On-site point cloud processing on iPad and iPhone

At Aerial Precision, we introduced the idea of processing point clouds on-site using mobile devices. At first, many professionals doubted it. The conventional model: capture in the field, upload, then run heavy processing back at a desktop in the office, felt inevitable. But seeing the workflow in action changed minds. Now, on-site processing is a practical reality for field teams and for the people who need to use the data immediately.

iPad is a professional on-site workstation

The iPad became the first mobile device to consistently enable true on-site processing, not just visualization. On modern iPad models, you can process datasets containing billions of points and generate deliverables right from the field. That is processing in the real sense: transforming raw scans into useful, validated outputs that stakeholders can act on.

People who use data in the field, such as inspectors, surveyors, and others, benefit most from this approach. For them, the iPad is the primary, professional device. Its large screen, Apple Pencil, and comfortable UI make detailed review and decision-making faster and more accurate. Processing on iPad reduces revisits, speeds up approvals, and shortens project cycles.

iPhone is a powerful alternative when you want it

iPad remains our recommended primary field device for most professional workflows. That said, the latest iPhones are powerful enough that you can choose to process on them when mobility, minimal kit, or quick validation is your priority.

The iPhone is no longer a “lite” viewer. Thanks to modern mobile processors, the device-level performance supports many of the same processing tasks that run on iPad. If you prefer to travel light, want redundancy on critical missions, or need to validate scans while in tight spaces, using an iPhone is a perfectly valid option.

Choose how you want

• Prefer a larger screen? Use an iPad for extended sessions and detailed analysis.

• Need to travel light? Use an iPhone for portability and speed.

• Want redundancy on critical missions? Bring both and switch as needed.

The story is no longer “you can’t.” It’s “choose how you want.” What used to be a wild experiment is now a standard, professional option.

The remastered Freefly Flow app is optimized for modern mobile hardware

Our remastered Freefly Flow app is built to take advantage of the performance available in the latest iPads and iPhones. Flow enables true on-device processing workflows: import, process, validate, and export, all supported in a field-friendly interface.

If you want to learn more about Freefly Flow, see the Freefly app listing and documentation:

• Freefly Flow on the App Store

• Freefly Flow mapping workflow documentation

Why this matters for teams and businesses

On-site processing changes the economics and quality of mapping projects. You get fewer revisits, faster approvals, higher throughput, and better client satisfaction. Your team can complete more projects in less time and generate more revenue from the same field day.

Mobile processing is not a gimmick. It’s a workflow evolution that moves value creation to where the data is captured.

Aerial Precision pioneered this shift. iPad made professional on-site processing possible. The recent advances in iPhone and iPad processors make the choice even more powerful. With Flow remastered for today’s hardware, teams can decide how they want to work and deliver better, faster results.

Modern Apple silicon makes what was once a GPU-bound workstation work possible on devices you can carry in a backpack or even your pocket.