Publish ECW and GeoTIFF as a WMTS service, use your data as a map layer in QGIS, ArcGIS or your own web viewer, and issue tile servers per dataset and area.
The difference between WMS and WMTS lies in when rendering happens. A WMS builds a new image for exactly the requested extent on every request, which is flexible but becomes heavy as soon as many users pan through a large dataset at once. WMTS works with a fixed tile layout and fixed zoom levels, with tiles prepared in advance. That makes the service predictably fast and easy to cache, which is precisely what you want for aerial imagery, orthophotos and layers derived from a point cloud. GEORIZON serves the tiles in a tile matrix set matching the frame you work in, so your layer coincides with the rest of your mapping without reprojection.
Connecting starts with the capabilities document of the service, the URL describing which layers, zoom levels and reference systems are available. In QGIS you add that URL under the WMTS connections and pick the layer; in ArcGIS the process is comparable. From that moment your data is simply a layer in your project, which you place beneath your own features, make transparent and query alongside other sources. Because the layer comes straight from your tenant, you always see the current version: process a new survey round and it appears in your GIS without anyone having to circulate a file. For layers you would rather not make public, the service works with tokens and with permissions per project.
If your aerial or orthophotos are stored as ECW or (geo)TIFF, you do not need to set up a WMTS server of your own. GEORIZON converts the files directly into its own tile format and publishes them as a WMTS service, with precaching and distribution through a CDN. You do not have to convert the source files to another format first, and you do not have to manage or scale a server. That takes you from an archive of ECW files, for example from ERDAS or another management system, to a WMTS layer that works in QGIS, ArcGIS and web viewers.
A WMTS server does not have to be permanent, and it does not have to be open to everyone. With GEORIZON you issue a separate tile server per dataset and per area, for an agreed period. For example to a contractor, a consultancy or an inspection service that only needs the project area and loses access once the assignment ends. Usage is metered, so it is clear who uses which dataset. Access runs through tokens and permissions per project, not through an open URL.
The WMTS integration is one way to reach your data, and rarely the only one you need. For assessing a situation the viewer works better, with panorama, point cloud and measuring tools in one environment. For integrations with an asset management system or an application of your own the open API is more suitable, because it lets you request objects, measurements and detections individually. And anyone wanting to process the source data in house downloads a selection in common formats such as LAZ or E57. The choice is yours, and every route points at the same dataset in the same tenant. Organisations including ProRail (SpoorInBeeld), the municipality of Nijmegen and Kempkes Landmeten work this way.
See also: Publish ECW or GeoTIFF as WMTS, Add WMTS in QGIS and ArcGIS, WMS or WMTS: tile matrix sets, Replace ERDAS Apollo.
