Cross section survey in a matter of minutes using drone data

Read Time: 2 mins
Quick links

    With the power of drone-captured data and the Propeller Platform, surveying cross sections becomes as easy as drawing a line on a map. We’ve just updated our line annotation tools to include a cross section view.

    This feature of the Propeller Platform will be very useful for anyone needing to estimate and track earth moving works in road and site construction, in mines, quarries or on landfill sites, as well as for anyone doing as-built surveys during the different stages of construction to ensure that the project is conforming to the design plans and regulations.

    A cross section gives you an immediate sense of the height differences between site designs and the actual terrain at any given time.

    On the Propeller Platform you can create as many cross sections as you want, anywhere on your worksite. This enables you to easily and visually compare between multiple 3D surfaces (such as a previous month’s data or site design files), check profile and heights at any point of any section that you choose.

    As an example, in less than a minute you can check if a road base, subgrade, or finished surface fits within the variation permitted against design requirements. In the video below, we have used our line annotation feature to create a cross section of a road surface under construction (the orange line), and then compared it against it’s design file (the green line).

    You can check the elevation (and variance) at any point by moving your mouse pointer along the line, and it will also show progress against the line annotation in the Map View with an orange circle. As you can see in the video, an added feature is that you can choose the location of cross section tool—in the side panel or below the map.

    In the next example we demonstrate how the new cross section tool can be used on a landfill site to check cell conformance against the design surface. You can see how easy it is to make a comparison between multiple data sets on the same graph.

    As you can see from the videos, roadworks and landfill cells are just two of the many applications for the cross-section feature, with grading, leveling, and compaction measurement also common uses.

     

    Quick links

      Related articles

      Aerial photo looking down at high-rise building site.

      Cut and Fill Calculations for Construction Sites

      Cut and fill extraction, sometimes called “excavation and embankment,” means moving earth from one location…

      How Propeller calculates expected accuracy

      Learn what a point cloud actually is and then how drone data is integrated with…
      Propeller CAD

      Introducing Propeller CAD: From idea to concept, in minutes

      Getting a new earthwork idea out of your head and onto the screen is the…

      Ready to learn how Propeller can power up your worksite?

      We’re happy to show you how Propeller can power your worksite, and boost productivity.

      Related articles

      How to Use Drone Data to Improve Landfill Performance

      If you manage a landfill, you may have been wondering how you can use drones…

      How to Collaborate Better Using Drone Data and the Propeller Platform

      Keeping everyone on your worksites up to date with the best and most recent information…

      How to Use Drone Survey Data on Your Construction Site

      Drones cut down surveying times to hours instead of days or months, and they’re cheaper…