Drone Services | UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)
Advantage Geomatics is pleased to offer a fully integrated Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) service to complement our other survey services.
Advantage Geomatics is a fully accredited operator and is licensed by the CAA with all the necessary insurances. We have experience in a variety of applications including but not limited to photogrammetry, structure condition inspections and topographic survey integration.
Where the conditions allow UAV’s can offer an efficient, cost effective alternative to more costly survey options and in some cases are able to gather more detailed information (such as roof top details or other inaccessible locations). Also, we are able to integrate UAV gathered data into the same coordinate system as other surveys, allowing the client to tailor the data collection services to best suit their needs.
A list of applications for drone surveys is shown below. Should you have any questions about your requirements, even if they aren’t covered here we would be happy to discuss them and try to come up with a solution to solve your problem.
In the video below the model shown is generated from UAV imagery and is fully alligned with OS Grid and Datum and all coordinate information can be transfered into a topographic survey or one of many other formats.
With a combination of flight patterns it is possible to generate a 3D point cloud of the exterior of a building, including the roof detail. The point cloud density will generally be 15mm or better depending on the conditions on site and that kind of precision is good to generate detailed elevations or 3D models.
On large projects it can be an issue monitoring the progress on site, especially if you are working remotely. Through regularly updated imagery it is possible to create a timeline of progress, it is also possible to digitally display this overlaid on top of the design plans for another level of visualisation.
Digital Terrain Models can be generated from UAV gathered data, creating a contoured surface on which designs for various applications can be based such as cut and fill, visualisation models for presentations or even topographic surveys. Also, we are able to align the drone generated point cloud to the same coordinate system as other survey data allowing you to gather data through a variety of techniques and compile them all in one data set. We are then able to pick detail from the 3D model in the same way that you can from Scan Data to generate a more traditional survey plan, if we can see it from the air then we can pick it from the point cloud.
In just a few minutes flight time enough information can be gathered to create a 3D model from which volumes can be calculated. Advantages of using a drone are that the non intrusive nature of the work makes for a much safer operation, repeated surveys (4D) using the same ground control points can be directly compared to previous data sets to show changes over time and the amount of data gathered gives a far more precise calculation.
Case Study - Drone UAV
Drone Photogrammetry: Building Survey
Drones have been making headlines in the past few years and in the hands of an experienced, qualified operator they have a multitude of applications in industrial scenarios. As a result of the boom in their development there a number of different operators offering services in the sector and while they may be experienced pilots not all of them are surveyors which is where we come in.
Advantage Geomatics have been developing our drone based photogrammetry service over the past year alongside an established operator, Flyover Filming. By combining our two skill sets we feel we are able to stand above many other operators by offering a complete package, with nationwide coverage.
In as simple an explanation as possible photogrammetry works by taking multiple images and identifying common points of detail in them. By knowing the position that each image was taken (through GPS sensors on the drone) it is possible to calculate to position of that point and by applying the same process to millions of common points a 3D model can be built up. It is the same principle that we use every waking second of lives as it is how our brain processes what our eyes see so we have depth perception.
In the case studies shown below we were able to create point clouds of buildings from which the client was able to generate a 3D models to incorporate the building as part of a larger development. The budget available wouldn’t allow for a full LiDAR scanned survey of the building but the option of a drone survey allowed them to get enough accurate data for the purposes they required. There is also an advantage to using a drone as it allows you to very easily gather the roof data, which a more expensive LiDAR survey would struggle to get.
The flight time was made up of each mission was approximately 15 minutes, whilst they were fairly small sites it still shows how quickly the data can be gathered and the accuracy that is realistically achievable is +/-15mm.
