Topographic Survey Services

A topographic survey maps the shape of the land and the features on it: elevations, slopes, drainage, buildings, roads, utilities and vegetation. Engineers, architects and developers need a topographic survey before they can design grading, drainage, roads or buildings with confidence.

Darling Geomatics combines conventional ground survey with drone LiDAR and photogrammetry. Ground survey gives the precision needed at hard surfaces and key features; drone capture covers large or rough areas quickly and safely. Our Registered Land Surveyors, licensed in seven states, oversee the work.

What a topographic survey includes

• Spot elevations and breaklines at curbs, edges and grade changes
• Contour lines at the interval your design needs
• Buildings, pavement, utilities above ground and other site features
• A surface model of the ground for design software
• Survey control so later work ties back to the same coordinates

Deliverables

• CAD drawings (DWG, DXF) with layers to your standard
• LandXML or Civil 3D surfaces
• Point clouds and orthomosaics from drone capture
• A signed and sealed survey where the project requires one

Planning a topographic survey

A good topographic survey starts with the design question it has to answer. A building pad needs dense detail at hard surfaces and tie-ins; a drainage study needs reliable ground under vegetation; a road needs breaklines along curbs and edges. We agree the extent, the detail and the contour interval with your engineer before the field work, so the survey answers the question the first time.

Drone LiDAR measures through gaps in vegetation to the ground, which makes it well suited to rough desert and brush. Photogrammetry gives sharp imagery and detail on open ground. Ground survey fills the places neither can see, such as under trees, canopies and structures, and checks the drone data against independent points.