Research - Mapping Drones For Professional Surveyors - by DroneDeploy - DroneDeploy's Blog - Medium PDF

9/21/2020 Mapping Drones for Professional Surveyors | by DroneDeploy | DroneDeploy's Blog | Medium
CASE STUDY:
Mapping Drones for Professional

Surveyors
DroneDeploy Follow
Aug 5, 2015 · 7 min read
What makes a good mapping or surveying drone?

One thing is absolutely certain: higher price does not always mean
higher value.
By Ian Smith, Sales & Marketing @DroneDeploy
We’re taking a magnifying glass to the professional surveying industry to

see how drones are making a big impact on the bottom line.
https://medium.com/aerial-acuity/case-study-830cfc23db55 1/23
This case study goes a bit deep into surveying jargon and mission-specific
requirements but don’t let that deter you. The extra post-processing done to the
DroneDeploy data in this study would be necessary only if your operation
requires extremely high accuracy (in the case below, an ‘absolute’ accuracy of
3.6 in/9.14 cm was achieved).
. . .
The information below was given to us

during an interview with drone
operator Madison D. from Landpoint, a
surveying company in Louisiana.
Madison is researching the potential
applications and benefits of unmanned
technology in the surveying industry.
Madison uses a Stratos Aerial fixed-
wing UAV with DroneDeploy (and a DJI
Inspire 1 on the side).
Click to open the maps below (in a new tab) to explore them:
OrthomosaicLand Survey Map

85.4 acres from 168 images — full map received on mobile device 25
minutes after landing
www.dronedeploy.com
DSMLand Survey Map

85.4 acres from 168 images — full map received on mobile device 25
minutes after landing
www.dronedeploy.com
The story
Topographic surveys are an essential part of all land development
projects
In this instance, a new real estate

subdivision was under development
in Northern Colorado. Before homes
could be constructed, an extremely
accurate topographic survey was

necessary for a couple of reasons:
1. To ensure the initial land development (physical alteration of the land)

was successful so that it allows for proper water runoff for drainage.
2. To document subdivision topography in relation to the adjacent river’s

floodplain for flood damage prevention and flood insurance purposes.
Subdivision development can be an expensive

operation — especially if progress has fallen
behind schedule
This particular project was weeks behind due to frequent inclement
weather (notice the low-lying areas in the orthomosaic reference map
above that are still holding rain water).
Any measure that saves time will move the project

one step closer to meeting scheduled deadlines and
help reduce the cost of recent downtime.
. . .
Surveying 101
Traditional topographic surveying requires the collection of GPS points (or
“shots”) in a pre-determined grid. In this case, a 50 x 50 foot grid was used:
Yellow 50 x 50' grid overlaid onto the DroneDeploy orthomosaic
The GPS shots were collected every 50 feet at each intersection:
The red points were the ‘shots’, taken at every intersection on the grid
A total of 1,632 GPS shots were collected across the 85.4 acre survey area.
Without a drone, at a rate of ±20 points/hour (1

point every 3 minutes or so) the GPS shot collection
would have taken approximately 82 hours.
1,632 GPS shots over 85.4 acres
82 hours of traditional surveying means that the subdivision developer

would've had to expect at least 1 full week of field work before data
processing and review could begin. After that, it would take another 3–4
days before the final product could be delivered.
Enter DroneDeploy
By conducting the same 85.4 acre topographic survey using UAS

technology with DroneDeploy, Madison and his team were able to
immediately provide the subdivision developer with a much quicker survey
option.
First, there was no need to collect 1,600+ GPS points across the entire
acreage. Instead they only needed traditional survey GPS point-collection
on just 10 ground control targets (or GCPs), strategically placed within the
survey area:
For larger projects, it can be bene cial to place GCP targets in a grid system as well but for this project, strategic
placement yielded the same accuracy in much less time
10 GCP targets vs. 1,632 survey points:
In a perfect scenario, these 10 GCP targets would be the only points

collected and could be completed in no more than 1–2 hours.
However, remember the standing water mentioned

at the beginning of the case study?
Those familiar with photogrammetry will know that points collected on the
surface of the water (homogenous imagery) are not acceptable for use in
surveys like this.
So what happened next?
Having completed GPS collection of the GCP targets, they simply collected
the traditional grid point locations in the areas with standing water — a
combination of the two different methods above.
Final collected points:
10 GCPs and areas of standing water substituted with the traditional method of collecting grid point locations
This brings the final total of GPS points collected to 117 (10 GCP + 107
Natural Ground under water).
GPS timelines:
Ideal/Normal UAV Scenario: 10 GCP target placement + GPS collection =

1–2 hours
Actual Project Scenario: 117 GPS points (10 GCP + 107 additional GPS) at
±20 points/hour = 5.85 hours
Traditional Survey Scenario: 1,632 GPS points (collected every 50’) at ±20
points/hour = 81.6 hours
The flight
Using a Stratos Aerial fixed-wing UAV, the entire 85.4 acre survey area was
completed in a single flight of approximately 22 minutes.
Total drone operations including assembly, pre-flight checks, launching,

landing, disassembly, and initial DroneDeploy map stitching were completed
in the field in 1 hour.
UAV Data Collection (1 hour) + GPS Survey Collection (5.8 hours) =
Total time for field work: 6.8 hours

Comparison:
85.4 Acre UAV/DroneDeploy field work = 6.8 hours
85.4 Acre Traditional Survey field work = 81.6 hours
Total savings of 74.8 hours

(enough time to watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy… 8 times in a row)
Analyzing the data

