A topographical survey, in the context of drone surveys of construction sites using photogrammetry, involves capturing detailed information about the natural and man-made features of the terrain. The goal is to create an accurate and three-dimensional representation of the land’s surface, including elevation changes, contours, and the location of various features.
This survey provides essential data for engineering, design and construction projects.
- Faster data collection
- Highly cost-effective
- Access hard-to-reach or hazardous areas safely
Before the drone is deployed, a surveyor defines the area to be surveyed and plans the flight path for the drone. The flight path is designed to capture images with sufficient overlap to facilitate accurate 3D reconstruction.
The drone, equipped with a high-resolution camera, follows the predefined flight path and captures a series of overlapping images of the construction site from different angles.
The images are taken at regular intervals to ensure comprehensive coverage of the entire area.
Photogrammetry software processes the captured images to create a dense point cloud representing the surveyed terrain. The software identifies common points in the overlapping images to reconstruct the 3D structure.
The point cloud is used to generate a digital surface model (DSM) that accurately represents the topography of the construction site.
The DSM includes elevation information, allowing for the creation of contour lines and the visualisation of the land’s surface features.
Contour lines are created based on elevation data, providing a clear representation of changes in terrain height.
Contour maps are valuable for understanding the slope of the land, identifying potential drainage issues, and informing design decisions.
The topographical survey also allows for the extraction of specific features such as buildings, roads, water bodies and vegetation.
These features are accurately represented in the 3D model.
The survey results can be analysed using specialist software, and reports can be generated to provide stakeholders with detailed information about the site’s topography.
This information is crucial for engineers, architects, and construction professionals during the planning and design phases of a project, indeed throughout the entire build.
I have worked with DRONE SURVEYING for some years now, from checking a boundary of new land to auditing earthworks. The use of drones on our sites is now standard; we monitor progress and calculate cut and fill via the online software as our sites progress.
The use of regular mass data collection and the latest drone technology and practises will without doubt save us time and money on our sites.
We use DRONE SURVEYING on all of our sites to support our cut and fill strategy, with regular surveys and their cutting-edge software, we are able to manage our sites much more effectively.
Having now worked with DRONE SURVEYING engineering solutions for a number of years, their services have proven to be invaluable conducting our volumetric surveys, progress videos and cut and fill support. The drone data platform has allowed us to get the best from the data with full support and training provided from the DS team
The drone data helps us to make quicker and smarter key decisions to ensure we have budget and time control on our projects. Having monthly surveys on our sites ensures we keep full control of all earth movements.
Using aerial imagery from drone surveys helps us anticipate errors or mistakes in the next stage of development instead of waiting for work to start on the ground. This proactive approach has saved us hundreds of thousands of pounds; a reactive approach can be costly