Photogrammetry Surveying

What is Photogrammetry?

Photogrammetry is a technique that obtains precise measurements and three-dimensional information about objects and surfaces from photographic images. It involves the process of extracting geometric measurements and spatial relationships from 2D photographs. The goal of photogrammetry is to create accurate, scaled, and detailed 3D models or maps of physical objects or landscapes.

How does it work?

01.

CONDUCT A FLIGHT

Hundreds of photographs are taken with a drone from various angles and positions. These photographs overlap by at least 60% to ensure that common points are visible in multiple images.

02.

SOFTWARE TRIANGULATION

Triangulation is a fundamental concept in photogrammetry. It involves identifying and measuring the location of common points (features or markers) in multiple images. By comparing the angles and positions of these points in different images, the software can triangulate and calculate the 3D coordinates of the points.

03.

POINTCLOUD PRODUCTION

Once the 3D coordinates of common points are calculated, they form a point cloud—a collection of 3D points representing an object’s or terrain’s surface . A QA/QC process is conducted on the point cloud by comparing to ground control points collected with a cm accurate RTK GPS

04.

INTERPRET THE DATA

Desired outputs from photogrammetry include topographic maps, orthophotos, and digital elevation models (DEMs). These products can used for geodetic surveying, construction site documentation, and building information management (BIM).

3D Mesh Model Example

Try flying around an example in this convenient web browser based 3D model of the Prince of Wales Tower in Point Pleasant Park Halifax, Nova Scotia. This example is made up of over 17 million data points.

Click here to see an example.

Survey Quality

Photogrammetry has survey grade, sub-centimeter precision.

Collected in conjunction with drone flights for photogrammetry are ground control points (GCPs) using high grade real time kinetic (RTK) global position system (GPS) equipment. This means your data has the same accuracy and precision and is in the same datums, such as NAD83 and CGVRD2013, as your classic professional topographic survey. The only difference is instead of collecting 10s to 100s of survey points, you get millions.

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Measure your sites to cm accuracy.

The power of photogrammetry lies in having topographical data right at your finger tips. Measure lengths, heights, angles, areas and volumes in a convenient online browser or get us to do it for you. For example, this image on the left is a stock pile of aggregate and the volume of material can be easily calculated to estimate trucking costs.

Orthoimage site updates

Need a quick snap shot of what’s happening at your project site? Get georeferenced orthoimages with high detail of any site. This product is particularly useful for large project sites where site details can reviewed with one convenient style. Schedule weekly or monthly project updates to understand your site better with the click of a mouse.

FIND OUT HOW

PHOTOGRAMMETRY CAN WORK FOR YOU

There is a multitude of applications for photogrammetry, and the sky’s the limit. Contact us now to learn how photogrammetry can be used on your projects.

Photogrammetry Surveying​