heliguy-survey · photogrammetry

Drone photogrammetry

3D reconstruction and orthomosaic mapping from overlapping drone imagery. Centimetre-level accuracy for construction progress monitoring, land survey, stockpile volumetrics and heritage documentation — processed in DJI Terra, Pix4D or RealityCapture.

How drone photogrammetry works

Photogrammetry reconstructs geometry from overlapping photographs taken from known positions. A drone flying a structured grid captures hundreds or thousands of images at a consistent ground sampling distance — typically 1–3 cm/px for survey work. Processing software matches common points across overlapping images, builds a sparse and then dense 3D point cloud, and exports the deliverables your downstream team needs.

Accuracy is driven by image quality, flight altitude, GSD overlap settings and — crucially — the positioning system used. RTK and PPK workflows eliminate the need for large GCP networks while maintaining or improving survey-grade accuracy.

Mission planning

Flight grid design, overlap settings (typically 80/70 front/side), GSD calculation, GCP strategy and accuracy budgeting.

Aerial capture

DJI Zenmuse P1 45 MP full-frame sensor on the M350 RTK — sharp, calibrated imagery with integrated RTK positioning.

Photogrammetric processing

DJI Terra, Pix4Dmapper, RealityCapture or Esri Site Scan — hands-on with the software your team will run post-flight.

Deliverable formats

Orthomosaics (GeoTIFF), DSM/DTM, 3D point cloud (LAS/LAZ), volumetric reports, DWG/DXF contours and BIM-ready mesh.

Applications

Construction monitoring

Regular orthomosaic and point cloud captures for progress reporting, cut-and-fill volumetrics and as-built comparison against design.

Land and topographic survey

Topographic surveys at 1:500 and 1:1000 scale — faster than total station for open ground, with comparable accuracy on well-controlled surveys.

Stockpile volumes

Aggregate, spoil and material stockpiles measured weekly or monthly for accurate inventory. Sub-1% volume error vs ground truth on well-shaped stockpiles.

Heritage and architecture

High-resolution textured mesh models of buildings, monuments and historic structures — suitable for planning submissions and digital preservation.

Plan your first survey

Tell us the site area, deliverable accuracy requirement and intended use, and we'll advise on the right payload, flight plan and processing workflow for the job.