LiDAR Drone Survey

What is a LiDAR Drone Survey?​

A LiDAR drone survey uses a UAV (drone) with a laser scanner, IMU, and GNSS to fire thousands of laser pulses per second and measure their return. The result is a 3D point cloud of the ground and features—even through vegetation—delivered faster than traditional ground methods on many sites.

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Why use drone LiDAR?​

• Sees the ground under trees/brush where photos can’t (multiple returns penetrate gaps in the canopy).

• Speed on large or rugged sites (quarries, cliffs, lava fields, gulches).

• High density & detail for design-grade topo, corridors, and volumes.

• Works in low light; doesn’t require distinct photo texture.

 

Typical accuracy & density (project-dependent)​

• Vertical accuracy: ~3–6 cm RMSE with good RTK/PPK workflow and ground control.

• Point density: ~100–400+ points/m² depending on altitude, speed, and sensor.

• Always verified with check shots on independent control.

 

What we deliver (Hawaii Surveying)​

• Classified point cloud (LAS/LAZ) with ground/non-ground classes

• Digital Terrain/Surface Models (DTM/DSM), contours, and TIN surfaces

• Intensity rasters, breaklines (where needed), and orthomosaic if camera is flown

• CAD (DWG/DGN), PDFs, and control reports ready for designers

 

Where it’s ideal​

• Topographic mapping & design surveys

• Road/utility corridors and right-of-way planning

• Stockpile/earthwork volumes and progress tracking

• Vegetated or hard-to-access terrain (rainforest, lava rock, steep slopes)

• Shoreline & drainage studies (with specialized methods near water)

 

Our workflow​

1. Plan & permits: Mission planning and FAA Part 107/LAANC where required.

2. Control: Set GNSS control/targets; establish benchmarks.

3. Flight: RTK/PPK LiDAR acquisition; overlap and altitude set for density.

4. Processing: Trajectory solution, strip alignment, classification, and QA/QC.

5. Deliverables: Surfaces, contours, and files tailored to your CAD standards.

 

Limitations to note​

• Water/reflective surfaces return poorly (use supplemental methods).

• Dense canopy still needs adequate control for absolute accuracy.

• Not a substitute for boundary recovery/monumentation—we integrate with total stations and terrestrial scanning when property corners must be set.

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