It’s an interesting time for geospatial technology. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and 3D data acquisition tools are experiencing notable innovations impacting aerial survey service and mappers the most.
Many of these changes are leaving aerial survey consulting companies and LiDAR survey professionals wondering what will happen next. Could drones replace manned aircraft systems? Will LiDAR survey replace photogrammetry? To get answers to these questions, let’s look at industry trends.
Twenty years ago, aerial survey service businesses and mapping service providers needed extensive capital to buy manned aircraft, expensive cameras, and computing technology. Now, for just $5,000, almost anyone can put a quality camera in the air and collect 3D data for mapping.
High costs and safety issues were previously a deterrent. But now drones are easier and cheaper to use than planes and helicopters. As federal regulations catch up and allow travel beyond visual-line-of-sight, we’ll see small unmanned aircraft use will really take off.
In the mid-1990s, film cameras were still used which required significant time and manpower. Not long later, GPS technology launched followed by computer-based soft copy photogrammetry from scanned film.
The early 2000s brought more computer advancements making it possible to gather high-resolution data in a matter of weeks. Today, computer algorithms and small consumer cameras can be positioned in both manned and unmanned aircraft.
Drones have introduced a new dimension to the survey industry making a once elite and experienced industry affordable and available to just about anyone who wants to try it. While these innovations are positive, reliance on software can deliver challenges as new users may be unaware of the principles behind photogrammetry which play a role when their software fails.
Photogrammetric techniques can be used to derive a point cloud from the photography or can be collected directly with a LiDAR sensor. However, LiDAR is typically more expensive than using a camera.
Cost aside, a key difference between LiDAR and photogrammetric point clouds is the ground. LiDAR survey uses active sensor technology to reflect off the ground below vegetation. LiDAR has a distinct advantage by providing the surface of both, including the bare earth elevations that photogrammetry can’t provide. This technology offers more accurate models of the earth’s surface.
Photogrammetry is still useful and important with its significantly lower cost and other application uses. For many projects, the 3D point clouds derived from drone photography are accurate enough for their purposes.
While the entry costs with drones are cheaper for aerial survey service, Aerial survey consulting companies should know that they don’t necessarily make data collection any cheaper. In some cases, labor and incidentals may be higher. The learning curve of flying drones will likely result in a few crashes and burns. In addition, surveyors should understand the limitations of software to avoid misrepresenting the quality or accuracy of the product that comes out.
Despite all this, many companies see drones as an opportunity to bring complete survey or mapping projects in house versus perceiving drones as a threat. While it may appear just about anyone could become an aerial surveyor, the trade still requires knowledge of the whole photogrammetric process to achieve desired project requirements.
Many of these changes are leaving aerial survey consulting companies and LiDAR survey professionals wondering what will happen next. Could drones replace manned aircraft systems? Will LiDAR survey replace photogrammetry? To get answers to these questions, let’s look at industry trends.
Trends in Aircraft
High costs and safety issues were previously a deterrent. But now drones are easier and cheaper to use than planes and helicopters. As federal regulations catch up and allow travel beyond visual-line-of-sight, we’ll see small unmanned aircraft use will really take off.
3D Trends Through the Decades
The early 2000s brought more computer advancements making it possible to gather high-resolution data in a matter of weeks. Today, computer algorithms and small consumer cameras can be positioned in both manned and unmanned aircraft.
Drones have introduced a new dimension to the survey industry making a once elite and experienced industry affordable and available to just about anyone who wants to try it. While these innovations are positive, reliance on software can deliver challenges as new users may be unaware of the principles behind photogrammetry which play a role when their software fails.
LiDAR Survey or Photogrammetry?
Cost aside, a key difference between LiDAR and photogrammetric point clouds is the ground. LiDAR survey uses active sensor technology to reflect off the ground below vegetation. LiDAR has a distinct advantage by providing the surface of both, including the bare earth elevations that photogrammetry can’t provide. This technology offers more accurate models of the earth’s surface.
Photogrammetry is still useful and important with its significantly lower cost and other application uses. For many projects, the 3D point clouds derived from drone photography are accurate enough for their purposes.
What Does This Mean for Surveyors?
Despite all this, many companies see drones as an opportunity to bring complete survey or mapping projects in house versus perceiving drones as a threat. While it may appear just about anyone could become an aerial surveyor, the trade still requires knowledge of the whole photogrammetric process to achieve desired project requirements.
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