Project Location – Dulas Estuary, Lat  53.3706, Long  -4.2865

Seahawk AP flew 7 separate Flights covering nearly 50 hectares at a height 0f 70m in a 5 hour period, the area was a mixture of sand, reed bed and marsh grass. 600 high resolution images were used from these flights to create a geo referenced ortho mosaic at 3cms per pixel and a digital surface model with an accuracy of 6 cms, (average error over the 50 hectares was 7 cms X+Y and 10 cms in the Z). This accuracy was achieved with the help of 70 sub cm accurate ground control points (surveyed  by SEACAMS) and then the same points were used to verify the processed ortho mosaic and DSM. All the processing and model creation was carried out by DTM Technologies.

The aim of the project was to highlight the use of new technology and processes to carry out a ground survey over a large area. It brought together a set of skills from 3 different service providers from the North Wales region, DTM Technologies, Seahawk AP and Bangor University, working together to provide an economic solution to an otherwise time consuming process.

This is not a new technology or process, it has been used for many years. Its the advancement of the technology that has brought this process forward and it is now in reach of many industry sectors, through both price and forward thinking by the Civil Aviation Authority, paving the way, globally, and  allowing the commercial use of small unmanned aerial systems. A full survey report can be provided on request, please contact us here

There are many forms of surveying used in a variety of business sectors. We specialise in accurately reproducing terrains and buildings in a usable digital format. We create high resolution point clouds and meshes with accurately reproduced colour information. All terrain models can be reproduced to scale, geo-referenced and at a resolution to suite your needs. Although digital terrain models can be bought off the shelf for the whole of the UK and most places around the world, these are usually limited to a 5m resolution and can be up to 5 years old. With our processes and technology and the way we gather the data needed we can produce terrain and surface models from a few metres square and over and repeat over and over again, so no time frame restrictions, and resolutions that will surpass all. This process is ideal for a number of industries, a single house build, an archaeological dig, coastal erosion, the list goes on, combine this information with other, already gathered data, in a real time app for on site or off site planning can be of huge benefit to projects.

All our aerial surveys are produced to a high level of resolution, accuracy and precision. GPS is used to gather  cm accurate reference points on the ground. These are used in the creation process and in the validation of the final model. A report for each project is carried out and is available with each survey. Data from each survey can be provided in many industry standard formats. We create the highest resolution possible and then down sample the data to the requirements of the client.