High-resolution land and shoreline mapping using drone photogrammetry — producing digital surface models, orthophotos and 3D terrain data.
Drone photogrammetry has transformed topographic surveying — a single flight over a site produces thousands of overlapping images that are processed into high-resolution 3D terrain models, accurate orthophotos and contour maps. What previously required weeks of ground survey work can now be completed in hours.
MĀKI deploys RTK-capable survey drones with ground control points (GCPs) to achieve sub-5 cm horizontal accuracy across shoreline, coastal, wetland and infrastructure sites. Data is processed into GIS-compatible formats suitable for planning, engineering design and resource consent support.
For water-edge projects, MĀKI can combine drone topographic survey with USV bathymetric survey to produce a seamless topo-bathymetric dataset — the complete picture from dry land to the underwater bed.
RTK drone combined with ground control points (GCPs) achieves sub-5 cm horizontal accuracy — survey-grade results without the cost of traditional ground survey.
A single drone flight covers large areas in a fraction of the time required for ground survey — making drone photogrammetry especially cost-effective for projects covering hundreds of metres to several kilometres.
Drone survey eliminates the need to enter hazardous or difficult terrain — steep banks, intertidal flats, active construction sites and ecologically sensitive areas can all be mapped from the air.
Every survey produces a georeferenced true-colour aerial image — immediately useful for planning maps, condition reports, and stakeholder communication alongside the terrain data.
Combine drone topographic survey with USV sonar bathymetry to produce a single dataset covering land and water — ideal for harbours, coastal lakes, estuaries and wetlands.
Repeat surveys at intervals reveal erosion, deposition and land movement — supporting long-term coastal management, erosion monitoring and infrastructure condition tracking.
MĀKI topographic drone surveys support a wide range of environmental and infrastructure projects across New Zealand.
1. Planning and GCP placement. We design the flight plan, determine ground control point (GCP) locations for accuracy control, and confirm airspace requirements and site access. GCPs are placed and surveyed with RTK GPS before the flight.
2. Drone flight. The drone flies a pre-programmed grid at the specified altitude, capturing overlapping nadir and oblique images of the survey area. Flight duration depends on site size — most sites are completed within a single session.
3. Point cloud processing. Drone images and GCP coordinates are processed using photogrammetry software to produce a dense 3D point cloud, from which the DSM, DTM, orthophoto and contours are derived.
4. Report delivery. You receive a PDF report, georeferenced orthophoto, DSM, DTM, contour lines and GIS-compatible data files. Turnaround is typically 5–10 business days after the survey.
Drone photogrammetry captures hundreds of overlapping aerial photographs that are processed into a 3D point cloud, digital surface model (DSM), digital terrain model (DTM), and a georeferenced orthophoto — an accurate aerial image corrected for perspective distortion. It delivers survey-grade terrain data at a fraction of the cost and time of traditional ground survey.
A MĀKI topographic drone survey delivers a high-resolution orthophoto, digital surface model (DSM), digital terrain model (DTM), contour lines at user-specified intervals, 3D point cloud, volume calculations and GIS-compatible output files, accompanied by a written report.
Topographic surveys support shoreline and coastal erosion monitoring, infrastructure planning, wetland mapping for resource consent, construction earthwork volume calculations, coastal asset management, vegetation and land cover mapping, and post-event flood or landslip damage assessment.
With an RTK-capable drone and ground control points (GCPs), MĀKI achieves sub-5 cm horizontal accuracy and better than 10 cm vertical accuracy in typical survey conditions. Accuracy depends on flight altitude, GCP placement and terrain complexity.
Yes. MĀKI combines drone topographic survey with USV bathymetric survey to produce a seamless topo-bathymetric dataset covering both above-water land and the underwater bed in a single coordinate system. This is ideal for harbours, coastal lakes, estuaries and wetlands where understanding the full cross-section from land to underwater is required.
Yes. MĀKI is based in the Waikato and operates across New Zealand. We are available nationally for topographic and topo-bathymetric survey projects of any scale.
Topo-Bathymetric Mapping at Aotea Harbour — combined drone and USV survey delivering a seamless land-to-channel dataset for Ōtorohanga District Council.
Stormwater & Treatment Pond Surveys — bathymetric surveys of ponds and basins using autonomous USVs.
Bathymetry & Topography (combined) — find out more about MĀKI's topo-bathymetric survey capability.
Get in touch to discuss your project, receive a quote, or find out more about what a MĀKI topographic survey can deliver.
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