Aerial / UAV Surveys

Murphy Geospatial have long understood the benefits of aerial survey and continue to help our clients find the most cost-effective solution for their requirements, delivered via UAV surveys, helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft operations. The use of UAV (drones) has revolutionised the survey industry in the last 10 years and we have integrated this new technology seamlessly into our daily operations. In addition, we offer visual inspection of assets using aerial inspection surveys which can avoid the need for costly mobile elevated working platforms or scaffolding. 

An aerial mapping UAV can cover previously inaccessible areas. Large areas of land can be covered in a fraction of the time in comparison. They can provide contextual information in an urban environment quickly and efficiently without impacting on neighbouring properties. As a result, our aerial mapping services are much quicker and more cost-effective than traditional ground-based methods. High-resolution images captured using UAV can be processed to produce photogrammetry models, digital surface and terrain models, derived point cloud, orthophotography and line mapping. 

Murphy Geospatial have built up a wealth of technical knowledge over our 30 years’ experience delivering data captured through aerial methods. We find our clients lean on this experience when deciding the best approach for capturing data for their projects. We can advise on the benefits of photogrammetry vs. LiDAR and achievable accuracies of different aircraft and survey methodologies. We will consult with our clients to understand their technical requirements and budgets before recommending a course of action.  

Aerial photogrammetry and orthophotography are produced from photographs captured by UAV operations. This cost-effective solution produces vivid outputs from which features can be identified for traditional survey deliverables. They require good light and will capture everything in the line of sight of the camera. Aerial LiDAR mapping enables the capture of rich datasets and can operate in poor light conditions, through vegetation and tree cover and in some cases can be more cost effective in the long-term.  

We own a fleet of modern UAV and employ experienced, licensed pilots. Our flight planning ensures that all relevant authorities are aware of our flight operations and suitable weather windows are chosen to maximise the quality of captured data. The high-resolution data captured from our aerial surveys is checked by our pilots in real-time to ensure all areas in the scope are covered. Geospatial accuracy of the captured data can be increased using verified ground control points or areas. It can also be fully integrated with data from other survey instruments, giving you the ability to access all required information in one consolidated place.  

End-to-end consultancy and project management means that Murphy Geospatial will provide our clients with professional liaison with landowners, utility providers, authorities, and any relevant third-parties. 

Murphy Geospatial offer a range of aerial mapping and aerial inspection services.  

Our aerial inspection services leverage off the control and flexibility of UAV to generate high-quality, high-resolution images and video. Our skilled pilots can reach difficult to access locations and make use of proximity sensors to get as close as possible to the area of interest without damaging the aircraft. We can supply an immersive video headset with a wireless link to the UAV camera so that our clients can get a real-time understanding what is in the field of view of the aircraft and advise our pilot on areas of particular interest. Our clients have found this useful for structural inspections and traffic studies. 

For aerial mapping services there are generally three options: 

• UAV for small to medium–sized areas e.g. development sites 
• Fixed-wing aircrafts for large areas e.g. flood plains  
• Helicopters for large areas with a high-accuracy requirement e.g. large-scale mapping of electricity cables or railway lines 

A growing number of sectors are experiencing the benefits of using aerial survey to better understand their assets, optimise their survey requirements, and reduce risk in their maintenance operations. 

• Infrastructure: Roads, Rail  

Reduces the need for of rail possessions or traffic management on roads, preventing costly knock-on effect of delays to rail services and traffic. There are health and safety benefits of taking surveyors out of dangerous transport corridors. Enables the capture of larger, more comprehensive datasets to better understand assets. 

• Infrastructure: Bridges, Dams 

For visual inspection of inaccessible areas. Photo and video outputs can give engineers an understanding of any visual defects without the need to set up scaffolding MEWP or rope access. 

• Property, Heritage, Archaeological 

For asset inspection / rooftop assessment in order to detect any damages or defects. UAV surveys can access large sites easily, without affecting the site and avoiding the need for scaffolding or MEWP. Detailed outputs can provide a record of detail on heritage buildings to plan restoration. 

• Construction 

UAV are being used more and more in the construction sector. Progress update aerial surveys from UAV can be processed and compared against BIM models to provide an understanding of progress against programme. Projects involving the movement of large volumes of earthworks can leverage the benefits of aerial surveys for stockpile management and quick calculation of quantities. 

• Energy, Renewables, Oil and Gas 

For visual inspections of inaccessible areas, without impacting operations. For aerial inspections of turbine blades and towers to highlight damage and identify defects. 

• Hydrographic 

Coastal and inland waterway surveys to capture large volumes of data from large-scale sites for coastal defence, coastal erosion and flood modelling. Also useful to capture video footage of flood extents to gauge impacts and plan emergency response. 

• Marketing 

High–res video and imagery, which can be used for marketing purposes. 

• 3D Modelling of terrain and structures
• 3D Point Cloud/ 3D Models/ 3D Animation/ Fly-Through Videos
• Aerial LiDAR survey
• Aerial orthorectified imagery
• City modelling
• Corridor mapping e.g. for road, rail and utility sectors
• Digital Terrain Models (DTM), Digital Surface Models (DSM), Contour models
• Building Elevations from UAV imagery
• Floodplain mapping and monitoring
• General Visual Inspection (GVI)
• High resolution archaeological landscape modelling
• High resolution orthophotography
• Integration with BIM
• Landslide risk assessment
• Multi-spectral imaging
• Noise propagation modelling
• Photographic and video inspections from UAV
• Photogrammetry
• Topographical survey
• Vector Mapping
• Volume calculations
• Watershed modelling