Complete topographical survey with full CAD extraction for a renewable energy developer. Two days on site, eight days processing. Over 80% faster than traditional ground survey methods.
A renewable energy developer had secured planning permission in principle for a utility-scale solar farm on a 300-acre greenfield site in the Irish Midlands. Their civil engineering team required a full topographical survey – contour map, DTM, and orthomosaic – to begin detailed design of the panel layout, access roads, drainage channels, and cable routes.
The planning timeline was tight. The developer had committed to submitting detailed design drawings to the grid connection authority within three weeks. A traditional ground survey of a site this size would typically take two to three weeks of fieldwork alone, before processing even began. That left no margin for design iteration.
They contacted DSI having seen our work on a smaller solar feasibility survey the previous year. The question was straightforward: could we turn around a survey-grade dataset for 300 acres in time to meet the deadline?
We planned the flight grid and GCP distribution before mobilising. For a site this size, we placed 18 ground control points using the Emlid RS3 GNSS receiver with NRTK correction, surveyed to the Irish national coordinate system (ITM). GCP spacing was calculated to maintain vertical accuracy across the full site extent, including field boundaries and any slope changes.
The DJI Matrice 300 RTK with the P1 45MP camera flew the site over two days in optimal lighting conditions. At 100m altitude with 75% front and 70% side overlap, we captured approximately 4,200 images. The 300 acres was divided into four flight blocks to manage battery changes and ensure consistent image quality across the full extent.
Images were processed in Agisoft Metashape using the 18 GCPs to achieve survey-grade accuracy. The dense point cloud was classified to separate ground returns from vegetation, fences, and structures, producing a clean DTM suitable for civil engineering design. Processing took five working days due to the volume of imagery and the accuracy requirements for contour generation.
Contours at 0.5m and 1m intervals were extracted and cleaned in AutoCAD Civil 3D. Site boundaries, field boundaries, watercourses, access points, and key features were vectorised and attributed. Final deliverables were packaged as DWG, GeoTIFF (orthomosaic), ASC (DTM), and LAS (classified point cloud) files, delivered via secure download link within the agreed 10-day window.
A traditional ground survey team would have spent 2–3 weeks on the same site. Our two-day mobilisation freed the developer’s budget for design rather than fieldwork.
All GCP check-point residuals were within ±5cm. The DTM passed the client’s engineering team accuracy audit on first submission – no re-fly required.
The civil engineering team received verified, OS-compatible data on day 10. Detailed panel layout design began the following morning. The planning deadline was met with four days to spare.
Deliverables went straight into the design team’s Civil 3D workflow with no rework. Boundary, contour, and feature layers were correctly attributed and projection-matched to the project coordinate system.
“We needed the survey done in a week and a half. DSI delivered on day 10. The data went straight into our Civil 3D model with no issues. It genuinely saved the project schedule.”
Civil Engineer, Renewable Energy Developer – Irish Midlands
Survey-grade orthomosaics, DTMs, and contour maps for civil engineering and planning.
Thermal inspection of PV panels to identify hot spots, underperforming strings, and diode failures.
Engineering-grade topo surveys in ITM, compatible with Civil 3D, AutoCAD, and ArcGIS.
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