AERIAL MAPPING

Aerial Mapping is a service which involves acquiring hundreds (or thousands) of aerial images and then ‘stitching’ them together digitally with specialized mapping software to make a larger more accurate composite image.

Drone surveying and mapping give end-users the ability to “see the big picture” — but perhaps the most important single thing a drone is used for is to ‘save time’. Whether surveying a section of undeveloped land for future development, creating an ortho-map of a 100-acre ranch to better manage cattle grazing, building 3D models for real estate marketing, or infrastructure inspection and management — the uses are far and wide-reaching and we can capture data in a fraction of the time. Contact us today for a quote.

TYPES OF MAPS:

You’ll need to know what type of map you’ll be creating during post-processing, as it will determine the type of flight required for that desired output. But without getting into the nitty-gritty, here we’ll explain a few of the most requested outputs available and the benefits they provide.

ORTHOMOSAIC MAP: An orthomosaic map (or ortho-map) is a composite image looking straight down, generally created for large areas of property. These maps can be used for taking accurate distance and surface-area measurements as the distortion at the edges of the images due to the curvature of the earth have been accounted for and corrected in the software. This creates a perfectly straight-down view over all portions of the image without any change in view based on perspective.

DSM & DTM: A Digital Surface Model is a digital representation of the earth’s surface within a set of predefined coordinates, and all objects elevated above the ground like trees and buildings. Unlike the DSM, a Digital Terrain Model (or DTM) does not include any structures or objects and only represents the surface of the earth. Both utilize RGB data to represent differences in elevation, as illustrated in the following image.

CONTOUR LINE MAPS: Often simply referred to as ‘Contours’ or ‘Topographic Maps’ are two-dimensional maps, where the lines on the map join points of equal elevation. These lines reveal peaks and valleys as well as the steepness of the slope. *For those in need of contour maps, please click here for LiDAR.