As a land survey tool, the advantages of UAVs are infinite in flexibility, safety, and cost-effectiveness. In the field of land surveying, more and more methods of surveying and mapping are turning to drones. In the past ten years, UAV technology has made great progress, and the advantages of UAVs have been constantly highlighted.

Advantages compared with traditional land survey

    Traditional land surveys still exist. For small and simple surveys, traditional land surveys may be more suitable. However, in land surveying, traditional land surveying tools and methods have limitations. Aerial surveys can cover the ground more quickly, which is faster and more effective than traditional land surveys.
At present, land surveys are usually used in areas that cannot be surveyed by air means, such as areas where there may be flight hazards. Canyons, internal environments, and urban environments are all included. But for any manual surveyor, there are still potential risks, especially in dangerous terrain such as canyons and large environmental features. UAVs can solve the problems associated with traditional land surveying, while also bringing benefits. For example, in land surveying, drones can be used in many other inaccessible areas.

Advantages over other aerial surveys

   Before the popularization of UAV surveying and mapping, aircraft and helicopters were often used for aerial surveys. Other aerial surveying methods also have some advantages in land surveys. Traditional aerial surveys and UAV surveys use the same technology. The same cameras are installed on different aerial platforms, but the method of acquiring image data is different.
    However, traditional aerial surveys also have shortcomings. Although flying in the air is safer than ever, there are still some risks. Because the crash may harm the crew on duty. The cost of manual aerial surveys is also high because they require well-trained crews, who need to fly the aircraft and capture data.
    Due to the characteristics of light weight and fast speed of drones, drone surveys have solved many such problems. Like airplanes and helicopters, UAVs can also carry cameras for LiDAR or photogrammetric imaging to obtain higher resolution image data.
    The traditional aerial survey method for manned aircraft requires a series of tasks such as application for airspace and coordination with airports, which is costly and cumbersome to operate. Compared with the other two measurement methods, the UAV aerial photogrammetry method has great advantages, such as low cost, convenient execution, high automation, high accuracy, and high efficiency. It is a more feasible way to use drone aerial photography to obtain basic topographic map data in the work of rural collective land registration confirmation and certification.