Over the last few years, drones have become hugely popular gadgets, both in the consumer and commercial world. For consumers, drones are used to race, experience point-of-view flights, and take pictures from the air, but for many businesses, drones have become a vital tool for improving operations and processes.
Some companies make use of quadcopters for security surveillance, while agricultural businesses can use drones to spray crops with water, pesticides, or herbicides. Businesses in many different industries are making use of UAVs equipped with LiDAR systems.
So what exactly is drone LiDAR, and how is it being used in different industries?
What Is Drone LiDAR?
LiDAR is a technology that’s used to take surveys of the land. It is a type of remote sensing that uses laser light pulses to survey the Earth’s surface.
LiDAR systems measure the time it takes for light pulses to reach the Earth’s surface and reflect back to the system’s sensor. The system then uses the time of flight of the laser light beams to calculate the distance to the Earth’s surface.
This data is then recorded in a “point cloud” — a collection of “points” that represent coordinates. After the scan, point clouds can be processed and analyzed using a point cloud processing software.
LiDAR systems can be static, mounted to moving vehicles, or attached to an aircraft such as a helicopter or a drone. So drone LiDAR is simply a LiDAR system mounted on a UAV.
What Are LiDAR-Equipped Drones Used For?
Drone LiDAR is used to survey land, buildings, or even building interiors. Using drones to carry LiDAR systems can be more affordable than other forms of airborne LiDAR, such as using a helicopter. Organizations in different industries may conduct LiDAR surveys for a range of reasons, and the data collected during these scans can have a wide variety of applications. Here are some of the ways different industries use drone LiDAR.
Improving Roads and Railroads
Using drone LiDAR, transport agencies can survey roads, railroads, and the surrounding environment. The data collected during these scans can be used to identify safety risks and locate transport corridors in need of maintenance.
Gone are the days when roads and railways needed to be manually surveyed and assessed. Now, LiDAR systems are mounted to vehicles and aircrafts such as drones so they can scan many miles of data in a single day. And once the data is collected, point cloud processing software can be used to automatically analyze and extract the necessary information.
Analyzing Accident Scenes
If you’ve ever been stuck in a traffic jam after there’s been an accident, you’ll know that it can take a long time for the accident scene to be photographed, assessed, and cleared. But with drone LiDAR, accident scenes can be documented quickly.
And because LiDAR systems use near-infrared light to scan the ground’s surface, they can still be used in the dark. So whether accidents occur during broad daylight or in the middle of the night, a LiDAR-equipped drone can capture detailed information from the surface of the scene.
Not only does this mean roads reopened as soon as possible, but it also reduces the number of people needed on-site
Conserving Biodiversity
Drones can cover large areas of land much faster than terrestrial vehicles, which makes them perfect for surveying vast landscapes such as forests or rainforests. LiDAR systems can gather data from tree canopies, and the information can be used to identify types of trees and analyze biodiversity in a specific area.
As a result, conservationists can monitor species of plants and trees, keep an eye on environmental change, and identify species in need of protection.
Streamlining Agricultural Processes
Agriculture industries around the world are starting to rely on LiDAR-equipped drones to streamline many different processes. Drone LiDAR can be used to map fields to improve farm planning and workflow. LiDAR data can also be used to detect early signs of droughts so farmers can prepare and manage crop loss.
Drones are also being used to spray crops with water, pesticides, and herbicides. LiDAR technology can determine the density of vegetation, identifying where to spray, and how much is needed.
Rediscovering “Lost” Archaeology Sites
Before archaeologists can begin a dig to analyze a site of historical interest, they first need to identify potential dig sites that show promise. Certain topographical features such as dips and vegetation density can indicate to archaeologists that a site may be of historical interest. UAV-mounted LiDAR systems can be used to spot and locate these features.
