DRONE SURVEYS

MIKE STAPLETON LANDDATA SURVEYS PTY LTD

DRONE – 1900S

DRONE -2000S

PERSPECTIVE

• CONVENTIONAL SURVEY COMPANY • DRONE IGNORANT • EXPERIENCE ON PROJECTS

“Quantum leaps in Surveying”

• During the past 50 years, surveying and engineering measurement technology has made five quantum leaps: the electronic distance meter, total station, GPS, robotic total station and laser scanner. Unmanned aircraft systems or drones will be the sixth quantum leap in technology. (Frank Willis)

• http://www.pobonline.com/articles/96996-how-can-drones-transform-surveying

DRONE - SURVEYING

ACTIVITY

• Maptek (Mining computer tech company) made “a significant investment in…. DroneMetrex”

• Hexagon (Swedish measurement and design group) “has acquired the drone manufacturer Aibotix”

• Accenture (consulting and technology firm) – “using drones is a ore efficient process, and can produce more real time information in a much safer manner than getting surveyors out on site”

• www.miningaustralia.com.au

LANDDATA SURVEYS

• Clients requiring detail and contour surveys • Seek to reduce costs • Investigate innovative methods • Various applications – different solutions • Vast area • Access difficulties • Drone survey opportunities

Questions regarding drone survey

• Could it achieve accuracy required for 0.25 contours

• Could trees and buildings be adequately surveyed

• Determination of contours when grass is long • Accuracy questions relating to surface

surveyed and actual ground surface. • Could small features such as hydrants be seen

and mapped.

EXTERNAL CONSIDERATIONS • PILOT QUALIFICATIONS • PROXIMITY TO AIRPORT (CONTROLLED AIR SPACE) • WEATHER CONDITIONS – WIND (max 30km/h) • ADMINISTRATION PAPER WORK WITH CASA • ABILITY TO LAND • RADIO COMMUNICATIONS • EAGLES!!

DRONE SURVEY http://www.dronemetrex.com/topodrones.html

• Horizontal Accuracy 10mm and vertical accuracy of 25mm • Capture high resolution data using pre-programmed, autonomous

flights; • Equipped with IMU/GPS system which makes ground control points

redundant; • Control circuit board goes with IP software to plan fully

autonomous missions, control the flights, and store high accurate data in secure format;

• Have “Active" Gimbal camera mount and software controlled for active counter-movement compensation of the drone airframe tip, tilt, yaw movements.

• TopoDrones carry latest-model metric and calibrated camera systems

• Our metric cameras can have 4-BAND digital sensors, which simultaneously capture a near infrared fourth band in addition to standard RGB, PAN, and CIR bands;

• Able to provide camera calibration databased on verified field calibration reports.

Dronemetrix • Most drone mapping systems have been designed by remote

control enthusiasts or research scientists who have thought it would be useful to attach a camera to a drone, and then try to solve the photogrammetry.

• Dronemetrix designed to create an accurate photogrammetric system that can then be adapted and integrated onto a drone. Base data product is a very dense 3D point cloud which is more than 100 times denser than LiDAR.

• The TopoDrone-100 is a photogrammetric mapping system that ensures proper photogrammetric stereo models because of gyrostabilised active mount for the camera and Per-Pixel Photogrammetric Preprocessing software which accounts for systematic errors of the camera and “aggressive” drone movements in flight.

• For “bare earth” solutions, Dronemetrix claims two advantages:

• The dense point cloud of accurate 3D points can be “filtered” and processed with similar algorithms to LiDAR data for top of tress or grass or building etc. versus the ground

• 3D photogrammetric stereo models are created checked by a photogrammetrist to authenticate bare earth versus non-bare earth. The human photogrammetrist can also perform accurate 3D “heads-up” stereo digitising of any required features (such as breaklines, fences, creeks etc.)

If an area is covered by very dense thick high grass (or say

wheat), then bare earth mapping is difficult for any photogrammetric system because the “bare earth” is not visible. In such cases, it may be possible to map the top of the grasses and apply a suitable “datum shift”.

