Drone Services

Aerial Imagery

Aerial imagery has gotten very good over the years and the availability of high-resolution photos through services like Google and Bing is incredible - but they can’t match the quality and resolution of aerial images obtained by a drone. Our drone can capture imagery at a resolution of approximately one inch per pixel (or better). Contrast that with Google or other services where resolution is typically six inches to one foot per pixel. Our system can also capture imagery at different times of year to capture different conditions or capture imagery in succession over the lifespan of a project to provide documentation of change or progress. Stock imagery services can’t do that.

You can use this imagery, which is georeferenced and measurable for area in GIS, for:

• Construction progress tracking

• Landuse measurement (important for determinations of precise amount of impervious coverage for stormwater permitting)

• Rooftop inspection

• Structure construction progress

• Determination of limits of disturbance during construction

• Documentation of other land form or landuse changes.

Our drone can capture up to five acres in ~15-20 minutes, with additional time for post-processing. The value of this imagery really can’t be understated.

Topography Collection

Having up-to-date, accurate topographic information is critical for projects in all stages of planning and design, from site development to permitting concerns. Imagine being able to quickly capture one foot contours that are reflective of current site conditions without having to rely on terrestrial survey to capture countless ground shots. And while there are many stock topography products out there, like Lidar-derived one foot contours or other surfaces, these are often out of date by as much as a decade - essentially useless for current projects in some cases. Our drone system can capture high-resolution topography information for certain sites (those without dense vegetation or tree canopy coverage or dense, tall buildings) and generate products such as

• Contours

• Digital Surface Models

• Digital Terrain Models

• Slope / Aspect Surfaces

With the addition of ground control points using high-accuracy GPS measurements (available for an additional fee), the resolution of the contours can be increased to near-centimeter accuracy in certain cases.

Construction and Material Inspections

Our drone’s photogrammetric system can easily and quickly capture imagery that can then be converted into georeferenced, measurable inputs for GIS. Not only can the surface area of features be measured (things like the area of disturbance for a cut area, area available for stockpiling or material storage, or area paved or remaining to be paved), but can also be used to generate material volumes. This last will help you to maintain accurate material measurements to compare with reported volumes based on truck loads in / out. This can greatly assist construction projects with ensuring that adequate material is on hand to accomplish project tasks or determine how much material needs to be trucked off site for disposal.

For mining or quarrying operations, volume measurement can provide regular measurements of material on hand to ensure that the plant can meet demand and plan for future work, including prioritization of material to mine and stockpile based on current stores. Value determinations can also be made using these measurements, helping the accounting department increase their accuracy and assist with planning efforts.