How Drones are being used for Aerial Land Surveys and Mapping

Like any other field, land surveying has gone through a process of evolution over time. Initially, engineers used measuring stations and laser-guided instruments to measure a land they wanted to develop. With the advent of GPS, scientists and engineers could measure a vast patch of land through geo-spatial satellites.

The latest trend in this field is the use of land surveying and 3D mapping drones. Using these drones, engineers can precisely measure and develop rural as well as urban areas much quicker than before.

Major Applications of Surveying and Mapping with UAV’s:

Aerial Land surveys

One of the best uses of drones is to capture a big piece of land with great attention to detail. Since drones are usually flown below 400 ft, the images captured through objects can tell you exactly where the road ends and where the housing starts. The data captured in the form of digital pixels can then be used by engineers to develop a blueprint for building houses or other structures as well as perform aerial inspections.

Mining Site Aerial Inspection

When a drone is flown over coal or any other mineral mine, it captures accurate data of pathways which makes it easy for the geologists to identify how to dig the minerals out of the earth. This reduces time and risks faced by quarry workers.

Commercial and Residential Construction

A few years back, mapping a construction site was a colossal task. A team of land surveyors, architects, and construction engineers had to visit a site in order to determine how much raw material will be required to build a structure. Thanks to remotely controlled drones, this is not that big of a task anymore. Accurate and detail-oriented pictures received from drones can be used in mapping software to save time and money for building contractors.

As more and more drones are used for mapping a development site, scientists and engineers are developing sophisticated software technology that can make the best use of images captured through drones.

The latest software use drone images as ‘raw material’ on their dashboard. This dashboard provides essential drag and drop tools to architects who can then create a virtual image of how an area will look like post-construction.

3D mapping with drone photography

The best part about mapping a piece of land through drones is that it allows you to create a three-dimensional image of a development site. High definition images captured through drones from a much lower height than geospatial websites allow you to determine how high and wide each object is on a patch of land.

Based on varying topographic surveys carried out using cutting edge drone based technology, scientists are able to create 3D images of land on their computer screen. This image can then be used to capture minute details including floor plans and window sizes of a building being constructed.

While drones are a great way to map an area of land, users of this remote flying technology should make sure that they are following local, state and government regulations. This helps ensure the safety and security of these flying objects and everything around them!