UAV Surveys

UAV SURVEYS

The main reasons why you should consider adopting a UAV (Drone) survey on your project.
Significant Cost Savings
We can collect large amounts of data in a short period of time. UAV Surveys can eliminate the need for temporary supports such as scaffolding to access and inspect hard to reach places preventing unnecessary costs and preventing any potential risks such as falls from height.

Reduce Risk
Improve Safety by eliminating human exposure to potential risk. Being able to visually inspect locations such as a roof from the ground prevents the need for working platforms/scaffolding as well putting people in unnecessary danger not to mention the additional programming and additional staff required to carry out such a task. There are also no requirements for a surveyor to walk through the whole of your project collecting level data preventing the potential of slips trips and falls or even collision with site traffic. 
3D data 
Capturing mass 3D point data assists Clients, Main Contractors, Planners and Contractors understand the Topography (Levels) of project, we have customers (groundwork contractors) who carry out a UAV Level survey to substantiate levels and ensure that the site is as per the tender documents before commencing on site. The 3D model also complements our Cut and Fill works when overlaying the project aerial imagery and illustrating the 3D level data onto a drawing.

Photographic records of your project 
Having photographic evidence of your project has many benefits. Using the Aerial Photos captured from a UAV survey can be a useful tool with logistics, programming and resolving disputes on a project. 
Applications of a UAV Survey
  • Quarries and Landfill surveys
  • Earthworks and Volume surveys
  • Progress Monitoring
  • 3D Mapping and Terrain Modelling
  • Planning - Feasibility and Enforcement
  • Civil and Marine Engineering
  • Coastal Erosion and Accretion
  • Railway
  • Highways
  • As Built Surveys
If you are not sure if UAV survey is applicable to your project, don't hesitate to contact us.
UAV Survey in Action:
Services Include:
Inspection
With a selection of different sized drones and cameras our team can inspect many different environments. During inspection, projects and assets can remain live. This process helps with reducing unnecessary costs, reducing risk and saving time. Asset inspection offers rapid deployment compared to traditional methods. In addition, UAV inspection can be executed more regularly as and when required.

Photography and Video
Aerial Photography and Photogrammetry can be used to compile high accuracy discrete feature capture and imagery data sets. Our photogrammetric operators are experienced in the production of:
  • Photogrammetric Mapping from the full range of available sensors at engineering standard
  • Full suite of derived products from imagery including DSM, DEM, Contours and terrain analysis
  • Large ortho mosaics from 10,000 sq km or more
  • High resolution imagery 
  • Terrestrial photogrammetry
  • 3D modelling and fly-throughs
  • Snapshot imagery archives for compliance.
Survey 
Drones have allowed high-quality 3D mapping data to become much more accessible. This enables better management, faster and more informed decision making, and provides an accurate high-resolution archival record of every part of your site. Large areas can be surveyed many times faster than traditional methods if the environment is right for a UAV survey to take place. The information collected from our UAV survey can be used to assist Cut and Fill and volumetric calculations – for any questions please take a look at our FAQ or get in touch.

Aerial Photography and Photogrammetric Mapping:
This is used in a wide variety of applications including:
  • Engineering design for transport and infrastructure
  • Asset management
  • Hazard assessments
  • Compliance assessment
  • Public consultation
  • Vegetation condition assessments
  • Volumetric calculation of stockpiles, landfills and earthworks.
FAQs
  • What’s the benefits of using a UAV why not just use traditional methods?

    UAV surveys are a fast way of collecting data and offer complete coverage over a site. They provide extremely high quality imagery of the site along with a 3D model. This data can be used to monitor site progress, fill in gaps in ground surveys and can even be used for insurance purpose for identifying risks.

  • Can this type of survey be used on my project?

    As long as it is safe to operate a drone in your area i.e. not near an airport or restricted area. All surveys are preceded by thorough risk assessments which will determine the eligibility for safe flying over your area.

  • Why do I need a Land Surveyor to carry out a Topographical Survey if UAV surveys can collect the data?

    UAV surveys are a great tool for capturing overview imagery and 3d data but they are not a replacement for ground surveys. In many cases ground surveys will still be required for extremely high accuracy results.

  • What are the tolerances?

    On hard surfaces UAV tolerances typically range from 30-40mm XY and 35-50mm Z.

  • I need to survey through thick vegetation to understand the topography of the ground - will the UAV survey be able to this?

    Most UAV’s carry cameras and generate models through a process called photogrammetry. This process can only model what the camera sees. If the camera cannot see the ground because there is vegetation in the way then the ground will not be surveyed.


    In this instance a UAV LiDAR survey may be required. LiDAR uses pulses of light which can penetrate through vegetation and give terrain readings beneath vegetation.

  • How much does a UAV survey cost?

    Costs will be dependant on the size of the project and what your requirements are. Contact us for more information.

  • How long does it take for the results to be processed and to be issued with the results?

    Processing times do depend on what outputs are required and the amount of imagery captured on the day. Typically data will be returned fully processed within a few days of a survey.

  • Can you produce drawings in 2D for my site progress meetings?

    Yes, aerial imagery can be digitised to show 2D plans.

  • Does our project need to be closed to carry out the survey?

    No – UAV surveys can be carried out on live sites but it is recommended that flights take place at time when the site is of reduced use, i.e. early morning, tea break or weekends.

  • What are the output formats as I need the information to be plugged into AutoCAD?

    3D data can be exported as DXF points, DXF lines and 3d DXF mesh. Imagery is outputted as a tiff.

  • Does the aerial imagery data collected from a survey correlate with National Grid Coordinates?

    Data from a UAV will be processed according to the co-ordinate system used for logging ground control. Typically in the UK surveys are correlated to OSGB36.

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