OrthoGraph's floor plan surveying software is a unique tool for creating on site floor plans on a hand held device. Based in Graphisoft Park in Budapest, Hungary, OrthoGraph software was first released in 2007, and has now expanded into global markets with official partners in many countries around the world. OrthoGraph's main focus is the development of floor plan survey, inventory register, facility management, and building inventory management software.

Company History

Founded in 2004 by private investors, OrthoGraph has focused primarily on developing hand held surveying software for a PDA (personal digital assistant), or Windows mobile touchscreen device. Since their start, OrthoGraph has released three separate versions; OrthoGraph Inventory in 2007, followed by OrthoGraph Survey and Architect in 2008. They pride themselves on being a customer oriented company with a focus on enhancing the surveying processes during on-site surveys. The brains behind OrthoGraph, founder Adam Korbuly told us, "The idea for OrthoGraph first came to me when I saw the demand of as-builts by nearly all CAFM (computer aided facility manager) system implementations, and there was no solution for helping the on-site work. The surveyors were just running around the building with lots of paper making their rounds again and again, re-measuring what others had done already etc. Building owners wanted to have the as-builts of their buildings and the only way for providing them was to "go back to the middle ages with paper and pencil". Handling of floor-plan symbols was originally not in our goals, but came only during the first tests, when architects and CAFM professionals wanted us to allow them to draw built-in furniture (later all kinds of furniture) on the spot." CAFM specialists were also involved in developing the software to be able to give the right answer to the demand of not just the on-site graphical, but the alphanumeric data management.

The evolution of OrthoGraph later resulted in the little brother of OrthoGraph Survey, the OrthoGraph Architect version. For people who didn't need team-work functionality, wanted to deal only with small buildings and very few objects, we created the Architect version. This is the ideal tool for those who just want to measure rarely, or for professionals like painters or interior designers, who need exact floor-plans and wall surfaces easily. The unique drawing and measurement functionality of the OrthoGraph Survey module is 100% available also in this light version.

Current Profile

OrthoGraph's mission statement is as stated, "Our goal is to develop a product family of the best on-site graphical surveying tools that allow our customers to achieve the highest level of productivity." The management style at OrthoGraph is focused on the customer and proving them with true solutions both on-site and during the post processing phase. Their sales team doesn't push the customer to buy OrthoGraph, but rather becomes aware of their particular company and industry and how the software relates to them. As OrthoGraph Survey is capable of supporting team-work, and can handle a large amount of objects, it can solve the demands of large inventory projects (more than 150k objects on-site). Although this software isn't the entire CAD system, it is the first step in creating BIM (building information models).

To understand exactly how OrthoGraph works, we can simply sketch the lengths of the walls as they appear relative to each other, because the lengths will be rescaled after they are measured. Next, let's take our distance meter, OrthoGraph recommends a Leica laser distance meter, generally a D3a BT or D8, both with Bluetooth capability. We can use the distance meter to measure wall lengths and transfer the data to the PDA via bluetooth instantly. Next, you can draw neighboring rooms, and then connect them with wall openings, such as windows or doors. In a matter of minutes, you can draw 2 rooms, measure primary distances and match their openings. Finally take your PDA back to your PC, where you can export the file into many formats, such as DWG, SKP, XML, PDF, etc. where your files can be opened with ArchiCAD, AutoCAD, Google SketchUP and more. OrthoGraph works in the BIM world with intelligent building elements, and is fully compatible with ArchiCAD, which creates a trouble-free work flow from your PDA to your PC.

As the mobile devices are really a new world of computerization, people sometimes don't see clearly as to why they support Windows Mobile, and not other trendy platforms. Korbuly says, "I always say the device shouldn't define the goal, but the goal should define the equipment to be used. Windows mobile has a pencil that architects are used to, it is capable of communicating with distance meters and barcode readers, and can run for more than a whole day. They are small, durable and fast for this dedicated purpose." From their point of view that's what matters, they give an effective device for floor-plan survey nothing more and nothing less. OrthoGraph staff conducts ongoing research into the AEC/BIM industries and are always hungry for feedback. Due to their close proximity to Graphisoft, OrthoGraph personnel are able to collaborate with their strategist and developers to handle changes in the market. This collaboration, along with the implementation of the ArchiCAD add-on for OrthoGraph has changed the dynamics by which surveyors are planning their data collection. The entire surveying workflow has been enhanced since the introduction of OrthoGraph due to its development of hand held based surveying software.

Global Scope

OrthoGraph has prided itself on the fact that their software is beneficial for an array of different professions. Current OrthoGraph users include real estate agents, architects, engineers, surveyors, construction site managers, etc. OrthoGraph staff says the software has generated interest from forensic scientists in New Zealand to Solar panel installers in the U.S. With clients all over the world, OrthoGraph has exported software and hardware to several continents all over the world. Because the software is used in many different countries and industries, OrthoGraph staff is able to collaborate these ideas when determining the future features of the software. CEO Laszlo Toth says, "We are proud to have created a simple but effective surveying tool which has connections to the entire AEC/BIM world from CAD through CAFM to ERP (enterprise resource planning)."

View of the Future

At OrthoGraph, they see BIM as the future of effective facility management. Architects and facility managers will be able to view a 3D model of their properties which will enable them to conduct day to day maintenance easier and more regularly, and manage assets easily. Although this process is being used currently, we think that in the next 10 years, more companies will begin to incorporate BIM into their day to day maintenance, asset management, and renovations. The ever evolving BIM model will be the primary resource in maintaining an up to date, well functioning facility. Being able to have on site data collectors, such as distance meter and barcode scanners, will be imperative for facility managers in the future.

About the Author: Connor Heine is currently the global business development manager at OrthoGraph ltd. He can be reached at cheine@orthograph.net and + 44 2034119438