I suspect that not many prople have really done that much research into PointCloud data and solutions that users are looking to achieve.
Probably the world leader i n this area. a company, known by various virtually anyone in the "PointCloud" would know of Euclideon based out of Brisbane.
http://www.euclideon.com/
In essence they use the same style technology, Octrees and compression. Pointerra does not have a unique technology, just a variant on a technology that has been in development globally since the introduction of low cost Laser scanners. The technology is different from Euclideon, and indeed came from reviewing what they had done. Euclideon have made major inroads into the mining industry, GIS and survey industries by a global corporate licensing to the global geospatial giant Horizon. Euclideon has really developed the market for extreme point clouds, and it started development around 2005. Also note that is a production technology that is very very fast and well known to the staff of 3DP. Euclideon is a well staffed, with innovators, and is well driven. Why has it not floated? They have a lateral vision and are not constrained by "deep thinker" navel gazing!
Also of note there are many many other groups around the globe, apart from the Spanish company mentioned, that have strong university associations and commercial connections. One I am aware of and have tested is Point Cloud Technology from Germany. It has strong research links with the Hasso Plattner Institute, which is probably the world leader in research in this area. Have a look at their website (
http://www.pointcloudtechnology.com/en/ ) it is very advanced and very impressive. The technology is in many ways superior to those about, with the exception of Euclidean.
So the technology is neither revolutionary nor unique. The algorithm is definitely novel but that does not mean better, just a variant on a theme.
The argument for a centralised data supplier DAAS, is being touted as its unique characteristic. Wrong! Many other groups are doing it with extreme PointCloud servers. In a sense it does represent a model similar to Nearmap, where Chairman Newman originates. However the model is flawed. Whilst Nearmap creates the data and then sell access, The data generators of the potential clients of Pointerra generate their own data. Why would anyone who locally has developed a very large dataset want to centralise to a global server system, Amazon etc, when speed is so severely compromised! Whilst the Nearmap model somewhat flounders in the face of superior technology from its competitors, the same model applied the Pointerra we be like push diarrhoea up a hill with fork.
I hope Pointerra can get something going, and yes they have an experienced board and management, but really there is virtually no one in this realm that has any real legitimate geospatial experience., just Buzzword junkies. There has been too much "Deep thinking" around one aspect of delivery, the Nearmap model, at the expense of any real lateral understanding of the technology, the industry, and the market.
Really they should concentrate more on the "Plan" aspect of their purile catch phrase, and less on the questionable unique technology. Unfortunately I don't have confidence that the board has any grasp on what this means.
