Civil Volumetrics
LiDAR drone surveys and handheld scanning that measure stockpiles, roads, earthworks and development sites, delivered as reports, point clouds, 3D models or photorealistic walkthroughs.
Aerial & Site Services
We use the DJI Zenmuse L2 on our M350 RTK platform, plus the Lixel K2 handheld scanner for covered and confined stockpiles. Our background in civil quantity surveying means the output isn't just a point cloud. It's clear, defensible quantities that support inventory, progress claims and financial reporting.
Dirt, gravel, aggregate, scrap metal and recycling, in open yards, covered sheds or confined bunkers. Irregular, mixed and partially walled piles are a particular strength.
Areas of road surfaces, footpaths, shoulders and verges for maintenance planning, tenders and progress quantity reports during construction.
Topographic data and cut-and-fill volumes compared against design. LiDAR penetrates vegetation to reveal the true ground surface.
Not all stockpiles are the same. Some are outdoors and easy to fly over. Others sit in sheds, tunnels or bunkers where a drone can't go. Many sites have both.
For bays, open bunkers and accessible sheds, the handheld K2 captures a complete 3D model in minutes. There's no flight planning, and volumes are often available the same day.
Quarries, ports and aggregate plants are surveyed in a single flight at centimetre-level accuracy, capturing every stockpile in the yard at once.
The M350 handles the open yard while the K2 scans covered and confined areas. Both datasets are georeferenced to the same coordinate system and merged into one unified inventory report.
How it works
We understand what you need measured and in what format.
RTK-positioned aerial and/or handheld scanning collects millions of points across the site.
Ground classification, pile delineation and TIN-based volume calculation.
Volumes, tonnages, quantities and visualisations, with optional 3D Gaussian Splatting walkthroughs for presentations.
What you receive
Why Drones At Work
L2 LiDAR with live RTK corrections, against 10–15% typical error for manual methods.
Whole sites in a single flight. Nobody climbs a pile, and operations keep running.
Data translated into quantities you can use for claims and reporting.
From Christchurch to Stewart Island and beyond.
Who it’s for
Inventory control, production planning and financial reporting.
Accurate volumes and weights for mixed, irregular materials.
Cut/fill, earthworks progress and contractor payment verification.
Bulk cargo, wood chip, grain, silage and soil stockpiles.
From the field
Civil Volumetrics· 5 min read
A LiDAR drone survey of five stockpiles at a Woolston recycling facility: over 7,000 m³ measured in one flight, accurate to within 2%, with site-specific tonnages.
Read articleTestimonials
FAQ
Our volumetric results come in within ±2% of true volume. On a 3,000 m³ stockpile that's a maximum error of about 60 m³, compared with 300–450 m³ for a typical manual survey.
Yes. Our Lixel K2 handheld scanner measures covered, confined and below-ground stockpiles, and we merge it with aerial data on hybrid sites.
Yes. Rather than generic density tables, we can weigh samples on site to calculate material-specific bulk density for each pile.
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Get a free quote
Tell us about your site and we'll explain what's involved, what it costs and what you'll get back.
