The Application of Drones in Engineering and Surveying
by Marisa Marulli (Coffey Communications) and Brandon Grove, LSIT (Coffey Survey Chief and UAV Technician)
In 2006, drones were no longer restricted to military use, and thus the door opened to their new applications across various industries. Photographers have since taken stunning aerials, companies have announced revolutionary delivery approaches—and still, engineers and surveyors have been one of the biggest beneficiaries. Let us tell you why.
A Drone Is A Way To Perform Remote Sensing
Let us first explain what a drone allows us to do: remotely sense.
“Remote sensing” is the act of capturing information/data about an area without actually touching it. Remote sensing is not limited to drones. Some other applications of remote sensing in the world include:
A boat using sonar (shooting sound waves through the water) to detect the ocean floor
A country using LIDAR (pulsing light towards an area or object) to create land elevation models
Google using GPS (data from a satellite) to give you directions from one place to the other
Using satellite imagery to evaluate crop health or analyze burn areas/change detection
Video: Coffey UAV Technician Brandon Grove (LSIT) performs a calibration dance on the Matrice M600 before flight.
Application In Engineering & Surveying
As you may gather, remote sensing is an important tool for civil engineering and land surveying. Flying a drone 1,000 feet high to survey a 640-acre land plot is incredibly more time and cost-efficient than sending a team of surveyors to survey the land by their own feet and hands—especially when the flight is typically done in 45 minutes.
Coffey utilizes drones and remote sensing to assess private property boundaries, map manmade structures, provide possibilities for water management systems, evaluate where oil pipelines can and cannot go, and more.
Benefits Of Using Drones And 3D Scanners In Engineering & Surveying
More accurate measurements
Detailed “full-picture” data and views
Access to areas that would normally be very challenging to measure
The Benefits Of Remote Sensing With Coffey
As is key to any successful system, advancement must be met with new understanding and responsibility. Coffey recognizes the need to advance responsibly and sustainably. We operate our drones with current FAA flight licenses, employ highly skilled individuals to operate the drones and analyze data from them, and have a custom-built super-computer to handle and process the drone files.
As is key to any successful system, advancement must be met with new understanding and responsibility. Coffey recognizes the need to advance responsibly and sustainably.
Meet The Coffey Drones And Their Capabilities
Differences between Coffey’s drones and their capabilities are outlined below. If you have any questions about remote sensing or think you have a situation where remote imaging may be beneficial to you, please contact us.
Coffey UAV Technician Brandon Grove (LSIT) and Party Chief Jeremiah Bershinksy prepare the 4-foot fixed wing drone for flight.
Wingtra 4-foot fixed wing drone
42-megapixel camera
1-2 inch pixel grid(GSD)
1 square mile per battery set
Deliverable: 1”- 6” ortho mosaic TIFF image
Best used for: RGB or multispectral imagery
Phantom 4 Pro V2 (Happy Trees)
20-megapixel camera with mechanical shutter
Used for training purposes and to fly routes with steep terrain to ensure the safety of our much more expensive UAS
Deliverable: Used for taking obliques, or stunning video flyovers
Best used for: marketing and training
Coffey UAV Technician Brandon Grove (LSIT) setting up Phantom 4 Pro V2 upon arrival to survey site.
Coffey’s DJI Matrice M600 is about to be deployed to cover a vast expanse of land and return data.
DJI Matrice M600 (The Mule)
Equipped with LIDAR
Provide ground returns in densely vegetated areas
5-foot wingspan
30-pound lift capacity
Deliverable: LAS, color fused or raw return, intensity, or classified point cloud
Best used for: topographic mapping of large areas
Thank you for reading our article written by Coffey Engineering & Surveying communications specialist Marisa Marulli and Survey Chief Brandon Grove (LSIT). If you are interested in the application of remote sensing for your project or have an inquiry about other civil engineering and land surveying services, we invite you to contact us by email or phone.
