Drone Surveying and
Aerial Mapping
What is Drone Surveying?
Drone surveying and mapping combine the capture of high-resolution, georeferenced drone images with accurate GPS data from the ground, obtained through ground control points and checkpoints, to process the data and create geospatial data outputs.
These outputs are usually a point cloud, a digital elevation model (DEM), a digital terrain model (DTM) and an orthomosaic. We provide survey-grade topographic surveys through our RTK-enabled UAV drone surveying equipment, surveyed ground points, and processed workflow.
Our data outputs are imported into CAD and Geospatial applications, enabling the analysis of topography. By creating a TIN surface within third-party applications, we generate contours at specified intervals, typically 0.5 meters or 1 meter.
Applications of Drone Surveying include:
- Cut and Fill volume calculations
- Slope analysis and gradient
- Contour generation of the topography
- Point grids
- Topographic Surface Generation
- Terrain comparison
- Detailed terrain change analysis
What is the difference is drone surveying and mapping?
There is not much difference in the data capture process; however, essentially, drone surveying produces survey-grade deliverables, whereas aerial mapping produces a high-resolution map, but may not have the same level of accuracy as a drone survey.
Aerial Mapping is more useful for visuals and progress overviews, whereas drone surveying allows for precise measurements from the data.
How much does a Drone Photogrammetry Survey cost?
The simple answer is that pricing varies based on several factors.
The location, size of the project, time of year, weather, airspace, and surrounding areas, such as roads and building structures, can all affect pricing.
We consider all these and provide a custom price per job based on these variables.
Drone Services Ireland is recognised as one of Ireland’s leading drone survey companies, providing the highest quality digital aerial surveys.
How accurate is a drone survey?
We have conducted countless land surveys using drones, spending thousands of hours in the field and at our computer stations, and collaborating with experts to deliver survey-grade results through our workflows.
We work with civil engineers and surveyors, and have in-house surveyors who verify the work we complete. We capture and process the highest quality geospatial data in Ireland.
We achieve approximately 5 cm accuracy in X, Y, and Z coordinates using Photogrammetry.
Why choose Drone Services Ireland?
Drone Services Ireland: Unmatched Expertise in Aerial Surveying
With a decade of specialised experience, Drone Services Ireland stands as the nation’s most accomplished and trusted UAV surveying company. Our track record speaks for itself: we’ve successfully executed some of Ireland’s most technically demanding aerial surveys, including operations across extreme elevation differences exceeding 800 metres and complex missions that conventional manned aviation could not accomplish.
Industry-Leading Capabilities
What sets us apart is our combination of meticulous planning, cutting-edge technology, and deep operational expertise. We don’t just conduct surveys—we solve the “impossible” challenges that other providers cannot handle. Our state-of-the-art equipment, paired with nearly ten years of refined methodology in both photogrammetric and LiDAR surveying, enables us to deliver results where others reach their limitations.
Comprehensive Certifications & Accreditations
Our operations maintain multiple IAA and EASA accreditations, with certified drone pilots qualified across both Open and Specific Categories. This regulatory expertise ensures not only compliance but optimal performance in even the most restricted or challenging airspace environments.
Proven Track Record
With thousands of successful operations completed, our experience spans the full spectrum of commercial drone applications. This extensive operational history has refined our processes and positioned us as the go-to solution for projects requiring both precision and reliability. Trusted by Engineers, Surveyors and Planners.
Industry Leadership & Professional Standing
Our commitment to advancing the drone industry extends far beyond individual projects. We maintain active leadership roles in Ireland’s professional drone community, currently serving as the Association Secretary of Drone Professionals Ireland, the country’s newest professional-only drone organisation.
When precision, experience, and results matter most, Ireland’s most challenging aerial survey projects trust Drone Services Ireland.
What are the benefits of drone surveying services?
The significant advantage of drone surveying over traditional surveying is the speed at which data can be delivered. Drone Surveys can cover much larger areas more quickly than conventional surveying methods.
Drone Surveying is also safer; people do not have to walk in dangerous places. Where ground control is required, this can be planned and placed safely without the risk of twisted ankles or breaks.
Construction and Development
- Planning and site monitoring
- Earthwork volume calculations
- Audit trail of milestones
- Verification of building footprint
- Cut and fill optimisation
- Site logistics planning
Mining and Quarrying
- Stockpile volume measurements
- Pit progression monitoring
- Extraction planning
- Environmental compliance inspections
- Blast planning and analysis
- Slope stability assessment
Infrastructure and Utilities
- Mapping the corridors of land that road and rail take
- Pipeline route planning
- Power line corridor surveys
- Inspection of bridges and structures
- Drainage analysis
- Asset management mapping
- Solar Farm Planning and Analysis
Agriculture and Forestry
- Crop health monitoring
- Irrigation planning
- Forest inventory surveys
- Land use mapping
- Soil erosion monitoring
- Planning for precision agriculture
City Planning and Architecture
- Urban growth monitoring
- Assessments of development impact
- Green space mapping
- Traffic flow analysis
- Flood risk assessment
- Heritage site documentation
Environmental Management
- Coastal erosion monitoring
- Watershed mapping
- Habitat assessment
- Environmental impact studies
- Conservation planning
- Pollution monitoring
In summary, the benefits of drone technology are clear.
- Speed
- Accuracy
- Cost Savings
- Data Visualisation
Across many sectors, drone data significantly benefits many projects.
The visual aspect of drone data makes it more easily relatable.
