Measurement, not just imagery
A LiDAR sensor fires hundreds of thousands of laser pulses per second and records where each one returns from. Because some pulses reach the ground between leaves, the survey produces a classified point cloud that separates ground from vegetation and structures.
That distinction matters. On a corridor through Rwandan hill country, a photogrammetric survey returns the top of the canopy; a LiDAR survey returns the terrain underneath it, which is what a design engineer actually needs.
Projects that need the ground, not the canopy
Powerline and transmission corridors
Conductor geometry, ground clearance and vegetation encroachment along live infrastructure.
Road and drainage design
Alignment surveys, cross sections and terrain models for new build and rehabilitation.
Forestry and canopy structure
Canopy height models and stand structure, with true ground elevation beneath.
Wetland and floodplain modelling
Terrain capture in reed and marsh margins where ground survey is slow and intrusive.
Quarry and stockpile volumes
Repeatable volumetric measurement without stopping site operations.
Dense vegetation terrain capture
Any site where the ground is hidden and a bare earth model is the deliverable.
Survey grade aerial laser scanning
Our survey aircraft fly planned corridor lines with RTK positioning, carrying survey grade laser scanners with integrated inertial navigation and multiple returns per pulse. Where a network correction is not available on site, we record for PPK and correct against a local base station.
Ground control points and independent check points are placed along the run. The control points constrain the adjustment; the check points are held back and used only to verify the result, which is what makes the accuracy statement meaningful rather than self reported.
See equipment and methodsSurvey workflow
- Scope, corridor definition and flight authorisation
- Ground control and check point placement by the field team
- RTK or PPK corridor capture with planned overlap
- Point cloud generation, classification and quality control
- Derived products, accuracy statement and handover session
Forest structure, biomass and carbon
Photogrammetry only sees the top of the canopy. LiDAR pulses pass through gaps in the leaves and reach the ground beneath, so the height of the trees and the shape of the terrain under them are captured in the same flight. That is what makes forest measurement possible from the air.
The chain from there is short. Subtract the ground surface from the canopy surface and you have the height of every tree on the site. Height and crown dimensions go into allometric equations, which are the formulas foresters use to link a tree's measured size to its weight, and those give above ground biomass in tonnes. Biomass converts to carbon, and carbon to carbon dioxide equivalent, by standard factors.
The step that decides whether the answer is worth anything is calibration. Allometric equations are species specific, so ours are matched to what is actually growing on the site and checked against field plots measured on the ground. A number produced without that is an estimate dressed up as a measurement, and it will not survive scrutiny from anyone who knows the difference.
Those two pictures are the same survey. The first is what stands on the ground, measured by height. The second is the ground itself, with every return from leaves and branches stripped out. A camera can produce the first. Only a laser that reaches through the canopy can produce the second, and without the second there is no tree height, and so no biomass and no carbon figure.
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Canopy Height Model
The height of every tree across the site.
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Tree count and crown delineation
Individual trees identified and measured, not sample-plot estimates.
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Above-ground biomass
Height and crown dimensions converted to tonnes of woody biomass using allometric equations, which are formulas linking a tree's measured size to its weight, calibrated to the species present.
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Carbon stock
Biomass converted to tonnes of carbon and to tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
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Terrain model under canopy
The bare ground surface beneath the trees.
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Change between repeat flights
Growth, loss and disturbance over time.
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Canopy gaps and stocking density
For restoration and replanting planning.
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One flight, two uses
For tea, coffee and agroforestry estates needing deforestation-free evidence for EU market access under the EUDR, the same flight and the same dataset serve both carbon measurement and that proof. It is a single-visit service.
What we do and do not do
Droneshutters Ltd supplies survey-grade forest structure measurement and analysis. We do not issue, certify or validate carbon credits. Certification and validation are performed by accredited verification bodies. Our data supports that process; it does not replace it.
What arrives at the end of the job
| Deliverable | Format | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Classified point cloud | LAS or LAZ | Source dataset for all downstream products |
| Digital terrain model | GeoTIFF raster | Bare earth surface for design |
| Digital surface model | GeoTIFF raster | Canopy and structure surface |
| Contour lines | DXF or SHP | Drawing office, at your chosen interval |
| Break lines | DXF or SHP | Ridges, ditches and hard surface edges |
| Canopy height model | GeoTIFF raster | Forestry and vegetation management |
| Profiles and cross sections | DXF or PDF | Alignment design and review |
| Corridor clearance report | Encroachment risk, prioritised by span | |
| Accuracy statement | Method, control and check point residuals |
Clearance and height, answered directly
A point cloud is precise and unreadable. With Reality Intelligence you ask what clearance there is between the line and the trees along a stretch, and you are told, instead of measuring it by hand in software.