Components

• Company – Vehicles - Mapping software • Companies: Dronemetrex, Helimetrex, • Vehicles: Topodrone, Aibot hexacopter,

microcopter • Mapping Software

Landdata

• Administration and management of projects. • Establish ground control points • Undertake check strings on levels • Insert cadastral boundaries into data base • Undertake infill survey in areas not visible

from drone • Include services information • Produce final plan and CAD file

PARTIES

• CLIENT • CONTRACTOR – LANDDATA SURVEYS GOOGONG • FLYING – AVMAP • PROCESSING – DRONEMETRIX SIDING SPRINGS • FLYING AND PROCESSING – HELIMETREX

GOOGONG

http://img.docstoccdn.com/thumb/orig/32259667.png

GOOGONG

• Site of new estate development • Rolling paddocks • Few trees • Some minor farm infrastructure • Future estate development. Earlier stages

surveyed by conventional methods. • About 580ha

SCOPE • Undertaking a detail survey of the site illustrated in orange,

illustrated in green and described as NH4 and NH5 in the sketch attached to your email and shown below.

• Sufficient heights are to be surveyed to enable a digital terrain model providing 0.25m contours to be formed.

• Survey all trees with trunk diameter of greater than 0.25m. Heights, spreads and trunk diameters to be recorded.

• Survey and map all visible features. • Heights are to be surveyed on Australian Height Datum and

co-ordinates on MGA. • Indicate the location of property boundaries, easements

and services. • No provision is made for tracing underground services.

SIDING SPRINGS

• Long narrow site • Heavily vegetated in part • About 61ha • Significant improvements • Hard stand areas • Services • Plateau on top of mountain • Asset management and design after fire

SCOPE • Undertaking a detail survey of the site illustrated in red hatching

shown below. • Sufficient heights are to be surveyed to enable the creation of the

best possible digital terrain model providing 0.25m contours wherever feasible.

• Survey all standalone trees with trunk diameter of greater than 0.25m. Heights, spreads and trunk diameters to be recorded. Areas of dense vegetation will be identified as groups of trees with no individual tree information provided.

• Survey and map all visible features. • Heights are to be surveyed on Australian Height Datum and co-

ordinates on MGA55. • Indicate the location of property boundaries, easements and

services. The location of property boundaries will be determined using a best possible combination of the NSW DCDB, Deposited Plans and any monuments found.

• No provision is made for tracing underground services.

Australian Geographic

• Bushfire hits Australia’s largest observatory • January 14, 2013

• A fire on Sunday night damaged Siding Springs Observatory in Coonabarabran, site of the nation’s largest telescope.

• The fire, still out of control, has been burning for a week. So far, it has ripped through an estimated 43,000ha of the national park and its surrounds, destroying the visitor centre and 33 homes, and damaging infrastructure at the Siding Springs Observatory

SIDING SPRINGS

Dronemetrix • Deliverables: • DTM of "bare earth” where visible at specified density (say) 10 points per

sq m; • 0.25m contours (or interval to suit) • 2.5cm GSD seamless orthophoto • 3D line features digitised by photogrammetrist of Levels and location of all

existing improvements and land features such as fencing, tracks, roads, edge of water features, top of banks, change of grades, buildings/structures, trees, etc

• Time frames: • Drone Flight; one day • Mobilisation and demobilisation: “2 days" • Data processing & Mapping products; three days • 3D line feature digitising

What Happened

• Sorry we can’t fly because we cannot land! • Alternatives and associated compromises

Helimetrix • Data from 400ft • Planned to achieve accuracy of 0.1, SE, 1 sigma, on clear ground • Survey control installed by Helemetrix, surveyed by Landdata will

test UAS data • Superfluous points removed • Use made of airborne control system reducing need for ground

control marks • Flight parameters include daylight hours, visually maintained

conditions, line of sight UAV operations, not above 400ft • Landing zone 3m x 3m, 10m clear of man made structures, 30 m

from general public access areas • A 300m wide safety zone along the UAV flight path • Day to set up control points, half day to set up and undertake flying • About three days to provide provisional data

SITE ADMINISTRATION

SITE ADMINISTRATION

• ABUTS (AND ENCROACHES INTO)WARRUMBUNGLE NATIONAL PARK – PLACE IN NATIONAL HERITAGE LIST

• 3 COUNTIES – LEICHARDT, BARADINE AND GOWEN

• 4 PARISHES – ELONGERY, CARAGHNAN, WHEO AND WOORUT

• 2 LGA’s – WARRUMBUNGLE AND COONAMBLE

• BOUNDARIES RUN THROUGH SITE (AND BUILDINGS)

GROUND SURVEY

• Photo control marks – Static of GNSS at extremities, with RTK of remainder linked to static marks.

