FAQ

If hosting VAM2, a Windows Server installation is necessary. Options:
1. **Dedicated Server:** Purchase a Windows Server license and manage setup and maintenance.
2. **Managed Server:** Higher cost but suits those less familiar with server admin.
3. **Consider VNC Windows servers from Contabo.com, known for cost-effectiveness, speed, and reliability.

The login to VAM2 is done via username and password this means every individual user needs a license to log in to VAM2. Once a user is logged in and logs in from another account the first connection is cancelled. This is important to ensure user rights management.
Therefore a floating license type is not required and now available.

In VAM2 you can add real world coordinates to every asset. We chose the lat long elevation in WGS84 decimal format as standard.
When the Civetta got a GPS signal the coordinates and the compass orientation are stored in the metadata additionally and are automatically displayed in VAM2.

Yes, the base distance between upper and lower 360° can be manually adopted.

It is possible to purchase additional licenses at any time for all 3 different user types.

Admin, Editor and View only user. Simply use the license request button in VAM2 and send the ID number to us via email.

When data is uploaded to VAM2 the original files are never modified and will stay as the original. These originals can be downloaded if needed. In case a project is being published to a webserver or a storage device VAM2 offers to include the originals or to only provide the extracts needed for browser display.

The videos are calculated in different resolutions as 8K video can be very heavy to stream we want to enable fast viewing by choosing a lower resolution. Therefore video processing times can be long.

VAM2 is a data management tool and does not allow any editing inside, because our user want to be sure that nobody cut out or retouched anything of the original after the upload.
But for better observation/analysis we offer a set of tools that allow to modify the way the image is displayed in the viewer. This are only viewer settings that can be stored as the default opening and the user can always undo it while observing.

The application opens in the default browser of the device. If it shall open in another browser then this has to be done manually.

A: Best practice with the following 10 steps:

First publish the projects to your web-server
copy the web-addresses of the individual projects
Create a new project (Name it to be recognised as Index project)
Create html links for every web-address (from step 2)
design a start page in your preferred text editor (like Word or Excel etc.)
upload this start page to the index project
place the html links in the index project by drag and drop to the right positions on your start page
When ready publish this project to your preferred web-server
Check if all links are working correctly
Provide the URL of the index page to the user and they can then always use this single address to access all other individual projects including search function.

Remark:
In addition to the landing page you can also upload a street map, a satellite image blue marble etc. and „use as a map“ to then place the html links on the map asset.

You can set the compass on each map to the correct north direction. When linking 360° images to these different maps with different locations they directions are displayed correctly.

Utilizing the authentication structure within your business works as with all other https access controls.

VAM2 does not support 3D reconstruction inside the database, but we offer 3D reconstruction service for specific data wherein VAM2 suits as the exchange and communications platform. This means, the user uploads the data to be processed to the server. We check the data and discuss the wanted results and make an offer. Once accepted the results are uploaded to VAM2 where they can be checked, and possible modifications can be discussed. Once everybody is satisfied.

If the end user hosts VAM2 on their own PC/server then he can apply all the existing security measures they want. Once VAM2 is installed there is no need for connection to the outside via network or stored data like a dongle or alike.

WECON.DIGITAL guarantees that no backdoors, tracker, tracer or other means enabling to control, to read out or shut down or attack or do any other infringements have been implemented to access the application from outside unless actively opened by the end user.

Giving actively access can only be done by:
a) giving WECON.DIGITAL personnel physical access to the PC or server and provide login data
b) giving WECON.DIGITAL personnel physical access to a device connected to the server and provide login data

All statistics, login tracking tools and auditing as well as the licensing tools integrated in VAM2 are accessible by the administrator of the end-users only.

VAM2 did not yet undergo an official certification process. If this is mandatory, please contact us to specify what certificates are needed.

Once installed on a standalone machine or a server there is no need (and also no possibility) to connect to a service from WECON.DIGITAL. The license is linked to the windows ID and is valid as long as the Windows ID is operational.

With every installation comes the VAM2Utility software toolbox. With this toolbox it is possible to set up automated backups on different servers and to export and re-import complete projects. So if you want to change to another standalone PC or server the workflow is as follows. Export the database and possibly make an additional backup. Uninstall the license from your previous PC/Server and set up the new server. Contact us to renew the license on the new PC/Server. Re-import the database to the new PC/server. That is it.

VAM2 has a very intuitive design and allows to create projects with a minimum of settings. If a user has some experience with working with computers, it is possible to learn enough to create the first project in about 1hour

Included in every purchase is an introduction to VAM2 via video conference to cover the fundamental functions. Also the user gets access to the knowledge base and the user manuals to go into details.
Depending on the level of expertise of the end users the basics can be demonstrated in 1 hour. If the end-user shall practically work during the training and several people are included the training may extend to 1 or 1,5 days. This can be booked separately.

VAM2 can be installed on a standalone PC a server or a cloud setup. Access is always done via web-browser and all platforms and systems that can run a supported web-browser be it tablet, mobile phones, or computer will work.

The recommended minimum requirements to install VAM2:
Stand Alone Server-Client
CPU 4-core CPU 4-core CPU with HT (e.g. Intel i7 or Intel Xeon E3)
RAM 16 GB 16-32 GB
Hard Disk Space See section – Storage Management -
OS Windows 7 64bit or greater. Windows Server 2012 R2 or greater.
Java JRE 1.7.0 64-bit or greater for Standalone and Server-Client version.
Application Server Tomcat 7.0.59 –Vam2 comes with an embedded Tomcat Server
Database MongoDB 3.2 – VAM2 comes with a pre-configured MongoDB
Browser Up-to-date supported browser. Supported browsers are IE, Chrome and Firefox, others may work but are not tested.

Depending on the number of concurrent user and processing requirements the system can be upgraded.

