How Drone Mapping Saves Earthwork Costs

Improving Earthwork Visibility and Accuracy

 

Earthwork operations involve significant cost, risk and schedule pressure. Inaccurate quantities or limited site visibility can quickly lead to budget overruns and delays.

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Drone mapping technologies provide contractors and developers with highly detailed site information capable of improving decision making throughout construction operations.

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At SKYMAPTEK, aerial LiDAR and photogrammetry workflows are utilized to support:

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• Earthwork tracking

• Stockpile analysis

• Cut/fill calculations

• Construction monitoring

• Terrain modeling

• Site progression documentation

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Faster Site Data Collection

 

Traditional methods for tracking earthwork progress can be time consuming and may only capture limited spot elevations.

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Drone mapping allows millions of measurements to be collected rapidly across entire project sites, providing significantly more visibility into changing conditions.

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Improved Cut and Fill Analysis

 

LiDAR-derived terrain models allow accurate comparisons between:

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• Existing conditions

• Design surfaces

• Intermediate grading stages

• Final construction conditions

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This enables contractors and developers to better understand:

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• Material movement

• Quantity tracking

• Production progress

• Site balancing

• Schedule impacts

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Stockpile Volume Calculations

 

Drone mapping is also highly effective for stockpile measurements.

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Accurate volumetric calculations can assist with:

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• Material tracking

• Billing verification

• Production monitoring

• Inventory management

• Operational planning

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Construction Progress Monitoring

 

Regular aerial mapping flights provide consistent site documentation throughout construction.

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Progress monitoring workflows can help identify:

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• Grading changes

• Schedule progression

• Site conflicts

• Quantity discrepancies

• Potential issues before they become costly problems

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Engineering-Ready Deliverables

 

SKYMAPTEK provides deliverables compatible with engineering and construction workflows including:

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• Terrain models

• Contours

• CAD linework

• Point clouds

• Orthomosaics

• Volumetric calculations

• Surface comparisons

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SKYMAPTEK provides survey-grade LiDAR mapping and geospatial deliverables for projects throughout WV, MD, PA, VA & OH.