Designed for surveying professionals eager to leverage the power of drone technology, this session contains a variety of presentations that outline what it means for drone technology to create value. Presenters will explore and detail practical strategies for seamlessly integrating drones into existing workflows. These presentations will showcase what it means to:
- Utilize drones in tandem with crewed aircraft
- Survey, process, and analyze data from multiple flights on a daily/weekly/monthly basis
- Deploy drones to improve infrastructure sustainability
- Combine aerial and terrestrial lidar with point cloud data
- Demonstrating ROI or other metrics of value
Attendees will acquire the knowledge and practical strategies necessary to confidently integrate drone technology into your surveying workflows, optimize your operations, and position your practice for continued success in a rapidly evolving industry.
Mastering Infrared Inspections: Aerial & Ground-Based Thermography for Precision Diagnostics
This presentation is designed to equip drone pilots and industry professionals with the insights they need to perform high-value thermal inspections across multiple sectors. Mastering infrared spectral scanning, AI-driven analysis, and drone-based data collection can enhance safety, reduce maintenance costs, and improve infrastructure sustainability. Whether you are an experienced engineer, inspector, drone operator, or aspiring thermographer, this presentation will provide the technical foundation, real-world applications, and industry best practices necessary for success.
Presenter: Drew Thacker
Lessons Learned: Massive Site Survey and Progress Tracking
At the start of 2025, ASN Constructors reached the halfway point in constructing a $4+ billion flood mitigation project in Fargo, ND. This massive effort includes a 30-mile diversion channel, 19 bridges, and 2 aqueducts. As a result, the team needs to manage approximately 10,000 acres of flight area, which they must survey, process, and analyze at least once a month. This presentation will highlight the valuable lessons the team has learned that allow them to compete with manned aviation at scale while maintaining the detail and responsiveness of drone technology.
Presenter: Anthony Herman
Overview of the Results of Combining Aerial and Terrestrial Scan Data
In August of 2024, the team at Tran Texas Surveying conducted an ALTA boundary survey to determine the utility of combining aerial and terrestrial lidar with point cloud data from the LEICA RTC360. They also wanted to assess the potential of TopoDot and Carlson Point Clouds software for automatic or manual extraction. The results of this work allowed them to identify the best use of lidar sensors for their future projects which they will outline in full detail.
Presenter: Robert Young
PRISM Team Completes World Record-Breaking 350,000 Acre Drone Lidar Survey
The PRISM team, in collaboration with industry partners Harris Aerial and Phoenix LiDAR, successfully completed the world’s largest contiguous drone lidar data collection. They mapped 350,000 acres using high-density lidar and high-resolution imagery, requiring over 500 flight hours over three years. The project endured extreme conditions, including temperatures from 20°F to 120°F, high winds, hurricanes, fog, and rainfall. This achievement represents a more than tenfold increase over any known similar effort that they’ll outline in full detail.
Presenters:
Eben Broadbent
Raymond Akol