The end user should do the changes on their own and once they have VAM2 set up and the people trained they have everything they need. Of course they are free to book service provider to insert and modify new content. WECON.DIGITAL does not offer this service, but we can put you in contact with experienced service provider.

Every action is logged in a log file containing the type of action (like upload, delete, place link, move link....), transaction number (a unique number of every transaction to find it on demand), the user identification (every logged in user can be identified).
Once an action is performed it is visible in real-time to other users that are logged in and have the permission to see it.
As a database application there is no safe button as every action is always saved. Also if someone deletes assets they can be restored as the data itself is still in the database, deletion only means to make it invisible in the project.
Only the administrator is entitled to delete a whole project. In the case of deleting the whole project all the data related to the project will be deleted from the database.
The VAM2-TOOLKIT also gives access to statistics wherein it is possible to get filtered views on specific actions, logins etc.

Everything that can be reached via http/https can be linked directly.
If special interfaces are required, we would need to know the type of software and setup to check how we can integrate a suitable interface.

User can purchase licenses or book a SaaS setup on a server managed by us.

We have user around the world in very different applications, here are some examples:

• Industrial site documentation especially in the gas and oil market
• Dismantling documentation
• Maintenance planning
• Crime scene documentation
• Cultural heritage documentation
• Critical infrastructure protection planning
• Fire and explosion documentation
• Construction site documentation
• Documentation of ships, trains and planes
• Museum presentation
• Training applications

If you want to work with default project layouts you can define standard project layouts with the correct names, folder structure, keywords and user rights.
• Name it the way you can recognise it, ea. VAM2 Safety Security Standard Tour (use single words to easily find them with search)
• Use the VAM2TK to export it to a place where you find them.
• Whenever you want to create a new tour with your standard template, open the VAM2TK and import the previously exported header project and rename it. Now you can use this template project for the new one. Please note that after you have imported the header template project you need to restart VAM2, so you can see the project in the project list.
• You can import the same header template project for as many new projects as you like.

Updates are free of charge and will be provided via download link.
Upgrades with fundamentally new functions might be offered individually and might not be free of charge.

In our SaaS version updates happen in the background without your notice and there is nothing you have to do.
If you run VAM2 on your own server, you will be notified about the possibility to download an installer. VAM2 does not communicate with us so there is no automated update option available.

It is our policy that you can always use your data.
Once you decide to cancel your contract you have the possibility to download a complete extract of the database to store on any storage device on your own. Once you decide that you want to start again with a SaaS abo you can re-import the data and can modify it
When you published your projects to your webserver or a storage device, they will stay there as long as you want as this is your data, but you can not modify it anymore

Never work without a backup.
In the SaaS model WECON.DIGITAL takes care of up to date backups. Our technicians integrated a robust incremental backup technology that will securely backup your data to a physically separated data storage.

When running VAM2 on your own hardware you can use the VAM2TK (VAM2toolkit) that contains a set of tools to be operated by the Administrator. Besides many other functionalities it allows to set up an automated incremental backup routine. Once set up correctly the system is backed up without further action. In case storage gets low or an error occurs like server or network connection is down, the responsible people are automatically notified via email or SMS, depending on the setup.

Working on the backend if you delete an asset it is not actually deleted off the database, it only is no longer visible in the project. With the audit tool all "deleted" assets can be identified who deleted it when. The asset can be restored but only by the administrator or the owner (the person who originally uploaded it).

Possibility 1: Publish the project (see section publish) to the publishing server (see section.) and others can access the data via browser.
Pro: Easy access
Con: Everyone with access sees the everything you published (nothing blocked out)

Possibility 2: You can use individual read only licenses that allow you to give selected access to your project/s with username and password and you can define exactly which projects and which parts of your projects this individual person can see.
Pro: Full control of your content with audit trail

Possibility 3: Publish the project to an external storage device.
Pro: Works also offline
Con: You give out your data including storage hardware and need to do this again with every update. Keeping track of different versions might be tricky.

Possibility 4: Screensharing conference call
Pro: Intense exchange
Con: Requires using a screensharing service what might not match with data protection policies

We integrated the deep-link function. This is a very powerful function as it enables a user to send a specific link to another user and once he opens it, he gets the same view but not as a screenshot but with the full functionality behind it.

VAM2 does not have an account lockout integrated. But as the login effects via web browser, user can integrate a brut force attack prevention tool of their choice.

1. Book an Apache webserver on the Azure Cloud service

Optional: book or install the Oath authentication service if required

2. Check if the POD SQLite driver is installed

3. Know the publishing URL, ensure you have write access to the folder the project shall be published to.

4. Log in to the VAM2 database application and start the publishing process to the Azure cloud service as described in the VAM2 manual.

5. Distribute the login data to the relevant personal or integrate the Oauth service in the end user´s network.

Yes, we developed a tool to do so, but it has to be done before uploading the 360° to VAM2.

There is a video in the user manual that explains the workflow. You can always create a note by right click in the left-hand side field.
This function requires to enter a URL what is good as you can directly link to any other online source like online documents for group editing.

We are always happy to get user feedback that helps us to improve the software. Please contact us and we can discuss possibilities.

The idle Session timeout is set to 15 minutes. This time cannot be changed by the user.

We did not integrate any regulations, meaning there are no restrictions on length, quality, letters or expiry dates. The administrator is free to choose/generate the passwords based on their policy, but the administrator sees an indicator if the keyword is weak.

We do not have a project management capability, but we can set duplex links (to and from other applications) to any project management software that has http support. We have experience with openproj.org a powerful open source project management software.

The principal of taking measurements in full spherical images is based on photogrammetry. This requires calibrated image input. With the typical 360° cameras with two lenses, there is always an offset between the two lenses, hence the measurements can never be correct.