LiDAR Mapping & Survey

Terrain under vegetation, measured as a point cloud.

Drone LiDAR mapping and survey for civil, corridor, quarry and vegetated sites across the Hunter, New England and the Central West. A dense, measurable 3D point cloud, terrain and surface models, contours and volumes, supplied in the formats your surveyor or design team uses. Accuracy is agreed at scoping and checked against ground control.

Overview

Measurable ground where photo-based mapping stops.

A surveyor, design team or contractor needs a current terrain model of a site, but the ground is under grass, scrub or tree canopy, or the corridor is too long to walk with a rover. Photo-based mapping returns the top of the vegetation, not the ground beneath it. LiDAR captures the site and its structures as a dense, measurable 3D point cloud, and reaches the ground through gaps in the vegetation where imagery cannot. The point cloud, the terrain model and the volumes that come out of them are the deliverable, ready to open in your own software.

Each LiDAR project is scoped to the site and the question: the area, the ground that has to be seen, the accuracy the design needs and the software the files have to open in. Ground control is set and checked for the job. The point cloud is classified to separate ground from vegetation and structures, and the models are checked against the control before they are issued. Every job returns a report: a dated, verified record as a minimum, and a rated condition report where the decision needs one.

Led by a reliability and asset management professional and NSW-licensed investigator.

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Uses

What it is used for.

Earthworks and bulk volumes

Terrain models of cut areas, fill platforms and borrow pits, with volumes computed against the design surface or the previous capture, so claims and reconciliation are agreed on the same model.

Drainage and flood design

Bare-ground terrain models of catchments, drains, overland flow paths and culvert approaches under grass and scrub, supplied to the consultant preparing the drainage design or flood study.

Road and rail corridors

LiDAR corridor mapping of road and rail alignments, batters, cuttings and formations over long distances, with cross-sections at the intervals the design or maintenance team needs.

Vegetated and bush sites

Terrain models of treed blocks, creek lines and regrowth sites ahead of subdivision, civil or environmental design, where the ground has to be measured without clearing it.

Stockpile and pit volumes

Point cloud capture of product and overburden stockpiles, quarry benches and pit floors for volumetric reconciliation by pile or by zone, at month end or before an audit.

Structures and site features

Point clouds of bridges, culverts, dams, embankments and plant structures as a measurable, dated record for your design or asset team.

Deliverables

What is delivered.

The outputs are produced to the accuracy set in the quote and checked against the control used on site. Formats, datum and coordinate system are set for the job so the files open without rework.

Classified point cloud in LAS or LAZ, with ground, vegetation and structure classes separated, on the agreed datum and coordinate system
Digital terrain model of the bare ground and digital surface model including vegetation and structures
Contours at the interval the design needs, generated from the ground-classified terrain model
Cross-sections along a corridor, drain or alignment at the chainage interval the job requires
Volume calculations against a design surface, a base surface or the previous capture, tabulated by zone or by pile
Ground control report: the control used, the checks performed and the accuracy achieved against it
Orthomosaic registered to the point cloud where imagery is captured on the same visit, so the data can be read against a picture of the site

The report

Reported as an Asset Condition & Evidence Report, where the decision needs one.

Every job returns at least a dated, verified record with its capture log and chain-of-custody statement. Where a rated report is needed, these six parts are added and the service-specific outputs above sit inside it.

01
Capture to a stated specification
Ground sample distance, overlap and accuracy are set before the flight and recorded.
02
Defects mapped to asset IDs and zones
Every finding is located on an orthomosaic or model, not left in a folder of photos.
03
Condition grade and criticality
Criticality rated to asset-management practice: severity by likelihood, on a risk basis declared in the report.
04
Recommended maintenance action and timeframe
Monitor, planned maintenance, prompt repair, or refer to engineer.
05
Evidence annex
Hashed originals, metadata, capture log and a chain-of-custody statement.
06
Areas not inspected and limitations
Stated plainly, so the report is read for what it covers.

Defects mapped to zonesIllustrative

Process

How a LiDAR project runs.

Scope

Send us the area, the ground you need to see, what the data is for, the output formats and the accuracy your team needs, and the timeframe. We reply within one business day, confirm access, the datum and the control, and send a fixed quote for the deliverable that names the platform and sensor for the job.

Control and capture

Ground control is set and checked to the accuracy in the quote. The flight is planned around the site, the airspace and the weather, with coverage set so the ground is reached between the vegetation and every structure in the scope is captured.

Process and classify

The point cloud is processed, classified to separate ground from vegetation and structures, and checked against the control. Terrain and surface models, contours, cross-sections and volumes are built from it in the agreed formats.

Deliver

The files are issued with the ground control report, the capture log, a chain-of-custody statement and a statement of what was not captured. Where the decision needs it, a rated condition or volumetric report is issued with them.

Limits

Aerial mapping and volumetrics, not a registered survey.

LiDAR outputs are aerial mapping and volumetrics measured to a stated accuracy. They are not a cadastral or registered survey: boundaries, levels for title and anything relied on as a registered survey sit outside what we provide and remain the work of your registered surveyor. Accuracy is agreed at scoping and checked against ground control, and the report states the accuracy achieved, the control used and any areas not captured.

LiDAR reaches the ground through gaps in vegetation, so under dense, closed canopy fewer ground points are returned, and the report states where. Water surfaces, wet ground and some dark or reflective materials return few or no points and are listed as not captured. Volumes are a measured comparison between two surfaces and are reported as such. How the data is applied to a design or contract, and any engineering certification of the model, rests with the client and their engineer.

Common questions

LiDAR Mapping & Survey, answered.

What does LiDAR capture that photo-based mapping does not?

Photo-based mapping builds a surface from what the camera sees, so on a vegetated site it returns the top of the grass, scrub or canopy. LiDAR measures returns from the ground through gaps in the vegetation, and the point cloud is classified so the bare ground is modelled separately from what grows on it. It also records structures and poles as measured points. On open ground both methods are scoped on their merits, and the quote states which is used.

How accurate is a drone LiDAR survey?

Accuracy is set at scoping for what the data is for and confirmed against ground control on the day. For LiDAR the question is usually the ground under vegetation: how much of it is reached depends on the canopy, and the report states where ground returns were thin. A flood study model and a detailed design model are specified differently. We do not quote a single accuracy figure before scoping the site.

What file formats does a drone LiDAR survey deliver?

Point clouds are supplied as LAS or LAZ on the agreed datum and coordinate system, with terrain and surface models, contours and cross-sections in the formats your surveyor or design team names at scoping, and volumes as tables by zone or by pile. Each file carries the datum, the capture date and the accuracy achieved, so the data is a dated record your team can check. A rated condition or volumetric report is added where the decision needs one.

How much does a drone LiDAR mapping job cost?

Each LiDAR project is quoted as a fixed price for the deliverable, not by the hour. The quote is set by the area, the vegetation and terrain, the accuracy required, the ground control needed, the outputs and formats, and whether it is one capture or a repeat programme. Each project is scoped to the site before the quote is issued, and the quote sets out the outputs, the control and the delivery date.