How are surveyors using Drones?

Surveys are now one of many industries that are making use of drone technology, and it is fast becoming an effective method.

A drone captures aerial footage by the use of downward facing sensors, such as RGB or what is termed, multi-spectral cameras and LiDAR payloads.

By taking pictures from different angles the data is then tagged with co-ordinates and this is then used to create 2D or 3D maps.

So what exactly are the benefits?

Ok so, the obvious benefit is that a drone is up to five times faster than land-based methods, according to reports and it also requires less manpower – heightening its cost effectiveness.

Another benefit is that a drone can fly almost anywhere, so you are, as a land surveyor, not limited to reachable areas. Unlike traditional methods, you now do not need to close motorways or train lines.

So what aspect of surveying are drones used for?

Land surveys

Following 3D images generated by drone, this data, using photogrammetry software, can produce elevation models, contour lines and break lines, along with 3D reconstructions of land sites and buildings. As data collection is repeatable at low cost, images can be taken on a regular basis and overlaid over blueprints to gain whether construction is moving according to plan.

Urban planning

Traditionally, developing within urban areas is time consuming and data collection is usually quite expensive. But with drones, planners can collect large amounts of data in a short period of time, which then requires less staff. The images produced by drones now make it easy for planners to examine existing ‘social and environment conditions of sites and consider the impact of different scenarios’, according to Wingtra.com.

So what are the best drones for surveys?

There are a wide variety of drones used for this purpose, but one that had been mentioned is the Wingtra One. This model takes off and land smoothly in confined areas, on gravel and between trees in heavily populated tree areas. With its 42 MP Sony camera, this model can not only fly at high altitudes but take low GSD images. This means that large areas can be surveyed faster with high accuracy. According to Wingtra, using the PPK option, this model can fly as low as 1cm providing absolute accuracy.

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