Are there still surveyors that don't use drones?

Not using drones here - so far. We are subscribed to a service called "Nearmap" which allows us to download spatially correct (+/-) aerials to use as background on our topos. The engineers love that. 

There is quite a lot of tree cover around here, even in urban areas. So there would be quite a lot of fill-in work to complete any aerial topo anyway. (I am aware that these problems can be lessened through the use of oblique photography - but at what point does it become a bigger PIA than it is worth?) I'm not certain that data extraction from an aerial would be quicker than the old ground pounding - and with all the fill in work that would have to happen I'm quite certain that any efficiency gain would be lost. 

We are in the same situation. We are testing different drones doing our research. Have some data sets that I have been comparing to field run topos in all types of field situations. Canopy asphalt open fields. Tall crops vs cut crops. Etc. may good check points established. I believe the drones have a place in the tool box for sure. More data than needed in a short amount of time. Very good data that matches the ground conventional or rtk data. Except when it doesn’t. I have even had good luck in different types of canopy using extraction and classification tools to get to ground.  But on the other hand I see data that is way off. Some of that is a tree log laying on ground in canopy somewhat decaying maybe covered some in leaves. Well if we ground ran that we would have seen that and not shot a ground shot on that but on the ground nearby. So now do I have a crew meander through the woods to outline those areas along with stumps sticking up a foot that the software thinks is ground as it classifies and samples. Even had a old truck bed that was upside down somewhat squished that was falsify the data. These are just some of the things one must contend with. Now if you do large topos and have open pastures or crop land. Integrating the drone in those areas are game on. Just be cautious of canopy briars thick vegetation areas.  Lidar vs photogrammetry. And weigh that against your requirements and such. Sometimes locating stumps and those logs are a good thing for volumes as it all takes up space in that dump truck as contractors haul it away. So it all depends.  Also set control for drones and additional ground proofing checks.  No matter what YouTube influencers say. I believe when we can get drones with 7 plus bands on lidar on private sector side and near bands. You will be amazed at what will be possible. Even being able to identify a property corner a crew sais is not there. lol. It’s coming eventually. And it will all turn us up on our heads. 

I'm brand new to the whole UAV thing but just recently started a new gig with our local government and the surveyor that was here before used drones extensively. Mostly for creating surfaces with a lot of that being volume work centered around large gravel and sand material stockpiles that would be really difficult to map any other way. The other common application was for creating high resolution ortho imagery around events like ice flooding that were utilized by EMS and other responding agencies.  Personally I'm excited about the opportunity to get into it since it dovetails with my existing repertoire. Targets need to placed and mapped in,  in order to properly register data. The imagery and subsequent point clouds need to be classified to remove things like trees, structures and the like. There's a good deal to it but much of it is automated using ESRI  tools like Drone2Map (desktop based), Site Scan (cloud based) and Global Mapper for classifying data. I'll be getting my FAA 107 license this winter. It's not particularly difficult, especially if you have any kind of aviation experience. Personally it just gets my juices flowing and I think it will open up some interesting doors and opportunities. I've talked with some other surveyors here that have been using drones to create some rather tantalizing 3D modeling for their clients like the RR that really leave their clients impressed. I guess it comes down to the kind of work you're going after. I'm getting to the age where if I can map from a lawn chair and not beat myself up, I have to seriously look into that.

The drone thing is certainly interesting, but for my situation (solo operator approaching retirement with only a fraction of projects that would benefit from the technology) the investment in time and equipment doesn't make sense.  So I'm in the no drone zone.

They are great for some things, so you would need to determine what you would want to use one for.  What you might use it for would also indicate what set-up you would need to get.

Just earlier this year, I got one and got my Part 107 to be legal to operate commercially.  So my experience is limited.  The key reason I got one was to have more up to date (and developed by me) aerial images if I wanted to use them as a background on a survey.  So I haven't done much mapping beyond the pretty picture concept.

There are some great YouTube videos that will walk you through material on the certification test and you can probably be ready to take the exam within a week.

Learning curve for the actual flight was not bad at all.  Operating the drone I got is as simple as poking a few buttons on a 'data collector' and then watching the sky as the drone does it's thing.

Learning curve for processing the data is not too bad at all for getting just rectified images.  Because of the very low flight, the images are really surprising how accurate they are.  I've developed a center line alignment from an image and found it to be within 0.1' on a chip and seal road at every staked out point.

I haven't processed images for developing elevation data, but in watching some videos about it, it doesn't seem too bad.  Just need to get the experience to know when to switch between flying or walking.

Much of the learning curve will probably depend on your comfort level with software in general and then on which software you choose to use.

Posted by: @brownbear13

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Well, folks, this ol' Colorado bear's been chewing on a thought for a while now: should I get myself a drone for surveying? Can’t quite tell if I really need one. Seems to me, I’ve managed just fine with the gear I’ve got so far. But you know how the young whippersnappers are—they keep telling me it’s faster, smarter, and all-around better.