• Cadastral – survey of sufficient marks to enable the mapping of the cadastre.

• Check strings – GNSS RTK • Infill – often in areas invisible from air and not

GNSS suitable. Total station traverses from photo control points.

Impressions

• PLANNING • Disappointed in the lack of investigation of site

conditions. • TIMING • The agreed time frame for the Googong project

was not met – at least a week late

• IMPROVISATION

General Results

• String lines less than in conventional survey – with underlying photograph it may be less relevant

• Excessive number of triangles for DTM. Uncertain whether civil design consultants will cope with the amount of triangulation.

• Aerial image underlay is very valuable resource for future planning

• Cadastral issues

GOOGONG • MAX DIFF 0.325 • MIN DIFF -0.249 • RANGE 0.574 • MEDIAN -0.009 • AVERAGE -0.011 • 54 OBSERVATIONS >0.1m DIFFERENT • 121 OBSERVATIONS <-0.1m DIFFERENT • 2551 OBSERVATIONS WITHIN +/- 0.1m • (93.6% WITHIN +/-0.1m)

• FAILED TO DELIVER ON TREE SURVEY AS PROMISED • MOST PROMISED TIME FRAMES WERE NOT MET

SIDING SPRINGS • AVERAGE -0.007 • MEDIAN 0.002 • MAX 1.215 • MIN -2.407 • RANGE 3.622 • FROM 1720 COMPARISONS, • 1005 WITHIN +/- 0.1m

715 OUTSIDE +/- 0.1m. 59% WITHIN TOLERANCE

• IMPROVISED AND PRODUCED RESULTS QUICKLY AFTER SURVEY • IS SURVEY SUFFICIENTLY ACCURATE TO PROVIDE CONTOUR INTERVAL?

Clients

• Satisfied with result at first • Aerial image – a plus • Difficulty dealing with amount of DTM data • If their software can’t cope – could scope be

defined to limit triangle extent

CONCLUSIONS • THE DRONE CAN PROVIDE A SATISFACTORY MEANS OF PERFORMING

THE REQUIRED SURVEY IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES – LARGE SCALE PROJECTS AND PROJECTS WHERE ACCESS IS DIFFICULT

• IN ADDITION TO THE DIGITAL MODEL AND PLANS A COMPLETE RELATIVELY CLOSE RANGE SET OF PHOTOGRAPHS WAS AVAILABLE TO THE CLIENT

• SUBCONTRACTING THE FLYING AND PROCESSING INVOLVES SIGNIFICANT ADMINISTRATION TIME WHICH SHOULD BE REFLECTED IN THE PRICE

• SITES NEED TO BE THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED BEFORE DECIDING ON SUITABILITY AND AN AWARENESS OF LIMITING FACTORS WITH RESPECT TO DRONE FLYING IS NEEDED.

• UTILISING DRONE FOR SURVEYING REDUCES WORK AVAILABLE FOR OUR STAFF

• THE TYPE OF VEHICLE CHOSEN IS DEPENDENT ON THE TERRAIN OF THE SITE TO BE SURVEYED OR PROXIMITY.

• SPECIFICATIONS MAY NEED TO CATER FOR THE NEEDS OF END-USER OF THE PROJECT AND MAY EXCLUDE DRONE USAGE.

TO END

• WORTHWHILE TRIAL • NOT AS HAPPY WITH RESULTS AS WE HAD HOPED

FOR • BUT - WE WILL PERSEVERE AND SEEK OTHER

SUITABLE SITES • GOOD OPTION FOR LARGE PADDOCK LIKE SITES

AND SITES WHERE SURVEY ACCESS IS DIFFICULT • LESS SUITABLE FOR SMALLER SITES WITH

HARDSTAND AREAS

• "LANDdata Surveys will exceed our clients expectations in the delivery of innovative land surveying, spatial information and town planning consulting services“

• LANDdata Surveys is the first survey firm in the ACT to offer clients the option of a Drone based topographic survey solution. This enables us to provide faster and more cost effective solutions on large suitable projects.