As we’ve
discussed previously on the GovDesignHub,
drone surveying can enable government organizations realize tremendous cost
savings in contrast to traditional surveying methods. That’s because drones
allow users to rapidly capture accurate, bird’s eye imaging that simply wasn’t
possible before the advent of the technology. When coupled with today’s
advanced digital design solutions, drones are an effective way to conduct
reality capture at a fraction of the cost.
Simply put, in today’s day and age, drones need to be in any surveying project’s
tool kit.
However, that doesn’t mean that utilizing drones for surveying is a simple and easy process. There are multiple steps and process that need to be followed to make drone surveying a possibility. In addition to getting certified to pilot an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), users need to lay out their flight plan, get that flight plan government-approved and figure out how to import collected data post-flight. Then – perhaps most importantly – the user has to integrate that data into an application that’ll make it useful to the project as it progresses.
This can seem like a daunting process for someone just getting started. It’s probably a daunting process for seasoned surveying professionals. Luckily, there are services and solutions on the marketplace that can make the use of drones for site surveying and reality capture easier and more accessible.
One of these solutions is 3DR’s Site Scan program, which makes it possible to manage the whole drone surveying process end-to-end within one app. When utilized in conjunction with DJI or Yuneec brand UAVs, Site Scan automates many of those steps, rolls them all into one application, and then makes it easy to import or export that data from an Autodesk solution.
Site Scan makes drone usage easier by automating many requisite processes. Instead of manually mapping out a drone’s flight path around a site, Site Scan makes calculating flight paths easy. Users simply draw a box around the site to be surveyed in a satellite-based map, add desired altitude, gimbal and hatch angle, and Site Scan not only programs the drone’s flight plan but – when needed – submits the plan for airspace authorization with the push of a button.
For the past year, Site Scan has also been interoperable with Autodesk’s BIM 360 applications. This provides an even greater level of convenience and functionality for Autodesk users.
Drone surveying is undoubtedly a great tool for government agencies and organizations, but to realize the full benefits that it can afford them, automation is necessary. A system like Site Scan that natively integrates and interoperates with a wide universe of design programs and automates parts of the survey process is an essential tool for making drone surveying easy, cost effective and accessible.
Learn more about the other new features in Site Scan here, including drone fleet management and ground control point processing.
