Geospatial Operations

Topographic Assessment for Manufacturing Company Facility Expansion in Military Operations Area

Braun Intertec provided a topographic assessment to a specialty materials manufacturing company in Hondo, Texas. The client was planning future expansion and renovation activities that required an assessment of the site topography. Traditionally, a full topographic survey would be required to achieve this. Since this assessment was for planning purposes, true survey accuracy was not required. Performing this assessment with unmanned aerial systems (UAS) allowed the assessment to be completed more quickly and inexpensively than performing a traditional on the ground survey. In many circumstances such as this one, UAS provide high-quality data mapping for large and hard to access sites, which also can provide more safety for data collection than traditional methods.

The site was in a challenging location for a UAS flight. The site is in a military operations area (MOA) and is adjacent to a municipal airport. The proximity to an airport necessitated monitoring air traffic communications and notification of flight activities to the airport. Due to the large size of the site, the mission had to be segmented into multiple flights to swap batteries and to maintain visual line of sight with the aircraft.

Braun Intertec Geospatial Operations staff constructed a network of ground control points and check points throughout the flight area with a survey-grade GPS unit. The ground control points were used to accurately process and place the 3D model in the physical world. Determining the final accuracy of the model was made possible by comparing the model to the check points.

Braun Intertec created deliverables included a digital elevation model (DEM), topographic contours, accuracy report, and video. The topographic assessment gave the client sufficient knowledge of site topography to commence their facility expansion planning activities. The digital elevation model obtained through the UAS flight is accurate enough to identify areas prone to flooding, perform slope analysis, and determine cut and fill volumes for various areas of the site. Our Geospatial Operations staff’s approach to this project and utilization of UAS to deliver information allowed the client to advance their expansion project on time and on budget.

If you have any questions about this project or geospatial operations, please contactJamie Maxwell.