Drones for Surveying
American made drones for surveying & mapping applications.
Vision Aerial drones are proudly made in America.
Using Drones for Surveying & Mapping
Drones for surveying are advancing the GIS profession. Drones gather millions of precise data points in a fraction of the time it takes to conduct a traditional survey. Businesses benefit from a wider variety of final products thanks to new kinds of data. Industries are also leveraging drones to increase efficiency, save money, reduce liability, and provide a safer work environment.
Industry Applications:
- Aerial Mapping
- Land Planning & Management
- Site Scouting
- Urban Planning
- Cadastral Surveying
- Topographic Surveys
- Land Surveying
Reach Remote Areas
Save Time & Money
Better Data
Simplify Workflow
Why Vision Aerial?
Easily Reach Remote and Inaccessible Locations
Surveys can be difficult and time-consuming to complete in rural areas or on uneven terrain. Often, heavy survey equipment needs to be set up, calibrated, and broken down multiple times. In contrast, drones pre-programmed with a flight pattern deploy within minutes. Vision Aerial drones for surveying have a range of more than 19 km. They fold into a weather-resistant Pelican case for quick and easy transport.
Surveying with Drones is Faster and Less Expensive
Drone surveys reduce the number of hours in the field and associated costs. In addition to quickly accessing remote sites, surveyors save time by pre-programing a route with mission planning software. Using GPS data, the drone navigates along its set flight path autonomously. Once in flight, drones collect enhanced data in a fraction of the time compared to traditional survey methods.
Drone Surveys Provide Accurate, Enhanced Data
Automated data collection eliminates errors that often occur during a traditional site survey. During flight, the drone payloads collect millions of data points. Post flight, the data can be imported directly into engineering software using tools like Pix4D. The software processes the data to generate geo-referenced orthomosaics, cadastral maps, elevation models, 2D models, 3D models, contour lines, thermal maps, multispectral maps, or LiDAR point clouds.
Vision Aerial drones are designed to be highly adaptable. Therefore, you do not have to worry about compatibility issues with future technology.
Simplify Your Workflow with Drones for Surveying
Traditional surveying techniques require multiple pieces of equipment. Total stations, infrared reflectors, altimeters, EDM laser devices, and GPS take time to move and set up. On the other hand, drone surveying workflows are much simpler. Drones carry specialized cameras and GPS sensors. Then they fly pre-programmed missions. Vision Aerial drones also re-deploy quickly. This workflow eliminates time-consuming setup, tear down, and recalibration. In a fraction of the time, a drone survey collects superior data.
Surveyors Benefit From Improved Safety
With drones quickly flying to remote, rugged locations, surveyors no longer have to cross rough terrain. Now surveyors can avoid cliffs, rocky areas, gopher holes, and other risky situations. This reduces overall liability and workers’ compensation claims.
Ready for Better Data?
Why Use Vision Aerial Drones for Surveying & Mapping?
Highly Adaptable
Our drones can carry all the best-in-class cameras and sensors. They easily adapt to support your missions as they evolve.
Capable Platforms
Long flight times combined with a substantial payload capacity ensure you have the power to get your job done.
Easy To Fly
Less than 4 hours of training time, intuitive controls, and ultra-smooth flight mean surveyors can focus on what matters.
Rapid Deployment
Vision Aerial drones fold for easy transport. Go from case to flight in under 2 minutes.
Recommended System for Surveying & Mapping
Vision Aerial Drone Surveying System (SVA)
The Vision Aerial Drone Surveying System (SVA) is designed for precision mapping and surveying. Equipment includes the Switchblade-Elite tricopter drone with a fixed nadir mounted Sony α6400 camera with 16 mm E-mount lens and integrated geotag logger.
This drone surveying system with Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) is a highly advanced technology used to capture highly accurate and precise aerial data for a wide range of applications. RTK is a satellite navigation technique that provides highly accurate and precise position data in real-time. This technology enables a drone to capture precise coordinates of the ground surface and other objects with unprecedented accuracy.
The SwitchBlade-Elite is equipped with a GPS receiver and RTK module that communicates with ground-based GPS reference stations. These reference stations broadcast correction signals to the drone in real-time, which helps to eliminate errors caused by atmospheric disturbances and other factors.
One of the major advantages of using a drone surveying system with RTK is the ability to capture highly accurate and precise data with minimal ground control points (GCPs). This reduces the time and effort required to conduct a survey, while also increasing the accuracy and reliability of the survey results.
Key Features
- Less than 2-minute setup and breakdown
- 30-minute mission times*
- Handles wind gusts up to 40 kph (25 mph)
- Folds for easy transport
- Easy to fly and plan missions
- Geotagging
- 24.2 Megapixel
- 19 km (11 mi) flight range†
- Easily integrates with optional Precision RTK
What's Included
- SwitchBlade-Elite
- SwitchBlade-Elite Indefinite Flight Package (IFP)
- RTK ProfiCNC GNSS Package (Wifi + LTE enabled)
- Training at Vision Aerial
- SwitchBlade-Elite Second Year Warranty
Full Specifications
- SwitchBlade-Elite tricopter drone (Learn more)
- Sony α6400 camera body (View Data Sheet)
- 16 mm E-mount lens (View Data Sheet)
- Payload mounting: fixed nadir
Additional Systems to Consider
Vision Aerial Mapping Drone System (SVR)
RTK ProfiCNC GNSS Package (WIFI + LTE enabled)
$3,370.00
Phoenix LiDAR Systems miniRanger Lite
Phoenix Lidar Systems Scout Ultra
Have Questions or Need a Custom Solution?
Industry Information
Aerial Survey Guide for Vision Aerial Drones
How to Perform an Aerial Survey for Drone Photogrammetry Conducting an aerial survey for...
How to Use Ground Control Points to Improve Drone Survey Accuracy
What is a Ground Control Point? A typical example of a Ground Control Point with a checkerboard...
Surveying Drones: How to Use Drones for Surveying
Surveying drones can produce highly accurate topographic data faster, safer and at lower costs than a traditional land survey. This article will go into detail about how drones are used for surveying.
How to Plan a Survey Flight and Determine Ground Sample Distance in QGroundControl
Ground Sample Distance is a critical measurement in photogrammetry. This article covers how to use QGroundControl to determine your GSD.
What is Ground Sample Distance (GSD)?
GSD is an important metric to understand in photogrammetry and is directly related to how accurate your survey is. This article explains how to calculate your GSD.
What is the Difference Between GCPs, PPK, and RTK?
This overview can help you determine which GPS correction method is best for your project.