Photogrammetry

Overview

Astrolabe Engineering has extensively used, over the years, photogrammetric methods and workflows to generate high quality mapping and geospatial products  from terrestrial, aerial or satellite imagery. Image acquisition techniques and sensors are continuously evolving, providing us the tools to fulfill our clients’ needs better and faster.

We operate our own survey-grade UAVs and terrestrial camera systems, and apply leading photogrammetric processing software to deliver end-to-end workflows in-house — from flight planning and ground-level data acquisition to final georeferenced products. For projects requiring satellite imagery, we combine our field capabilities with proven data acquisition partners and processing pipelines suited to each project’s scale and accuracy requirements.

Products and Services

By using different types of imagery with resolution and accuracy tailored to the final product’s requirements, we create a variety of multi-purpose photogrammetric products:

• Diagrams and maps of any scale and accuracy
• Geospatial datasets
• Digital Terrain Models (DTM) and Digital Surface Models (DSM)
• Orthophotos – orthomosaics
• 3D RGB pointclouds
• Textured 3D models
• Photo interpretation products

Services for specific markets include:

• Transportation design corridor surveying
• Pipeline construction zone surveying
• Cultural heritage documentation
• Construction site progress monitoring and as-built verification
• Open-pit mines documentation and monitoring
• Mapping for cadastral studies
• 3D city modeling

Our Photogrammetric Equipment

• Nikon D5600 DSLR camera for terrestrial and close-range photogrammetric surveys, used for building facade documentation, cultural heritage recording, archaeological sites, and any project requiring high-resolution ground-level imagery. Its 24.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor and compatibility with the full Nikkor lens range deliver sharp, detailed imagery across a wide range of shooting distances and conditions. Ground control points (GCPs) are used to georeferenced the imagery to survey-grade accuracy.

• DJI Mavic 3E Enterprise RTK compact enterprise UAV with integrated RTK module for high-precision aerial photogrammetric surveys, mapping, inspection, and construction monitoring. Equipped with a 4/3-inch CMOS 20 MP main camera and mechanical shutter, it delivers centimetre-level absolute positioning accuracy in combination with the DJI D-RTK 2 base station or a network RTK correction service. Maximum flight time 45 min, max speed 21 m/s, IP43-rated for adverse weather.

• DJI Phantom 4 RTK survey-grade UAV with integrated RTK/PPK module for precision mapping and cadastral photogrammetric workflows. Its 1-inch CMOS 20 MP camera with mechanical shutter eliminates rolling-shutter distortion. The on-board RTK module, used with the DJI D-RTK 2 base station, achieves horizontal accuracy of 1 cm + 1 ppm RMS and vertical accuracy of 1.5 cm + 1 ppm RMS — significantly reducing or eliminating the need for dense ground control point networks.

• Both platforms can be operated with the DJI D-RTK 2 High Precision GNSS Mobile Station, providing real-time centimetre-level RTK corrections in the field — including in areas without network RTK coverage.

Processing Software

• Pix4Dmapper — Photogrammetric processing software for aerial and terrestrial surveys, producing georeferenced orthophotos, DSM/DTM, and dense 3D point clouds.

• Pix4Dmatic — High-performance processing engine for large-scale aerial datasets, enabling rapid point cloud and 3D mesh generation at project scale.

• Pix4Dsurvey — Point cloud editing and survey-grade export tool for contour lines, cross-sections, volume calculations, and CAD deliverables.

• RealityScan — Multi-modal reconstruction software that combines photogrammetric imagery and laser scan data into accurate, high-detail 3D models and point clouds.

Tell Us About Your Project

Have an aerial survey or mapping project in mind? Get in touch — we’d be glad to talk through the right approach for your site, scale, and deliverables.