Typically, the DroneDeploy data would’ve been good-to-go at this point. Since
this is a highly specialized case, Madison needed to accomplish some
additional steps to satisfy the extreme precision required for this job.
Once field work was completed, the drone’s data needed to be processed
more thoroughly than traditional survey data. First the GCP targets had to
be processed, finalized, and fully geo-rectified.
Next, the geo-rectified points (.las file) had to be exported to generate a

foundation for the topographic data. However, the sheer number of points
in the .las file meant the initial topographic contours would first come out
quite rough:
Raw, rough contours before processing (pre-processed)
The contours must be smoothed in order to generate a consistent line

without sacrificing accuracy or the survey data is unusable for this case.
After 2 days of additional processing, the resulting topographic contours

were clean and accurate within 3.6 inches both horizontally (X,Y) and
vertically (Z):
Clean contours after post-processing (post-processed)
Pre-processed vs. Post-processed Contour Data
. . .
Total Project Timelines
1. DroneDeploy
6.8 Hours Field Work + 24 Hours Data Processing =
30.8 Hours to Completion (approx. 4 days)
81.6 Hours Field Work + 24 Hours Data Processing =
105.6 Hours to Completion (approx. 13 days)
*For the sake of comparison, data processing for each survey is considered as
24 hours (3 working days) — this is an efficient timeframe for completion of
this project using either survey method.
Savings
By using DroneDeploy’s technology,
the subdivision developer received
the final topographic survey
approximately 75 hours sooner than
a traditional survey would have
allowed.
That’s 75 hours closer to being back

on schedule and a hefty cost savings
to offset the cost of the inclement weather down-time that was experienced
earlier in the project.
Insights revealed
1. Additional land development is needed to allow for proper run-off
drainage in low lying areas where water is being held.
2. Preliminary subdivision topography is now documented in relation to

the adjacent river’s floodplain. A final “asbuilt” topographic survey
will be needed when land development is complete for Flood Damage
Prevention and Flood Insurance purposes.
3. The subdivision developer now knows the exact amount of effort

remaining and can efficiently forecast and schedule construction
dates for roads, homes, etc. — moving the project closer to being back
on schedule.
4. The subdivision developer also learned of time-efficient, cost-effective

UAV surveying and plans to utilize this method again for the final
“asbuilt” topographic survey in the coming weeks.
By Ian Smith, Sales & Marketing @DroneDeploy
Welcome to the neighborhood
Start your no risk, no credit card, 30-day

DroneDeploy trial at
http://www.DroneDeploy.com/signup
Not sure which drone is right for you?

Click here to see our latest drone and device compatibility
Drones Mapping GIS Surveying
Discover Medium Make Medium yours Become a member

Welcome to a place where words matter. Follow all the topics you care about, and Get unlimited access to the best stories on
On Medium, smart voices and original ideas we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your Medium — and support writers while you’re
take center stage - with no ads in sight. homepage and inbox. Explore at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade
Watch
About Help Legal

Research - Mapping Drones For Professional Surveyors - by DroneDeploy - DroneDeploy's Blog - Medium PDF

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originalbeschreibung:

Originaltitel

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Research - Mapping Drones For Professional Surveyors - by DroneDeploy - DroneDeploy's Blog - Medium PDF

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

9/21/2020 Mapping Drones for Professional Surveyors | by DroneDeploy | DroneDeploy's Blog | Medium

Mapping Drones for Professional

What makes a good mapping or surveying drone?

We’re taking a magnifying glass to the professional surveying industry to

The information below was given to us

OrthomosaicLand Survey Map

DSMLand Survey Map

In this instance, a new real estate

accurate topographic survey was

1. To ensure the initial land development (physical alteration of the land)

2. To document subdivision topography in relation to the adjacent river’s

Subdivision development can be an expensive

Any measure that saves time will move the project

Yellow 50 x 50' grid overlaid onto the DroneDeploy orthomosaic

The GPS shots were collected every 50 feet at each intersection:

Without a drone, at a rate of ±20 points/hour (1

1,632 GPS shots over 85.4 acres

82 hours of traditional surveying means that the subdivision developer

By conducting the same 85.4 acre topographic survey using UAS

10 GCP targets vs. 1,632 survey points:

In a perfect scenario, these 10 GCP targets would be the only points

However, remember the standing water mentioned

So what happened next?

Final collected points:

Ideal/Normal UAV Scenario: 10 GCP target placement + GPS collection =

Total drone operations including assembly, pre-flight checks, launching,

UAV Data Collection (1 hour) + GPS Survey Collection (5.8 hours) =

Total time for field work: 6.8 hours

85.4 Acre UAV/DroneDeploy field work = 6.8 hours

85.4 Acre Traditional Survey field work = 81.6 hours

Total savings of 74.8 hours

Analyzing the data

Next, the geo-rectified points (.las file) had to be exported to generate a

Raw, rough contours before processing (pre-processed)

The contours must be smoothed in order to generate a consistent line

After 2 days of additional processing, the resulting topographic contours

Clean contours after post-processing (post-processed)

Pre-processed vs. Post-processed Contour Data

Total Project Timelines

30.8 Hours to Completion (approx. 4 days)

81.6 Hours Field Work + 24 Hours Data Processing =

105.6 Hours to Completion (approx. 13 days)

That’s 75 hours closer to being back

2. Preliminary subdivision topography is now documented in relation to

3. The subdivision developer now knows the exact amount of effort

4. The subdivision developer also learned of time-efficient, cost-effective

By Ian Smith, Sales & Marketing @DroneDeploy

Welcome to the neighborhood

Start your no risk, no credit card, 30-day

Not sure which drone is right for you?

Drones Mapping GIS Surveying

Discover Medium Make Medium yours Become a member

About Help Legal

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen