At Sensat, our goal is to provide a seamless, context-rich visual environment for your construction projects. To achieve this, we utilise a dual Coordinate Reference System (CRS). This architecture gives you, as a user, the best of both worlds: a unified, high-performance visualisation of all your data alongside the pinpoint accuracy of your native project measurements.
How Sensat handles your data
We separate how your data is visualised on the platform from how it is measured and managed. This distinction ensures that while the web browser handles the heavy lifting of rendering 3D environments, your engineering data remains mathematically "pure".
1. The Visualisation CRS: Sensat Mercator
Standard WebMercator (EPSG:3857) is the industry standard for 2D web mapping, used by platforms like Google Earth, ESRI Online and OpenStreetMaps. However, it is inherently flawed for professional 3D construction data.
Because WebMercator is a conformal 2D projection, it introduces significant geometric distortion as you move away from the equator. In a 3D context, this means altitude (Z-values) becomes visually flattened or "squashed" at higher latitudes.
To solve this, we developed Sensat Mercator. This is our enhanced, 3D-optimised version of the WebMercator that:
Corrects altitude distortion: We automatically scale the Z-value based on the specific latitude of your project.
Maintains visual integrity: Your 3D models, point clouds, and terrain keep their correct vertical proportions regardless of where they are in the world.
Enables global context: It allows us to overlay your project perfectly onto global contextual datasets (like satellite imagery) without performance lag.
Faster performance: Standardising our visualisation system eliminates the need for complex, on-the-fly transformations, resulting in improved platform performance and a higher-quality product.
2. The Measurement CRS: Your Project CRS
While Sensat Mercator handles the "look" of your project, your native coordinates handle the "truth." We support almost all EPSG registered projected CRSes (metric and Imperial) for all user-facing interactions.
Native Accuracy: All markup measurements, distances, areas and volumes, and coordinate level interrogations are performed using your specific Project CRS.
Zero Compromise: The structural integrity of your native engineering measurements remains perfectly intact. We never "bake" the visualisation distortions into your actual data.
Custom CRS: We can also cater for custom CRSes such as Snakegrid, ensuring measurement accuracy and precision for linear projects.
Why this dual-system matters
Feature | Visualisation (Sensat Mercator) | Measurements (Project CRS) |
Primary Goal | Smooth, high-speed 3D rendering. | Engineering-grade precision. |
Handling 3D | Corrects Z-axis scaling to prevent "flattening". | Maintains native coordinates and units. |
Data Synergy | Blends your models with public 2D/3D datasets. | Keeps your survey data "pure" for measurements and exports. |
Performance | Eliminates on-the-fly transformations for the UI. | Ensures calculations match your design software. |
Summary
Sensat's dual-CRS approach ensures that you can easily view, share, and contextualise all of your 2D and 3D data in a single high performance visual environment, without ever compromising the integrity or usability of your project's native measurement systems.