Drones for Surveying

Using Drone LiDAR to Expedite Surveying Projects: Watch this 3-Minute Case Study


It's drone LiDAR vs. flotant in this 3-minute drone surveying case study. Watch the video below for details on how Duplantis Design Group (DDG) used drone LiDAR to stay safe from the floating marsh and survey a 1,200 acre site in a fraction of the time from traditional methods.

Duplantis Design Group. is using drone LiDAR to reduce their time in the field, save money, and get more jobs done. Follow DDG as they tackle a large and challenging surveying project near an airport and the Intercoastal Waterway. See how they plan their mission, collect data, and overcome many challenges in this 3-minute drone surveying case study.

 

Click the picture above to view the 3-minute case study

Down in Houma, Louisiana, Duplantis Design Group (DDG) is surveying a 1200-acre site for mixed residential and industrial development. It’s all wedged between a bayou, the Intercoastal Waterway and a large marsh. Locals use the term ‘flotant’, to describe the peculiar terrain in these parts. Old-timers call it ‘la prairie tremblante’, or the ‘trembling prairie’. The grassy areas look mostly solid, but a careless surveyor can drop straight through and be in up to the neck in no time.

DDG UAV Pilot Justin Schech is using the drone LiDAR from Microdrones to carry out the survey, overflying the treacherous terrain. He’ll be operating in close proximity to the Houma-Terrebonne Airport, so he needs to give air traffic controllers a heads up before getting started.

Joining Justin from Duplantis are Project Manager Dennis Gowan, and Survey Business Unit Leader Cory MacMenamin.

Microdrones makes it simple and easy to adapt and plan a mission. Justin creates a KML file, then divides the mission into flight blocks so he can move around and save battery life while keeping the drones within visual line of sight. What isn’t so easy is beating Mother Nature. There’s a storm front moving in off the Gulf and winds are now above 30mph, so the mission is aborted. All agree it’s the right call, for now.

The next day Justin is joined by Duplantis Drone Pilot Zachary Fox, whose job it is to watch wind conditions and monitor airspace, allowing Justin to focus on flying. All systems are go and the survey gets underway. In the days of traditional surveying this would have been a two- to three-week job. Now, by utilizing drone LiDAR, this survey can be completed in two to three days.

Back to the office, Draftsman Brad Villemuer handles the post processing by combining data files, correcting positions, then classifying ground, water and vegetation. The point cloud allows engineers to visualize waterways, pulling out cross-sections and zooming in on details. With the visualizations complete, the final deliverables can be signed and stamped by Duplantis’ licensed surveyor. The results are terrific, accurate and reliable and all in a drones--- err days work for the team at Duplantis Design Group.

If you’re interested in using drone LiDAR to reduce field time, save money, and get more jobs done, then, schedule a time to talk with one of our helpful sales representatives today.