Photogrammetry Technology

Learn more about how we use Photogrammetry to deliver the fast, accurate scans:

We make the complicated simple

How Photogrammetry Works

Photogrammetry utilizes the principal parallax to calculate locations and elevations of real-world features. Like our eyes, people can get a sense of distance because we are observing an object from two different locations (each of our two eyes). Spitfire Drone Survey capitalizes on this principle by mounting a camera on a drone and taking multiple overlapping photos of the region or features of interest. These photos can be imported into processing softwares, along with survey grade GPS observations to calculate accurate point clouds, models and orthomosaics.

Our Hardware

DJI M300 RTK Drone

Aerial Platform

DJI’s latest commercial drone platform offering up to 55 minutes of flight time, advanced AI capabilities, 6 Directional Sensing & Positioning and more, the M300 RTK sets a whole new standard by combining intelligence with high-performance and unrivaled reliability.

DJI M200 drone used by Spitfire Drone Survey

DJI P1 Sensor

Camera Sensor

We use the Dji Zenmuse P1 Full Frame 45MP Camera.              

DJI P1 Photogrammetry camera
Slider showing RGB vs slope angle drone scan in West Vancouver, BC

A Complete Solution

Our Digital Toolkit

Photos are acquired such that there is sufficient overlap between photos. Required amount of overlap varies depending on characteristics of the site, but typical overlap for basic sites is 75% forward and side overlap. Once photos have been collected, they are inputted into an aerial triangulation software where images and ground control are tied together to calculate point clouds, orthophotos and DTMs.
The result of these technologies is an unbeatable combination of resolution, flexibility and usability. Our customers use this data to save money, improve quality and drive efficiency in their businesses. Ready to start working together?

We integrate to your existing systems

Photogrammetry Deliverable Formats

Deliverable
Format
Description
Orthomosaic
GeoTIFF, JPEG
Orthographically rectified image of all photos stitched together
Digital Terrain Model
GeoTIFF
3D Elevation  model of ground topography in raster format. Typically 1-3cm resolution
Ground Surface
XML, DXF
Triangulated irregular network (TIN) 3D surface model of ground topography including points and break lines
Point cloud
LAS, LAZ, e57
Georeferenced and colourized collection of data points in 3D space
Linework
DWG, DXF
Extracted linework of key features within the scanned site. Typical extracted linework features include curb/gutter, road lines and surface utility outlines

Case Study

Ground points iconLidar scanning iconPhotogrammetry scanning icon

Construction Project Management

Progress Monitoring at Area 6

Our Process

1

Preparation

We start by understanding your project needs and target output. We will review the location to ensure safe and legal flight and verify any regulatory requirements.

2

Scanning

We will arrange to be on site at the optimal times during your project to capture the initial scan and subsequent progress update. Our team of certified and insured pilots will ensure minimal disruption to site activity.  

3

Data Processing

After the flight, we process and data and prepare it for your use. We provide the appropriate file types and formatting to fit your workflow.

4

Quality Assessment

Independent measurements collected from traditional survey techniques are compared to our processed product to confirm our data is accurate.

5

Deliverable Generation

Using our product from the data processing, we generate deliverables catering to our clients’ individual needs, including digital terrain models, grading plans, earthworks reports, monitoring reports, various point cloud classifications, 3D design overlay and integration of high precision total station/survey grade GPS measurements with aerial survey data.

2

Scanning

We will arrange to be on site at the optimal times during your project to capture the initial scan and subsequent progress update. Our team of certified and insured pilots will ensure minimal disruption to site activity.

Expert team
3

Data Processing

After the flight, we process and data and prepare it for your use. We provide the appropriate file types and formatting to fit your workflow.

4

Quality Assessment

Independent measurements collected from traditional survey techniques are compared to our processed product to confirm and our data is accurate.

5

Deliverable Generation

Using our product from the data processing, we generate deliverables catering to our clients’ individual needs. Deliverables include but are not limited to point clouds, digital models, and survey drawings.

Ready to Scan?
Get In Touch

We're Proud of Our Customers

From monitoring and assessment, as analytical data, or as marketing materials, our outputs consistently bring businesses and workflow to the next level.  We thrive on your success!

Finning Caterpillar client logo
Creus Engineering client logo
Quattro client logo
RAM client logo
British Columbia Ministry of Transportation client logo
Oxford construction client logo
BatterbyHowat architects logo Vancouver BC
Cypress Mountain ski area logo Vancouver BC
Frontera logo
British Columbia Ministry of Transportation client logo
District of North Vancouver logo
BC MEA logo
Cypress Mountain ski area logo Vancouver BC
Grouse Mountain logo
City of Powell River logo

What Our Customers Say

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"Spitfire delivers data that is responsive to our needs and catered to our workflow as an architecture firm, capturing what traditional surveys miss and enabling us to effectively site our projects to suit any given context."

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“We recently chose to have Spitfire Drone Survey look after all of our project completion quantity verifications.We have been thrilled with the services they offer, they are fast, professional and provide quality end products that we are happy to share with our customers.To top it all off they provide their services at a very reasonable price. I would highly recommend their services, the finished results exceeded our expectations.”

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"The data is absolutely fantastic. Comparing to the “original” high-altitude lidar, it’s now obvious that it was smoothed pretty aggressively, and your data gives us the real shape of that canyon."

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Photogrammetry image showing slope steepness as a colour gradientPhotogrammetry photo showing RGB colour of the site
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