Had to pick between two drone mapping services for a site survey

We were doing a grading plan for a 12 acre lot in Phoenix and needed a topo map fast. The choice was a local guy with a basic drone or a national company with LiDAR. Went with the local option to save $1500 and get it done in two days. Big mistake, the elevation data was off by almost a foot in some spots and we had to rework the whole cut and fill sheet. Anyone else get burned by cheap drone surveys and have a reliable provider they trust?

3 comments

3 Comments

hall.jenny3d agoTop Commenter

That's the classic false economy right there. The extra cost buys you the right gear and proper ground control. Now you're paying for it twice.

lewis.brian3d ago

Wait, they didn't even get the right gear? @hall.jenny is spot on.

emma_garcia2d ago

LiDAR isn't always the magic fix... proper ground control points are what really lock in that accuracy.