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AERIAL MAPPING & SURVEYING

Drone LiDAR Survey

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Aerial LiDAR Scanning

Drone LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a cutting-edge technology used for surveying that combines the mobility of drones with the precision of LiDAR sensors. This pairing enables highly detailed and efficient data collection for various applications, such as topographic mapping, infrastructure inspection, forestry, and construction.

           

LiDAR Technology: LiDAR uses laser pulses to measure distances by calculating the time it takes for the laser to bounce back after hitting a surface. Each time a laser hits an object it creates a point in space. Hundreds of thousands of points are measured every second creating a data set of points which create an accurate 3D rendition of the environment. This data set of points are what is known as a point cloud.

Drone Integration: Mounted on drones, LiDAR sensors can collect data from hard-to-reach or expansive areas efficiently.

The Benefits of Drone LiDAR: The ability for the laser pulses to fit between the foliage of dense vegetation and reach the ground enables an accurate understanding of the topography. It is also very useful in creating 3D point clouds of complex structures such as telco towers, bridges and power lines.

LiDAR Accuracy: Our sensors are able to achieve an accuracy between 40-80mm on the vertical axis (depending on the environment and flight settings) in order to create detailed elevation models

Colourised Point Clouds: Point clouds are generally just that. A data set of points with each one assigned an X, Y and Z value to mark its location in space. The problem is that while it creates a detailed 3D environment it doesn’t show true to life colours.

An RGB camera can be used to simultaneously capture high resolution images during the LiDAR scans which is merged with the data to enable the point clouds to be colourised. This provides a much more life like deliverable for increased clarity allowing easy identification of objects.

A colourised LiDAR point cloud. This is created by combining the life like imagery of photos with the precision of laser scanning

Use Cases of Drone LiDAR

Drone LiDAR’s ability to penetrate vegetation and capture ground points in complex areas makes it uniquely suited for a variety of applications. This capability is due to its use of laser pulses that can travel through gaps in vegetation and reach the ground, capturing multiple returns for analysis.

LiDAR Point Cloud With Vegetation
Classified Point Cloud with Vegetation Removed Showing only Ground Points

Depending on a range of factors, potentially less than 10% of laser points that make up the point cloud will reach the ground. Although, it is far more effective for accurate elevations for vegetated areas than photogrammetry and far more efficient than traditional surveying methods.

It is also very useful for complex infrastructure as it can accurately capture very thin objects such as poles and powerlines.

 Here are the key use cases:

Topographic Mapping in Vegetated Areas
  • Terrain Mapping: Generate accurate Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) under forest canopies, which is difficult with traditional photogrammetry.
  • Contour Mapping: Create contour lines for areas obscured by dense vegetation.
Forestry Management
  • Forest Floor Analysis: Measure ground elevation beneath tree canopies for soil studies and forestry planning.
  • Vegetation Structure: Distinguish between canopy layers, understory, and ground for detailed forest inventories.
  • Road and Trail Planning: Identify optimal paths through wooded areas by analysing ground data.
Environmental and Ecological Studies
  • Erosion Monitoring: Map terrain changes in forested areas to study soil erosion patterns.
  • Habitat Mapping: Assess ground-level features crucial for habitat modelling under dense vegetation.
  • Floodplain Mapping: Analyse ground elevation beneath vegetation to understand flood risks and plan mitigation.
 
Urban and Regional Planning
  • Surveying Forested Development Areas: Prepare accurate ground models for planning infrastructure in wooded regions.
  • Utility Line Placement: Identify ground points for placing utilities through forested corridors.
Disaster Management
  • Post-Disaster Assessment: Map changes to forest floors after storms or wildfires to assess damage and plan recovery.
  • Landslide Analysis: Analyse bare-earth elevation data to study landslide-prone areas under tree cover.
Mining and Resource Exploration
  • Exploration in Vegetated Areas: Map terrain for resource exploration in areas covered by forests or shrubs.
  • Slope Stability Analysis: Extract ground points to assess slope stability and minimise risks in vegetated mining sites.
Infrastructure Development
  • Pipeline and Road Corridor Mapping: Identify the ground surface for planning linear infrastructure through vegetated areas.
  • Bridge and Dam Site Surveys: Collect accurate ground elevation data for construction projects in wooded regions.
Water Resource Management
  • Hydrology and Drainage Studies: Analyse ground elevations for hydrological modelling under tree canopies.
  • Wetland Mapping: Identify ground elevations in wetland areas to support conservation and management efforts.
Carbon Sequestration and Biomass Studies
  • Ground Baseline Data: Use ground elevation data to calculate biomass above ground and support carbon storage assessments.
 
 

Drone LiDAR Deliverables

Using drones for LiDAR surveys allows for a range of deliverables depending on the requirements and the project’s scope. Typically, they include processed data, visualisations, and actionable insights derived from the collected LiDAR data. This may include:

Raw Point Cloud Data
  • High-density 3D point clouds in formats like LAS, LAZ or e57.
  • Includes XYZ coordinates, intensity values, and classification labels (e.g., ground, vegetation, buildings).
Processed Data
  • Digital Elevation Models (DEMs):
    • Digital Terrain Model (DTM): Ground-level elevation data, excluding vegetation and structures.
    • Digital Surface Model (DSM): Elevation data including vegetation, buildings, and other surface features.
  • Contours:
    • Elevation contour lines generated from the DEM or DTM for easy interpretation.
  • Classified Point Clouds:
    • Point clouds segmented into categories like ground, water, vegetation, and buildings.
3D Models and Visualisations
  • 3D Mesh Models:
    • Textured or untextured 3D models for visualisation and analysis.
  • Canopy Height Models (CHM):
    • Representation of vegetation height derived from LiDAR data.
  • Slope and Aspect Maps:
    • Maps showing terrain slope steepness and direction.
Orthophotos and Maps
  • Orthomosaic Maps:
    • High-resolution, geo-referenced aerial images combined with LiDAR data for enhanced context.
  • Thematic Maps:
    • Maps customised to specific project needs, such as vegetation density or flood risk zones.
Volumetric Calculations
  • Cut-and-Fill Analysis:
    • Quantification of material volumes for construction or excavation projects.
  • Stockpile Volume Reports:
    • Accurate measurements of stockpile sizes for inventory management.

Image Gallery

lidar powerline survey
Lidar ground points
drone lidar tree survey
drone survey equipment
drone-elevation-contour-survey
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Project Objectives High Exposures was commissioned to conduct a LiDAR survey on an 800-meter section of the Nepean River. The objective of this survey was

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