites. Ensure to zoom in sufficiently so the orthomosaics are displayed. Flights are sorted by most recent on both tabs.

Merge flights

Oblique images can be used stand-alone or incorporated into the photogrammetry process to be included in the orthomosaic or model generated. Nadir imagery is generally not sufficient to build an accurate point cloud of a site that contains vertical surfaces. By combining oblique and nadir imagery, it is possible to generate a single point cloud or mesh of a structure and its surroundings. Additionally, combine two or more surveys that overlap each other to have results covering a wider area, even if there is no oblique imagery used. These can be achieved directly from Site Scan Manager’s Merge Flights feature.

1. Start by choosing the project containing the flights to combine. Click the Projects button on the left navigator. Ensure they were flown at the same site, and under similar lighting conditions and elevation, or if it is necessary to cover a wider area in a single output file, ensure the flights overlap each other.
2. Click the Merge Flights option at the top. Click once to select the flights to merge. This requires naming the resulting flight from the pending merge.
3. After naming it, click Merge.

As each flight is selected, notice that the image counter at the bottom increases. Ensure to stay within the 2,500 image limit.

4. Wait for the merge to finish processing, after which the files can be exported, as with any other flight in Site Scan.

Sharing maps and images

Site Scan Manager can provide a link that allows sharing the base map with members who do not have Site Scan, such as a client. This link allows a basic map view of the flight that also allows them to overlay the orthomosiac, as well as any annotations that may be in the flight.

• Click the Share option at the bottom-left corner to open a pop-up that provides the link to share the map.

Uploading new images to a flight from a computer

New images can be uploaded to an existing flight.

1. Click the plus button at the bottom-left corner and select Photos.

This opens a new window.

2. Click the Upload button, and navigate to the folder containing the images to add.
3. After the upload process finishes, click the Save button.