Aerial Mapping

sUAS (small unmanned aerial systems) outfitted with Photogrammetry offer a more efficent and cost saving alternative to manned aircraft (planes or helicopters). Using these technologies on an unmanned platform can also yield more accurate results, see the examples below. sUAS is most effective on smaller scale projects, where the ease of unmanned systems really shine.

What is Aerial Photogrammetry?

Aerial Photogrammetry is the process of taking hundreds, or even thousands, of pictures and stitching them together to create a 3D orthomosaic of a specific area. Though many people disregard this method for mapping… its results can be just as accurate, if not more so than LiDAR.

Why Unmanned?

In the growing world of drones, there is one major proponent that is hard to ignore – they are simple. Manned aircraft add layers of complexity that are unavoidable. This includes heavy maintenance schedules, refueling on the job, access to airports, noise in urban areas, etc. Now compare these examples to an advanced drone system, which require a simple battery change, take off and landing from virtually anywhere, and easily flown in urban and rural settings alike.

But the major reason that clients are switching to unmanned systems is for liability and insurance. No longer are aircraft required to have a physical pilot, much less a second camera operator. These tasks can be done from the ground while monitoring and accessing live video feeds of the mapping progress.

Mapping Examples