So, I figured I’d ask y’all: what’s been your experience with drones? When do you actually find them worth the effort? And was it a steep learning curve to get started, or did it come pretty naturally?

Also, I’m curious—how many of you stick to the old ways and don’t use drones at all? What’s your reasoning behind it?

I've been using drones for a few years now, and I can definitely see the appeal. They're great for quickly capturing large areas, especially those that are difficult or dangerous to access. Plus, the data you get can be incredibly detailed.

However, like you, I still rely on traditional surveying methods for certain tasks. Drones are a fantastic tool, but they're not a replacement for good old-fashioned fieldwork.

Here are a few things to consider when deciding if a drone is right for you:

The type of projects you work on: If you frequently deal with large, complex sites, a drone can save you a lot of time and effort.
Your budget: Drones and their accessories can be expensive, so you'll need to weigh the costs against the potential benefits.
Your comfort level with technology: If you're not tech-savvy, learning to fly a drone and process the data can be a steep learning curve.

As for the learning curve, it can be a bit steep at first, but there are plenty of resources available online and in-person to help you get started.

Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to use a drone is up to you. It's important to weigh the pros and cons and choose the method that works best for your specific needs and preferences.

Have you considered any specific drone models or software for your surveying needs?

I've been flying since 2017.  I could not imagine not having drones in the toolbox now.  The LiDAR payloads are getting pretty good.  You'd be astonished at the detail that shows up below a tree canopy.  I'm trying to find a fly through video that I made that starts above the trees, comes down through and then follows a creek bed that you can't see from above. 

I currently fly a large construction site (1,000,000 sq ft building), that I'm imbedded on, twice a week.  We utilize Sitescan (ESRI).  It's cloud based so I can give viewing permissions to the project team.  I've loaded CAD overlays, the proposed surface and as-built information (underground utilities) so the project team can see progress, check dirt volumes and also conduct planning.  It's mind blowing how well it works.  

We need more surveyors getting into these or we will have more outside people getting into our toolbox just like GPS and Total Stations.  

Been fascinated with photogrammetry ever since Florida turned surveyors into “photogrammetrists” in the late 1990's via statute. Started with studying online courses (software based remote sensing and GIS) offered from Emporia University, in the late 1990's just as reasonably priced software (Erdas) was becoming available. In the beginning all images were film based and then scanned to create digital image files, but around that time Canon developed a 1 mega pixel digital camera (around $30,000). At the time, the only way to get nadir pictures was either by balloon, kite or manned aircraft. So, around 2003, I started taking flying lessons and began shopping for a used Cessna 172, because that was the only reasonably priced plane which could be modified for a camera port. About 40 hours into my flying career I was nearly hit by a cowboy coming out of a nearby cloud, which convinced me to look for alternatives. As digital cameras started becoming lighter and offering ever greater and greater numbers of pixels, I got the idea of using a remote helicopter (both gas and electric models), which would carry a digital camera that could be triggered remotely.

None of my learning/experimentation/spending a great deal of money ever produced one usable image. But, I knew this was the future and was not going to give up. Eventually, when DJI came onto the scene I knew their offerings were bringing together the technologies (flying and picture taking) that would keep getting better and better, so I began to invest and test their earlier models. Wasn't long before I was able to get reasonable images, and Russian Agisoft photogrammetry software was starting to get there with a product that would revolutionize photogrammetry.

Today I have a fleet of drones (all DJI, P3, Inspire I, P4, Mavic3E RTK, Matrice 600, Matrice 350RTK), and use both photogrammetry (Sony 61 megapixel full frame) and LiDAR (Zenmuse L2). For software I prefer PIX4Dmatic and PIX4Dsurvey, along with DJI Terra for LiDAR initial processing. Got my Part 107 license about 10 years ago around the time the FAA began licensing.

Up until a couple years ago, I knew of no surveyors in my part of Florida who were involved with drones, but now there are a couple more.

Currently, my grandson is in the Geomatics program at the University of Florida, so I will be seeing to it that he takes any and all courses related to photogrammetry.drones/LiDAR. This is the future for our profession, and if we don't use the technology, others will.

Another thing that is starting to become popular is where you use the LiDAR in an iPhone loaded with PIX4dcatch app, and an Emlid RX RTK (a few other models of RTK can also be utilized) to scan areas of interest just by walking along the ground and pointing the phone screen at the area of interest. There are a number of Youtube videos that show some of what this relatively cheap (my setup, sans the iPhone, cost $3900 and included the RTK, and 1 year of PIX4Dcatch) setup can be used for.

I could have retired about 20 years ago, but then I would have missed out the most revolutionary and exciting thing to come along in our profession. I would encourage any surveyor to have a plan to bring in photogrammetry to your business operation.