Project Overview

A landowner sought to better understand the terrain and elevation of their property before making development decisions. However, the site presented significant challenges, including dense vegetation and steep slopes, making traditional ground-based surveying difficult and time-consuming.

By utilizing drone-mounted LiDAR technology, 2cofly provided a highly accurate topographic dataset, giving the landowner the insights needed for informed planning and feasibility assessment.

The Challenge

Surveying land in heavily vegetated and steep terrains poses unique difficulties. Traditional surveying would require manual clearing of vegetation and extensive fieldwork, significantly increasing time and costs. The landowner needed a faster, more efficient method to capture the site's elevation data without disturbing the environment.

Approach & Methodology

LiDAR-Based Aerial Mapping2cofly deployed a drone-mounted LiDAR sensor, which has the unique ability to penetrate vegetation and capture the terrain beneath the tree canopy. This provided a clear and precise elevation model that traditional photogrammetry methods could not achieve.

High-Precision Terrain AnalysisOur flight captured thousands of LiDAR data points per second, creating a high-density 3D point cloud that accurately mapped the slope, land features, and elevation changes of the property.

Deliverables

• 3D Colorized Point Cloud – A detailed representation of the terrain with elevation color coding

• Digital Elevation Model (DEM) – A highly accurate elevation map showing contours and land slopes

• 1’ Contour Map – Engineering-grade contour lines to assist in land use planning

Results & Project Impact

Accurate Terrain Data for Development Planning

The landowner gained a clear and precise understanding of the land’s elevation and slope, allowing them to explore development options without uncertainty.

Time & Cost Savings

By using drone-based LiDAR, we eliminated the need for manual surveying in rough terrain, reducing survey time from weeks to days while maintaining high accuracy.

Vegetation-Penetrating Mapping

Unlike traditional aerial mapping, which only captures surface features, LiDAR technology successfully mapped the terrain beneath dense vegetation, ensuring a true representation of the land’s topography.

Conclusion

This project demonstrated the power of LiDAR technology in challenging environments, enabling landowners and developers to make informed decisions without the need for costly and time-consuming manual surveys. By leveraging drone-based mapping, 2cofly provided actionable data that supported the client’s long-term land development goals.

For landowners, engineers, and developers requiring high-accuracy terrain mapping, LiDAR surveys, or feasibility assessments, 2cofly offers cutting-edge drone solutions to make planning faster, smarter, and more efficient.

2cofly (pronounced Ecofly) is Micronesia's leading drone service and education provider. Our core competency lies in remote sensing via various sensing technologies such as photogrammetry, LiDAR, thermal and more.

Few key deliverables we can output with our drones & sensors:

• Orthomosaic Mapping (+ Planimetric Mapping)

• Topographic Mapping (via LiDAR & photogrammetry)

• General LiDAR Mapping (land feasibility study, power line, etc)

• Aerial Inspection

• Aerial Magnetometry (underground metal detection)

• Thermal Map (radiometric)

We are also the largest drone training and education provider, offering:

• Online Course

• In-person workshops

• Custom curriculums for students and professionals

Schedule a free consultation

(671) 988-1532 | dwl@2cofly.com