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Aerial Mapping System for Mass Data Collection
'Drones', or unmanned aerîal systems, which take high quality photographs of the ground to produce 3D ground surveys are impressing both aviation and surveying professionals alike.
Of course, serious surveyors do not describe the Topcon Sirius Pro aerial mapping system as a 'drone', but for the benefits of conjuring up a familiar image, the UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) looks just like one.
Weighing just 2.7kg and just 1.3m in length with a wingspan of 1,63m, the Sirius Pro can fly for nearly an hour collecting thousands of high resolution images from which accurate three dimensional digital models are produced for use within topographic projects. For Inverness-based surveying company, Caintech, acquiring the equipment has opened up business to a whole new range of possibilities.
The company, which was established in 1989, was initially involved with quantity surveying but for the past nine years has shifted to being predominately involved with land surveying - carrying out topographic, bathymetric and laser scan surveys. In early in 2014, the firm decided to expand its capabilities so that it could undertake more detailed surveys over wider areas.
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Caintech chief pilot Tim Riome was responsible for choosing a suitable aerial mapping system for the firm and, with an aviation background, had strict requirements for a robust and reliable vehicle. "From an aviation point of view, we found that the Topcon Sirius Pro was the most robust system out there with the most stable and steady platform [vehicle] with high quality imagery,...