What can digital twinning offer surveyors?

At present, surveyors are not exploiting digital twinning as they could to enhance their services. Even where multidisciplinary practices use the technology, they are only doing so to around 25% of its capabilities. 

Despite the relatively low rate of adoption, surveyors who do not begin to use digital twinning will run the risk of falling behind their competitors. Whether you're highlighting specific features, creating engaging presentations or enhancing user experiences, the tool is applicable in all areas of surveying and estate management.

As a typical example, Matterport offers several hardware options and subscription plans, to meet surveyors' varying budget and project requirements. The app's interface also aims to enable users to start scanning with minimal training, incorporating the technology into their workflows without extensive changes to existing processes.

This technology can enhance existing imaging and virtual tours, so they achieve a level of realism, immersion and interactivity that was only aspirational a few years ago. In turn, this means users can navigate virtually and interact with spaces as if they were physically present using virtual reality (VR), offering a realistic, detailed walkthrough to display real estate to potential occupants and clients.

The Matterport Pro3, for example, uses high-resolution imaging and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scanning to record spatial data with precision. Laser pulses measure the distance between the camera and surfaces in the environment, creating a dense network of spatial data points known as a point cloud.

High-accuracy point-cloud data sets collect millions of individual points that represent the three-dimensional geometry of a physical space, with each point including precise spatial coordinates that together form a highly detailed and accurate representation of the scanned environment.

This is processed by Matterport Cortex AI, which reconstructs the 3D environment by stitching images and spatial data into a cohesive, interactive digital twin. 

Matterport provides basic interactive elements such as multimedia hotspots to embed instructions or additional context such as tags, notes and multimedia content. The final 3D model can be shared online, allowing stakeholders to explore the space virtually.

Additional features can be applied with Treedis, software that simplifies the editing of digital twins. This allows, for instance, customised branding and interactive design. These overlays add unique layers of interactivity and personalisation to enhance the viewer's experience.

Matterport Pro3 uses HDR imaging to take multiple photos of the same scene at varying exposure levels. These are then combined into a single image, ensuring clarity in bright areas such as windows, and detail in darker regions such as corners.

HDR ensures that digital twins not only appear lifelike but also give an accurate sense of the property's visual and spatial qualities. The images are refined by Matterport's Cortex AI to optimise the brightness, contrast, and colour accuracy for seamless integration into the 3D model.

In addition, HDR imaging can support the accurate floorplans that are essential for real-estate marketing and architectural planning. 

Meanwhile, the point-cloud data can be exported to design platforms such as AutoCAD or Revit for architectural planning, 3D modelling, and simulation. In building information modelling (BIM), this data can also inform as-built simulations, ensuring that digital representations align closely with the physical environment.

At PMKConsult, we use tools such as Revit and AutoCAD to create detailed 2D drawings and 3D models, enabling us to produce comprehensive digital representations, schedules, sequences and cost estimates.

The overall BIM framework allows us to manage digital models, streamline decision-making and contribute to overall project success. 

Traditionally, decision-making depended on being present on site at a property. However, the ability to see accurate walk-through, flythrough and intricate visual details in an office or using a digital app enables decisions to be made more practically and affordably, without the need to travel.

In addition, by integrating VR and augmented reality to visualise and interact with digital models, we are able to present projects in a more appealing way to stakeholders. Meanwhile, our use of Matterport allows for rapid surveys and comprehensive documentation of project spaces.

To illustrate how this technology works in practice, I have developed and operate a holiday home, for which the digital twin allows potential visitors to undertake immersive virtual tours without needing to be physically present. We are currently assessing how digital twinning could help to assess post-build defects, degradation and wear, using time-based data to see how the property performs.

The same technology was also used to create a digital twin of an aqueduct in Cyprus. The Kamares Aqueduct – Matterport 3D Showcase was a proof-of-concept project developed by Vision 88, a company that pioneers immersive digital experiences, to demonstrate the impact of digital tools for heritage preservation and tourism. 

Vision 88 created a high-fidelity digital twin of the aqueduct, accurately recording the site's structural and historical details using advanced LiDAR and imaging technology. It aims to show how immersive experiences can enhance accessibility, engagement and preservation for cultural landmarks.

The interactive twin features embedded data tags that narrate the story of the aqueduct, including images and videos that provide a comprehensive view of its historical significance. A dynamic fly-through video also offers a visual display of the aqueduct's architecture.

The virtual tour was integrated into Google Maps, allowing users easy access and improving the structure's visibility to both local and international users. Moreover, analytics tracking visitor engagement found that, within five days of launch, 210 unique visitors engaged with the virtual tour.

This figure significantly exceeds in-person foot traffic during the same period, showing that local and international users alike were able to experience the aqueduct's historical significance.

Digital twinning provides a highly accurate, scalable 3D representation of the aqueduct, recording both its structural dimensions and intricate architectural details. This is invaluable for condition assessments, as surveyors can analyse fine details and spatial relationships remotely.

In this and other cases, surveyors working on heritage structures can use digital twins to identify areas of deterioration, plan restoration efforts and monitor structural changes over time without running the risk of causing further damage through intrusive methods.

They and project stakeholders can access digital twins from anywhere, enabling remote collaboration on inspections, restorations and maintenance planning. This is particularly useful for large or geographically inaccessible structures like the Kamares Aqueduct.

The point-cloud data generated during the capture process can be exported into platforms such as AutoCAD or Revit. This enables surveyors to create detailed architectural models, simulate structural integrity, or integrate with BIM workflows for advanced planning and analysis.

The immersive and interactive nature of digital twinning technology also allows surveyors to present their findings in a clear, engaging way, improving communication with non-technical stakeholders such as local authorities or conservation groups.

The non-invasive nature of the technology is especially beneficial for delicate or historically significant structures as well, reducing the risk of accidental damage.

By focusing on these practical applications, the Kamares Aqueduct digital twin becomes a case study in how digital twinning technology empowers surveyors to work more efficiently, accurately, and collaboratively, addressing modern challenges in heritage conservation and structural assessment.

The technology can also support remote inspections, improve decision-making processes and offer immersive experiences that transcend traditional surveying methods.

Being able to view a digital twin remotely, surveyors can assess a site's condition without the need for a physical visit.

Digital twins have the potential to transform various activities, from commercial properties and educational facilities to house surveys, progress payments, insurance valuations, construction claims and beyond.

For example, residential property portfolios are generally marketed using brochures, photos, videos, floor-plan drawings and operation and maintenance manuals, which can require the cooperation of multiple stakeholders. By contrast, digital twinning means these can now be combined and integrated more easily.

To make the most of the technology, there are several ways that surveyors can get started. First, they can consider their needs, aligning these with customer requirements and the likely level of usage of any technology. 

The next thing is to carry out due diligence and assign a budget to invest in the technology required. For instance, the Matterport Pro3 technology we use at PMKConsult currently retails at less than £5,000.

Finally, surveyors who wish to embrace digital twinning technology need to carry out online or in-house training. Many universities now include digital twinning on their syllabus, and others offer stand-alone courses.

Digital twinning has the potential to help surveyors providing virtual replicas of construction and property-related projects. Floorplans can be more easily understood, coordination can be improved, planning can be optimised, project tracking and progress can be mirrored, design conflicts can be mitigated and facilities management can be more comprehensively and easily managed.