Video: Drone topographical survey: How quick is quick?

The video discusses the use of drones for topographical surveys, highlighting the advantages of using drones over traditional surveying methods. We demonstrate how drones can quickly and accurately measure large areas, saving time and effort compared to using traditional surveying equipment. The video also mentions the use of ground control points and photogrammetric processing for increased precision if needed.

Advantages of Using Drones for Land Surveying

David Walker, founder of crucialservices.net, discusses his transition from traditional surveying methods to using drones.
Using drones like the Mavic 3 Enterprise allows for more flexibility and efficiency in surveying large areas.
Drones with built-in RTK provide centimetre-level accuracy, eliminating the need for ground control points in some cases.

Efficiency and Accuracy of Drones in Topographical Surveys

Using a drone for topographical surveys can save time and effort compared to traditional ground-based topographical land surveys.
Drones can complete a survey in half an hour, whereas traditional methods may take half a day.
Smart obliques and terrain following features on drones ensure consistent accuracy across the entire survey area.

Pre-flight checklist and preparations

Ensure everything is good to go
Check for any loose screws or issues with the battery or SD card
Sync the flight and ensure flight records are up to date

Efficiency and Versatility of Drone Surveys

Drone surveys can cover large areas in a fraction of the time compared to traditional ground-based surveys.
Drone surveys eliminate the need for multiple setups and stations, allowing for comprehensive data collection in one survey.
Processing the data from drone surveys is quick, with the front geometry software taking under 20 minutes for 445 photographs.
The 3D model generated from drone surveys can be exported to various formats for further analysis and extraction of topographical survey data.

Overall site time is massively reduced. A half-day survey can be reduced to half an hour of site time. More complex environments generally take the same amount of time to survey. However, complex environments can take longer to process in the office.

545 images processing into a 3D textured model in less than 20 minutes

Zoomed in…

…and zoomed in some more.