Drone Surveying and
Aerial Mapping
What is Drone Surveying?
Drone surveying and mapping combine the capture of high-resolution images and accurate GPS data from the ground through ground control points and checkpoints, processing the data to 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 results through our RTK-enabled UAV drone surveying equipment, surveyed ground points, and processed workflow.
Our data outputs are imported into CAD and Geospatial applications allowing analysis on the topography. Creating a TIN surface within third-party applications, we generate contours at specified intervals, usually 0.5m or 1m.
Applications of Drone Surveying include:
- Cut and Fill volume calculations
- Slope analysis and gradient
- Contour generation of the topography
- Point grids
- Topographical 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 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.
What projection will my data be?
Unless otherwise advised, we produce all our survey deliverables in IRENET95 projection with Malin head vertical datum.
How accurate is a drone survey?
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 work with engineers and surveyors, and have in-house surveyors who verify the work we complete.
We achieve approximately 5 cm accuracy in X, Y, and Z coordinates.
Why choose Drone Services Ireland?
Drone Services Ireland is the country’s most experienced and trusted drone survey company. We have a proven record of conducting some of the most challenging surveys completed in Ireland, from extreme elevation differences of over 800m to drone surveys that manned aviation could not complete. Succeeding in these missions requires precise planning. We have the expertise, know-how, and state-of-the-art equipment to conduct surveys that others cannot.
We have carried out and completed photogrammetric and LiDAR surveys for nearly a decade. Our operations have multiple IAA and EASA accreditations, and we are certified drone operators in the Open and Specific Categories.
We have performed thousands of operations and are very much involved in industry associations and bodies promoting drone commercial use in Ireland. Previously, a committee member and Co-Chair of the UAAI, former Chair of the IPDPA, and now the Secretary of Ireland’s newest professional-only drone organisation, Drone Professionals Ireland. We have been involved in all aspects of the drone industry for a decade.
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
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.
Case Study: CAD Linework Extraction of 110kV and 220kV powerlines surveyed with combined LiDAR and Photogrammetry datasets
The Challenge: As part of a planning application for a solar farm, we were required to capture almost 15km of 220kV and 110kV powerlines. For much of the survey area, there was no access to the land. As can be seen in the video, dense vegetation covered much of the area, which would have hindered access and caused safety concerns.
The Solution: Without physical access to the land, traditional surveying was impossible. However, through drone technology, we combined a LiDAR and Photogrammetry survey, merging and classifying the point clouds, allowing for the extraction of the poles, lines and connectors, which enabled the engineers to see the clearance below the powerlines. By classifying the point cloud, we can eliminate those classes from the view, allowing you to hide High, Medium and Low vegetation to aid in the CAD linework extraction.
We needed LiDAR because the cable diameter is often too small to reconstruct through photogrammetry alone. The software usually has trouble reconstructing the 220kV transmission tower and the powerlines. LiDAR, however, does not have this problem, which is one of its many benefits over photogrammetry in this scenario.
The Benefit: Without needing access to the site, we were able to combine the point clouds of the LiDAR and Photogrammetry surveys to capture the position, height, drop, and span of the Overhead Power Lines. This could not have been achieved through traditional methods, as access was not possible. We achieved cm-level results without putting anyone in danger and completed the survey in a fraction of the time.
This same survey technique is very beneficial for vegetation encroachment and can be used for maintenance of not just powerlines but fibre and telecoms networks too.
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 many aerial photogrammetric surveys and have spent hundreds of hours in the field, at the computer, and working with experts to deliver survey-grade results with 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 and only take on jobs we know we can complete.
We use the latest aerial survey equipment to provide the highest-quality data deliverables. Keep an eye on our blog for updates to our services and equipment.
Another reason we may seem more expensive is because we process the data ourselves. Many drone operators throw the data at a cloud processing service and send the client the outputs. We manually process and verify the data through our established workflows to ensure we deliver quality, accurate data.
We do not use cloud-based data processing; your data is securely stored and processed locally.
We are always fair in pricing and are happy to discuss if you receive cheaper quotes. We offer discounts on ongoing work or for repeat customers. We are professional drone operators and operate in the EASA Specific Category, which allows us to complete more complex projects that others may not be able to do 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.