Drone Site Survey Services

What Is a Drone Site Survey?

A drone site survey provides a comprehensive aerial assessment of your development site, capturing everything from boundaries and access routes to existing features and ground conditions. Unlike traditional ground surveys that can take days to complete, our drone-based approach captures the entire site in hours—delivering the complete picture you need for planning, design, and due diligence.

At Drone Survey Services, we combine high-resolution aerial photography with precision photogrammetry to create detailed orthomosaic maps, 3D models, and CAD-ready site plans. Whether you're acquiring a site, submitting a planning application, or briefing your design team, our drone site surveys give you accurate, current information about exactly what's on the ground.

James Leslie

Owner, Engineer & Drone Pilot

"Got questions? Call me directly - I'm happy to talk through your project."

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Complete Site Intelligence,Delivered Fast

What You'll Receive

• High-resolution site orthomosaic
• CAD-ready site plans (DWG/DXF)
• Boundary and feature mapping
• Survey-grade accuracy (±2-5cm)

Delivered in 3-5 working days

Why Choose Us

• CAA approved & fully insured
• Same-week availability
• Latest DJI survey equipment
• UK-wide coverage

Trusted by developers, architects & planning consultants across the UK.

Available now — typically respond within 10 mins

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How Much Does a Drone Site Survey Cost?

Pricing depends on your site size and required deliverables. Here's a guide to help you budget:

*Guide prices include standard deliverables. Final quote based on site complexity, access, and specific requirements.

What affects your quote?

• Site size & complexity
• Required deliverables
• Turnaround time
• Access arrangements

Our drone site surveys typically cost 50-70% less than traditional ground surveys while delivering more comprehensive data. Contact us with your site details and we'll provide a tailored quote within 24 hours.

What Is the Difference Between Drone Site Survey and Traditional Survey?

Traditional site surveys require teams of surveyors walking the ground with total stations and GPS equipment, measuring each feature individually. This approach works well but takes time—a complex 5-hectare site might take several days to survey properly.

Drone site surveys capture the same information from the air in a fraction of the time. We photograph the entire site at high resolution, then process thousands of overlapping images into accurate maps, models, and plans. The result is often more comprehensive than traditional methods—we capture everything visible from above, not just the points a ground team chooses to measure.

What Accuracy Can a Drone Site Survey Achieve?

Our drone site surveys routinely achieve horizontal accuracy of ±2-5cm and vertical accuracy of ±3-5cm when using ground control points. This level of precision is suitable for the vast majority of planning, design, and due diligence applications.

We use RTK-enabled drones with real-time positioning, combined with strategically placed ground control points surveyed to OSGB36 coordinates. This ensures your site data ties accurately into Ordnance Survey mapping and can be used alongside other survey data with confidence. For projects requiring higher accuracy, we can deploy additional ground control and enhanced processing workflows.

What Are the Applications of Drone Site Survey?

Drone site surveys support decisions at every stage of the development lifecycle. Here are the key applications where our clients see the greatest value:

What Features Can a Drone Site Survey Capture?

A comprehensive drone site survey captures everything visible from above—and that's usually more than you'd expect. Our surveys document the complete picture of your site's existing conditions:

The orthomosaic imagery we deliver acts as a permanent visual record of site conditions at survey date—invaluable for comparison with future surveys or resolving disputes about what was present before development began.

What Deliverables Do You Get From a Drone Site Survey?

We tailor deliverables to your project requirements, but our standard drone site survey outputs include:

• Site Orthomosaic

  High-resolution, georeferenced aerial imagery showing every detail of your site. Typically 2-3cm per pixel resolution.

• Digital Terrain Model (DTM)

  Bare-earth surface model showing ground levels across the site. Essential for level design and earthworks planning.

• Digital Surface Model (DSM)

  Top surface including vegetation and structures. Useful for visibility analysis and understanding site context.

• Boundary Mapping

  Accurate mapping of physical boundaries, fence lines, and property extents visible from aerial imagery.

• CAD Site Plans (DWG/DXF)

  Professional CAD drawings ready for your design team. Layered format compatible with AutoCAD, Revit, and other software.

• 3D Site Model

  Textured 3D mesh model for visualisation, design context, and stakeholder presentations.

How Long Does a Drone Site Survey Take?

On-site data capture is fast. Most sites under 10 hectares can be surveyed in a single morning, including ground control setup. Larger sites may require a full day, but we can often complete what would take a ground team a week in just hours.

Processing and delivery depends on your required outputs. Standard deliverables are typically ready within 3-5 working days. For urgent projects, we offer express processing with next-day turnaround available at additional cost.

How Do I Choose a Drone Site Survey Provider?

The quality of drone survey providers varies significantly. When evaluating options, we recommend checking these key factors:

• CAA authorisation – Ensure they hold valid GVC permissions for commercial drone operations
• Professional insurance – Public liability and professional indemnity cover appropriate to your project value
• Survey experience – Understanding of accuracy requirements, coordinate systems, and deliverable formats
• Quality equipment – RTK-enabled drones and professional processing software
• Relevant portfolio – Examples of similar site survey projects they've delivered

At Drone Survey Services, we tick every box. We're CAA approved, fully insured, and have delivered site surveys for developers, architects, and planning consultants throughout the UK.

Is Drone Site Survey Cheaper Than Traditional Surveying?

In most cases, significantly so. Traditional ground surveys require surveyors to visit every point they need to measure, which takes time—especially on larger or more complex sites. Labour costs add up quickly when a team spends several days on site.

Our drone surveys capture everything in hours rather than days, dramatically reducing field time and costs. Typical savings range from 50-70% compared to equivalent traditional surveys. Beyond cost savings, you also get comprehensive visual documentation that traditional surveys simply cannot match—high-resolution imagery showing exactly what was on the ground at survey date.