Measurements, not just maps
Volumes, cut/fill and distances come out of the processed surfaces, so a survey ends in numbers a site team can use.
NovaSurvey
Drone Surveying & Geospatial Intelligence
From drone capture to measurable ground reality.
Process a flight into orthomosaic, elevation models and point cloud, then measure volumes, cut/fill and change between periods — for mine sites and construction projects alike.
Mining survey — pit 4 volumetrics
Lease boundary · KML overlayOrthomosaic0 — 100 m
Orthorectified imagery, measurable in plan view.
- Stockpile volume
- 124,850 m³
- Change vs previous survey
- +8.4%
- Surveys on record
- 14
Geospatial platform
Survey outputs that carry into decisions
NovaSurvey is organised around what happens after processing: measuring, comparing and reporting on ground that changes every month.
One processing chain
Imagery, point cloud, elevation models and orthomosaic are produced from the same flight and stay aligned to each other.
Comparable over time
Every survey is retained, so this period can be measured against the last one instead of being read in isolation.
NovaSurvey for mining
Measure the pit, the piles and the movement between surveys
Mining operations need the same site measured repeatedly, to the same method, with the difference quantified. That is the job NovaSurvey is built for.
Volumetric analysis
From flight to volume
Stockpiles, excavations and dumps measured from the processed surface rather than estimated from the ground.
- Drone survey
- Image processing
- Point cloud
- Surface generation
- Volume calculation
- Report
Volumes that match the pit
The quantities a mine plan and a monthly claim depend on.
- Stockpile volume by pile or area
- Excavation volume against a reference surface
- Dump volume tracking
- Cut and fill quantities
Surfaces and measurement
Derived surfaces are the measurement basis, and are kept.
- Surface generation from densified point cloud
- Surface comparison between surveys
- Measurement tools over the processed data
- Defined reference surfaces per area
Survey record
A survey is a dated record, not a one-off deliverable.
- Survey history per site and area
- Period-to-period comparison
- Volumetric reports for each survey
- Exportable quantities and figures
Achievable accuracy depends on ground control, sensor and flight planning, so we agree the expected tolerance for each survey programme instead of quoting a single figure.
Change detection
Two surveys, one answer
Compare any two surveys of the same area and get both the visual difference and the quantity that goes with it.
- Survey A
- Survey B
- Change detection
- Visual difference
- Quantified change
- Report
Difference you can see
Before/after visualisation over the same footprint.
- Before/after surface comparison
- Change maps across the survey area
- Terrain change highlighting
- Historical comparison across surveys
Difference you can quantify
The same comparison expressed as numbers.
- Stockpile growth and reduction
- Excavation progress by area
- Cut/fill change between periods
- Quantified change in reports
Orthomosaic
A measurable image of the whole site
Hundreds of overlapping frames become one orthorectified base layer that everything else is drawn on.
- Drone images
- Image processing
- Orthorectification
- Orthomosaic
- GIS visualisation
Orthomosaic visualisation
A single orthorectified image of the site, navigable in plan view and measurable rather than perspective-distorted.
Layer control
Switch between imagery, elevation models and point cloud over the same footprint, with boundaries and annotations on top.
Measure, annotate, export
Take distances and areas, mark features for the site team, and export the layer or view for use elsewhere.
Geospatial layers
DEM, DTM and DSM as selectable layers
The same survey is viewed through whichever surface answers the question in front of you — and the layer switcher in the interface above shows how.
- Orthomosaic
- DEM
- DTM
- DSM
- Point cloud
DEM — Digital Elevation Model
The elevation raster for the survey area, used as the general height reference for the site.
DTM — Digital Terrain Model
Bare-earth terrain with structures, plant and vegetation removed — the surface used for earthworks quantities.
DSM — Digital Surface Model
The surface as flown, including buildings, equipment and vegetation — useful for clearance and obstruction questions.
KML overlay
Your boundaries, over your survey
Lease lines, project limits and operational zones belong on the same map as the survey data — so questions about what sits inside which boundary have one answer.
- Upload KML
- Parse geometry
- Overlay on map
- Compare with survey data
- KML / KMZ boundaries
- Survey areas
- Mining lease boundaries
- Project boundaries
- Roads and haul routes
- Assets and structures
- Operational zones
Ready to turn visual data into actionable intelligence?
Send us a site boundary and a survey interval, and we will map out the NovaSurvey processing and reporting cycle for it.
Talk to NovaMetrics