Viewing a complete three-dimensional picture is compared to dots and lines on a page that can only be interpreted by trained engineers.
Drone Surveying Workflow - How is a drone survey conducted?
The first step in any drone survey is gathering the requirements and understanding the project with the client. We often set up online meetings to discuss and understand the project and outputs that the client requires.
The outputs from a drone survey versus an aerial mapping mission can vary and require different levels of post-processing; these requirements often dictate the software platform chosen to process the survey data.
Comprehensive Mission Planning
Completing a successful aerial drone surveying mission requires as much planning before arriving at the site as it takes to complete it on-site. We take the requirements from the client as a boundary KML or a screenshot of the area from Google Earth.
Selecting the right drone from Our Industry-Leading fleet
We import the boundary into our flight planning software, UGCS or Pilot 2, and select the appropriate surveying and mapping drone for the mission while planning. We set up the job parameters, which vary based on requirements and include front and side overlap, ground sampling distance calculations, flight height limitations, etc., to accurately depict the flight and avoid costly mistakes.
Thorough Pre-Flight Checks
We conduct a risk assessment following our Specific Category Authorisation and check the weather conditions to ascertain when we can complete the mission. When on-site, we lay out ground control points in pre-determined locations and survey them. We launch the drone when all our pre-flight checks are completed, and it captures data based on our flight plan.
GDPR Compliant Processed Data
Once the data has been collected, we’ll process it. Our processing is fully GDPR compliant, so you can be assured that your data is safe and secure.
Drone Surveying and Mapping FAQs
Learn more about our Drone Surveying and Mapping Services.
How much does drone surveying cost in Ireland?
The simple answer is that pricing varies based on several factors.
The location, size of the project, time of year, weather, airspace, and surrounding areas, such as roads and building structures, can all affect pricing. We consider all these and provide a custom price per job based on these variables.
Drone Services Ireland is recognised as one of Ireland’s leading drone survey companies, providing the highest quality digital aerial surveys. We provide data-only collection services for many companies that process their own data, or we can do that for you as part of the deliverables.
We have spent thousands of hours perfecting our workflows and heavily invested in the latest hardware and software to give you the best drone surveying solutions in the country.
Adding high-precision GPS or an RTK/PPK solution increases overall accuracy. Survey ground control points (GCPs) can be input to orthorectify the image and verify its accuracy when used as checkpoints.
We use a combination of RTK and PPK workflows, depending on conditions such as mobile data coverage on the project and use the most suitable workflow. We cater to all sites, from a few acres to hundreds of hectares. We price accordingly; the more significant the drone survey, the more time and processing will be involved.
This highly detailed output is accurate regarding global position and elevation, and it can be output in local coordinate systems such as the Irish Transverse Mercator (IRENET95) and Malin Head vertical datum.
What is the accuracy of drone surveys?
We have conducted numerous aerial photogrammetric surveys, spending hundreds of hours in the field, at the computer, and collaborating with experts to deliver survey-grade results through our workflows. We have worked with surveyors and have in-house surveyors who verify the work we complete. We achieve <5cm accuracy in X, Y, and Z coordinates.
What are the benefits of drone surveying?
The significant advantage of drone surveying over traditional surveying is the speed at which data can be delivered. Drone surveys can cover much larger areas more quickly than conventional surveying methods.
Drone surveying is also safer; people do not have to walk in dangerous places. Where ground control is required, this can be planned and placed safely without the risk of twisted ankles or breaks.
The level of detail derived from drone surveys is exceptional. A recent quarry survey delivered 1.3 billion data points, each allowing us to gather vital data, allowing for accurate stockpile calculations, cut and fill measurements, slope analysis and general measurements on-site.
Why are our drone surveys more expensive than those of other operators?
Recent regulation changes have significantly impacted some operators, and regulators are clamping down more on illegal drone operations that put people at risk. Many factors and planning are involved in drone surveys, and we continuously operate safely, only taking on jobs we know we can complete.
We utilise the latest aerial survey equipment to deliver high-quality data. Stay tuned to our blog for updates on our services and equipment.
Another reason we may seem more expensive is that we process the data ourselves. Many drone operators send the data to a cloud processing service and then send the outputs to the client. We manually process and verify the data through our established workflows to ensure the delivery of high-quality, accurate data.
We do not use cloud-based data processing; your data is securely stored and processed locally.
We are always fair in our pricing and are happy to discuss if you receive a cheaper quote. We offer discounts on ongoing work or for repeat customers. We are professional drone operators operating in the EASA Specific Category, which enables us to undertake more complex projects that others may not be able to complete legally.
What are the limitations of drone surveying?
In Ireland, drone surveying has two main limitations: airspace restrictions and weather. In nearly all cases, we can apply for permission to fly in restricted areas; mother nature is something we cannot control.
Wind and rain are the two main issues, but a low-cloud base can also be challenging. While our cutting-edge equipment can fly in 15m/s winds, the data quality may be affected, and we won’t take the chance on that. Also, while nadir data capture is standard for drone surveying, if raindrops get on the lens, again, the data quality is compromised.
We plan our jobs when we can safely capture the best quality data.
Can you provide a UAV drone survey?
Yes, we can provide a UAV drone survey. Our drone services are available for projects of all sizes, including topographical mapping, 3D modelling, elevation/contour data, and orthomosaic imagery. We use the latest aerial survey equipment to ensure our data is of the highest quality and accuracy.
What projection will my data be?
Unless otherwise advised, we produce all our survey deliverables in IRENET95 projection with Malin head vertical datum. EPSG 2157