A Life Without Limits
  • Surveying
    • Surveying Roles
      • Overall Breakdown
      • Licensed and Registered Surveyors
    • Specialisations and Related Fields
      • Specialisations
      • Civil Engineering
      • Geospatial Science
      • Hydrography
    • The History of Surveying
    • Technology
      • Surveying Technology
      • 3D Scanning
      • GPS
      • Drones
      • Pokémon and Surveying
      • GDA2020 – Modernising Australia’s Datum
    • Cool Projects
    • Defining Surveying
  • Profiles
    • Meet a Current Surveying Student
    • Meet a Survey Assistant
    • Meet a University Student Project of the Year Winner
    • Meet a Graduate Surveyor
    • Meet a 3D Modeller and Surveyor
    • Meet a Trainee Licensed Surveyor
    • Meet a Newly Licensed Surveyor
    • Meet a Senior Licensed Surveyor
    • Young Surveying Professional of the Year
    • Professional Surveyor of the Year
    • Meet a Senior Lecturer in Surveying
    • Meet a Surveyor General
    • Women in Surveying
  • Study
    • NSW & ACT >
      • Study Pathways
      • Where To Study
      • NSW Scholarships
    • QLD >
      • Study Pathways
      • Where To Study
      • Qld Scholarships
    • SA >
      • Study Pathways and Institutions
    • VIC >
      • Work Experience Placements
      • Study Pathways
      • Where To Study
      • RMIT Information Portal
    • WA >
      • Study Pathways
      • Where To Study
    • Distance >
      • Distance Education
  • Career Resources
    • Get Kids into Survey
    • Career Resources
  • Experience Surveying
    • Try Surveying in Victoria
    • Try Surveying in NSW
  • Industry Partners
  • Connect with Industry
    • Find a Job
    • Work Experience
  • More Info
    • Blog
    • Ask a Surveyor
    • Is Surveying for Me?
    • Surveying and STEM careers
    • Demand for Surveyors
    • In the News
    • Videos
      • Videos About Surveying
      • Surveying With Evan Webster
      • Women in Surveying Day
      • Student Experience Days
    • FAQs
    • Contact Us

Blog

UAV-based LiDAR: the future of surveying

June 23, 2017Kellee Ireland

A research team from the University of New South Wales and Linke & Linke Surveys has developed a 3D mapping drone that can survey a large area in minutes, saving time, cost and even lives.

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) weighs approximately 12 kilograms and uses spinning Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to capture 30,000 reference points per second and generate 3D maps in real time.

Director of Linke & Linke Surveys, James Linke said the time and subsequent cost of construction surveys will decrease significantly. “The cost savings would be in the region of 3,000 per cent, compared with a job being done by one person,” said Mr Linke.

“If you have three of four kilometres of stockpiles, it might have taken five to ten days. Now it can be done in 10 minutes, and you have the data ready to use instantaneously,” he said.

Similar UAVs using LiDAR are being developed around the world, increasing the ease and speed of surveying in projects ranging from construction and mapping to mining and natural disaster relief.

Research leader Dr. Johnson Xuesong Shen from UNSW said the technology can go where humans can’t and obtain real time data, assessing work sites and areas hit by natural disasters to determine safety levels.

“We have a research project at the moment looking at the safety of open-pit coal mining,” said Dr Shen. “We can map out the high wall, do some analysis and figure out the risk of collapse.”

While still in prototype phase, UAV LiDAR is set to change the future of surveying, impacting the efficiency, safety and accuracy of surveys across a number of industries around the world.

Find out more about the UNSW UAV LiDAR project here.

Previous post Where STEM studies can take you Next post Surveyors help uncover remnants of NSW’s past

Contact Us

New South Wales
T: (02) 9054 6867

Queensland
T: (07) 3321 1622

South Australia
T: (08) 8212 0343

Western Australia
T:  0424 177 510

Victoria
T: (03) 9690 6660

News

  • Why do I need a licensed or registered surveyor?
  • Superheroes of the Survey Site
  • Explore the RMIT Geospatial Sciences Tour
  • Surveyors Making a Mark at Walt Disney World

Pathways

  • Study Pathways – NSW
  • Study Pathways – QLD
  • Study Pathways – SA
  • Study Pathways – VIC
  • Study Pathways – WA

Join us

© Copyright 2020. A Life Without Limits | Surveying Task Force Inc.