As we’ve detailed at Geo Week News many times over the last few years, the reality capture sector is quickly democratizing. As laser scanning technology in particular continues to improve, the hardware is cheaper than ever to acquire. Additionally, different types of sensors and tools are being offered to meet different requirements, and generally speaking both the hardware and software is significantly easier to use. With accessibility increasing for this technology, new entrants – in terms of both individuals and sectors – are joining the market and widening the scope of reality capture.
Even with that improved accessibility, however, there are still significant barriers to those entering the market for the first time. It can be difficult to differentiate between different scanners, both within the same company’s portfolio and comparing offerings from different companies. What is the best tool for your specific use case? What specs are most important, and how do different companies detail similar information? How does one read these spec sheets? All of these questions are relatively simple for industry veterans, but crucial barriers for those trying to enter the market for the first time.
Recently a group was formed to try and tackle some of these questions and more and make the reality capture space a more welcoming one to newcomers and veterans alike. Called The Committee, the group features industry experts who have decades of experience with these tools who are looking to create processes, standards, and a space to knock down these barriers and ensure the future of reality capture is everything that it is able to be.
This week, Geo Week News will be hosting a webinar featuring members of The Committee to talk about their mission, some of the specific initiatives they are working on, and the future of reality capture more generally. The hour-long webinar, taking place on September 19 from 1:00pm - 2:00pm Eastern Time, will feature Chris Kercheval and Mack Kowalski in a moderated discussion. Registration is free and includes an on-demand recording of the conversation after the completion of the webinar.
There are a couple of main points that will be touched upon in the webinar that hit on early focuses for the group. One of those is the standardization of spec sheets. As anyone who has looked into buying a laser scanner can attest, companies organize their spec sheets in different ways across the board, highlighting different aspects to make their scanner appear the most valuable. That can lead to complications for any professional, particularly those who are just purchasing this kind of equipment for the first time. One of the first big pushes from The Committee is to standardize these spec sheets so that people know where to look for what information and make that cross-comparison across machines simpler, similar to how the Monroney Sticker standardized information for vehicle sales.
Looking a little bit further down the road, The Committee has also discussed the desire within the industry for some sort of training and certification program. Many other technical fields have these kinds of certification programs, and as reality capture continues to expand across sectors it only makes sense for something similar. As one would expect, there is a lot of leg work to make this happen, but it’s something the group has mentioned in previous discussions as a possibility down the line.
In the webinar later this week, we will be touching on all of these topics and more. The Committee is all-in on making the reality capture space a welcoming one for the growing number of new entries, and is looking at vendor-agnostic ways to clear barriers for newcomers and ensure the industry continues to grow in a way that benefits everyone involved, including both manufacturers and end users. Don’t miss your chance to register (for free) for this conversation.
