Archaeological Services has Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Operational Authorisation to deploy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for a variety of purposes, including: detailed topographic surveys (LiDAR), historic building recording and landscape aerial photographic survey, including multispectral photography. For large area surveys, including high resolution LiDAR, pre-programmed flight paths are uploaded to our Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and data is used to create detailed composite images, high density pointclouds, digital surface models (DSM) and digital terrain models (DTM).
We produce scaled 3D photo-realistic models, videos and aerial photographs in either oblique or georeferenced plan views (orthophotos). These can be used in support of other surveys, as stand-alone products and in support of excavation and other archaeological recording. All survey outputs are fully integrated with CAD and GIS.
We also offer traditional topographic surveys, using both GPS and total-station equipment, which can be used independently of, or in addition to, UAS survey.
Our Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) in action at a rock art site, used to create a landscape aerial LiDAR survey, supplemented with multispectral photography
Detail from the final scaled orthophoto showing part of the decorated rock panel
Photogrammetric 3D model
Aerial photogrammetric survey showing the darker large ring-ditch of an excavated prehistoric round barrow in Tyne and Wear
Digital surface model (DSM) of a LiDAR landscape survey, showing archaeological features