What can our technology capture from the sky?

Taken from a single flight, we develop ultra-high resolution imagery to provide fast, accurate, and reliable topographic and image data for our clients in the construction, utilities, regulatory service and renewables industries. But to get the most out of environmental monitoring data, the monitoring activities and surveying methods need to be right. Here’s our guide to getting the right survey for your needs.

Topographic survey data from photogrammetry

Ultra-high resolution still images that are precisely georeferenced, from which we produce overlapping land imagery that can generate elevation and height models and orthomosaics. For our clients in construction, these data can be used for earthworks calculations and cut and fill analysis, and water companies can use the data for catchment modelling, route optimisation analysis and river restoration projects.

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Topographic survey data using LiDAR technology

Aircraft-mounted laser technology, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) generates accurate positional returns to give a point cloud of the landscape. Unlike photogrammetry, LiDAR penetrates the tree canopy to get returns from the ground surface below. Clients across many industries use our LiDAR services for projects such as topographic mapping, power line mapping, studies of woodland, archaeology, flood plain modelling, city planning, line of sight analysis and construction phase monitoring.

APEM have recently pioneered other applications of LiDAR to accurately map bird flight heights for the offshore wind industry.

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Unparalleled detail, giving a complete picture

Capturing still photographs at 2cm ground sampling distance (GSD) generates colour images in incredible detail. Images are used to detect invasive and non-native species, identify endangered species in offshore wind areas, vegetation changes to detect pipe leaks and sources of pollution across a whole river catchment. We can also use the data to produce photo-realistic, fully interactive 3D models of the environment and virtual flyovers for stakeholder engagement.

Aerial thermal imagery showing residuals home heat losses

Near infrared (NIR) imaging

Beyond the visible spectrum, NIR is sensitive to changes in vegetation (healthy vegetation shows up bright red and pink, whereas sparse or water-lacking vegetation shows as a blue-green washed out colour). NIR is used by our clients for habitat classification and detecting pipeline leaks.

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Thermal aerial imagery

A thermal dataset shows the temperature of a landscape, and is perfect for looking at heat loss and thermal inefficiencies. In the image below, the team immediately spotted a discrepancy in the temperature bottom left filter bed, highlighting an operational problem.

Thermal imagery is typically used in cold, dry conditions, with ideal conditions being from November to February. Our teams are called upon to use thermal imagery to assess heat loss and thermal inefficiencies in residential and industrial properties, as well as inspecting the condition of utility assets such as water and waste treatment facilities, power lines, solar panels and buried pipelines for leak detection.

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Aerial thermal image of water treatment plant highlighting possible leaks

Generating digital environments and tangible exports from survey data

Generating digital environments

Providing data that is evergreen and reliable, with 3D topographic outputs in a variety of formats, including high density point clouds, digital surface models (containing all surface features of the landscape such as trees and buildings), digital terrain models (using LiDAR imagery, where surface features are stripped out for a bare earth layer), raster elevation maps, XYZ/ASCII grid files, contour maps at pre-defined intervals, reality meshes, VR ready outputs and virtual flyovers.

Tangible exports from survey data

Combining surveying techniques and outputs, we quickly deliver flexible, accurate and robust data that fits in with our clients’ systems and helps drive their business forward.