Service 01
Aerial mapping and terrain models
The foundation service. A scaled, measurable picture of a site plus the surface underneath it, captured with RTK positioning and delivered in the formats your engineering team already works in.
What you get
- Georeferenced orthomosaic at the ground sample distance agreed for the site
- Digital surface model and digital terrain model
- Contour lines at your chosen interval, delivered as DXF or SHP
- Point cloud in LAS or LAZ
- RTK tagged source imagery on request, for teams processing in their own software
Choosing your accuracy level
- Relative: internally consistent geometry for measuring within the site
- NTRIP absolute: corrections streamed live from an Alberta base network for real world coordinates
- Verified: independent checkpoints flown and the residual error reported with the deliverables
Related lidar work
Related case study
Capture reference
- Sensor
- RGB, RTK tagged
- Typical GSD
- 2 to 3 cm/px
- Positioning
- NTRIP or on site base
- Reference RMSE
- 0.01 m achieved
- Processing
- WebODM Lightning
- Client access
- Live DroneDeploy map link
- Delivery
- 3 to 5 business days
On an aggregate pit in central Alberta, 1,000 aligned frames captured with NTRIP absolute positioning produced a 2.51 cm/px ground sample distance at 0.01 m RMSE. RTK tagged source imagery was handed over alongside the processed outputs so the client's own engineering software could reprocess independently.
How it works
See how we do the restHow drone photos become a 3D model and a map
Read the steps
- Overlapping photosThe drone flies a grid and takes photos with heavy front and side overlap, so every point on the ground is seen from several angles.
- Tie pointsSoftware finds the same features in neighbouring photos and works out exactly where each camera was. These shared features are tie points.
- Dense point cloudWith the cameras solved, every matched pixel is placed in 3D, building a dense, coloured point cloud of the site.
- 3D meshThe points are joined into a textured 3D mesh and a surface model you can measure from.
- OrthomosaicThe model is flattened into an orthomosaic: a true-to-scale map where every pixel is seen from straight above. Tied to ground control, it lines up with your CAD and GIS.
How RTK and ground control pin a drone map to the ground
Read the steps
- Satellites aloneThe drone listens to GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou satellites. On its own, atmospheric and clock errors leave its position off by roughly 1 to 3 metres.
- RTK base sends correctionsA base station set up on a point with known coordinates hears the same satellites. It works out the error and streams corrections to the drone, by radio through the controller or over cellular from an NTRIP network. The drone's fix tightens to about 1 to 2 cm.
- Every photo knows where it isAs the drone flies its grid, each photo is stamped with the corrected position and altitude at the moment the shutter fired.
- Ground control pointsGCPs don't talk to the drone. They're painted or placed targets measured on the ground with a GNSS rover. During processing each target is picked out in the photos and pinned to its measured coordinates. A few are held back as checkpoints to prove the accuracy.
- A map tied to the groundRTK sets where each photo was taken. GCPs lock the model in place and verify it. The result is an orthomosaic and surface model tied to real-world coordinates.
Used for
7 applicationsLand development and site planning
Existing conditions capture before design, delivered as an orthomosaic and terrain model your civil team can work over.
Golf course terrain
Contours, drainage and low point analysis across a full property from a single morning of flying, with a high resolution image of every hole.
Cemetery and grounds records
Plot level imagery accurate enough to digitise section and plot boundaries against, pairing with geotagged marker photography.
Aggregate pits and quarries
Face position, haul road planning and terrain for reclamation reporting on a repeating cycle.
Reclamation and environmental
Baseline and progress terrain for regulatory reporting, repeatable year over year.
Corridors and right of way
Continuous capture along linear projects rather than stitched from separate visits.
Acreages and rural property
Full property imagery and terrain for planning, drainage or sale.
Recognise your project in that list? Send the site and the deliverable and a scoped quote comes back, usually within one business day, with the positioning method and delivery window stated and your licence to use the imagery included.
Get a quote for mapping and terrain modelsDrainage and grading on large parcels
Bare earthOn a large parcel the grade that matters is the one beneath the stubble, the crop and the ditch grass. A photogrammetry pass describes the top of that cover, which is a surface model. Lidar reaches through it to the ground itself, which is a bare earth terrain model. For a drainage plan that difference decides whether water moves or ponds.
For agricultural drainage, municipal ditching and site grading we deliver a bare earth model, contours at the interval your engineer asks for, flow paths and catchment boundaries, and cut and fill volumes against a proposed design. On parcels running to several thousand acres, a longer lens and a high endurance airframe keep the capture to a workable number of days rather than a season.
Delivered as LAS or LAZ point cloud, GeoTIFF raster, DXF contours and a volume report, referenced to NAD83 UTM Zone 12 and tied to checkpoints your engineer can verify. Timing matters here more than on most work: see the Alberta capture calendar for the windows that suit it.
Common questions
Answered plainlyHow accurate is drone mapping compared to ground methods?
With RTK positioning and live network corrections, a Drone360 capture typically returns a 2 to 3 cm ground sample distance. On a recent aggregate pit the reported residual error was 0.01 m RMSE against independent checkpoints. That is accurate enough for volumes, grading and design work on most civil projects. Where a project needs the error stated rather than assumed, checkpoints are flown and the result is reported with the deliverables.
What file formats do you deliver terrain data in?
GeoTIFF orthomosaics, LAS or LAZ point clouds, DXF or SHP contours, and digital surface and terrain models. RTK tagged source imagery can be handed over as well, which suits teams who process in Correlator3D, Pix4D, Metashape or similar.
How long does a site map take?
Most single site captures are flown in a day and delivered in three to five business days. Weather and airspace authorization set the front end of that, not processing.
Do I need lidar or is photogrammetry enough?
Photogrammetry is the right tool for open ground, stockpiles, pavement, pits and construction sites, and it costs a fraction of a lidar mobilisation. Lidar earns its cost where you need ground returns under tree canopy or vegetation. We fly lidar when the job genuinely calls for it, and will say so when it does not.
From the field
6 captures
Highway 16 interchange ramps, Alberta. Captured with RTK photogrammetry.
Other services
See all eleven
Volumetric measurement
Material volumes and cut and fill figures reported against a stated reference surface, on a repeatable cycle.
Area and quantity measurement
Measured areas and quantities reconciled in a workbook and shown over a scaled image anyone can verify.
Thermal imaging
Radiometric thermal capture for hot spots, moisture, electrical and mechanical faults, and heat signature search support.
Asset and structure inspection
Close visual inspection of structures and assets that are difficult, expensive or hazardous to reach on foot.