ARTICLE

Land Surveying Drones—Safe, Accurate, Timely

When preparing to survey a site for a small school district in Wisconsin, I was trying to determine the most efficient way to provide quality, timely service.

The school district was contemplating making some future improvements to two of their buildings and the athletic fields. The site was also in need of drainage improvement to ensure water would flow away from the structures and off the parking lot.

With a planned referendum approaching, it was important to move quickly on the project. Surveying the site by foot could take several days. But, with a drone, the same service could be provided in less time and be nearly as accurate.

Origin Design worked with AeroView Services, an aerial data acquisition and 4D point cloud company, to assist with surveying the school district’s site.

AeroView used an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), also referred to as a helicopter, to take photos from up above, flying back and forth on the site. The UAV takes overlapping photos and a GPS reading every time it takes a photo. The pictures are then precisely merged together by pixel. The UAV generates a point cloud which is a 3D map of the site that IIW can use in site planning and design. The photos are then input into a specialized software to develop a digital terrain model (DTM).

Why UAV?

Operating a UAV requires only one person, while a “normal” survey would typically require two people to operate a “total station.” Depending on the size, some projects could take several days on foot versus hours to operate a UAV to get similar results.

Other benefits of using drone technology include:

Safe, low-impact option that keeps people out of harm’s way
Flexible—operates on cloudy or windy days
Provides accurate, CAD-ready files
Produces quality aerial photos for property owners and to use in presentations/referendums

Origin Design, in conjunction with AeroView Services, is now able to offer drone technology as part of our land survey services. This additional service can greatly enhance project engineering and management, while saving time in the process.

Today, we remember and honor the courageous men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Our offices will be closed Today, May 25th in observance of Memorial Day. We will return to normal business hours on Tuesday,

Happy National Accounting Professionals Day! Today we’re recognizing the team who keeps our finances clear and our business moving forward. Your insight helps guide decisions and supports our success every day. Thank you for all you do.

Yesterday, we were proud to serve as the Keynote Sponsor for East Central Iowa Council of Governments Local Government Recharge Day, featuring Kate Moreland. The afternoon was filled with meaningful connections and collaborative conversations among community leaders.

15 years of excellence! Congratulations to Nick Rettenberger on this amazing milestone. Your dedication inspires us every day!

Every project starts somewhere. Stay tuned next week for a three-part video series and see what architect, Zach Thielen has been up to!

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On Friday, our survey crew fired up the grill, broke out the bean bag boards, and celebrated some big milestones, wrapping up a major field effort supporting the Catfish Creek Sewer Improvement / Middle Fork project, adding survey services to our Davenport office, and kicking off construction season the right way!From time in the field to time spent back at the office, it’s safe to say our crew knows how to get it done.

In April, we celebrated two incredible women who have left a lasting mark on Origin Design. Congratulations to Lynn, who devoted 31 years to our team and began her well-earned retirement at the beginning of the month, and Mary, who concluded an incredible 40-year journey with us yesterday.Their hard work, loyalty, and the relationships they built will remain a part of our story. We are grateful for the countless memories, dedication, and heart they have shared with us over the years.We wish Lynn and Mary the very best in retirement and thank them for their lasting impact on Origin Design!

Elevated tower or ground storage? Our Water Resources Team Leader, Marc Ruden, PE, recently shared a real-world case study from Spillville, Iowa at the AWWA Iowa Section Region 1 Operator’s Meeting.Learn what factors communities should consider when modernizing water storage systems on our blog. https://origindesign.com/.../elevated-water-tower-vs...

At Origin, giving back is part of who we are. On Friday, Engineering Designer Luke Althaus used his employee volunteer day to help Mrs. Althaus and her second grade classroom plant trees at Kennedy Elementary School. By offering every employee a dedicated volunteer day, we encourage giving back to meaningful causes and supporting the communities where we live and work.

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This Sunday, April 26, marks the anniversary of Origin Design becoming an ESOP. Recently, a few members of our team attended the NCEO Conference in Milwaukee, where we deepened our understanding of ESOP culture, leadership, sustainability, and employee engagement.

At Origin Design, employee ownership means more than a retirement benefit. It means building sustainable wealth, fostering leadership at every level, and investing in shared long term success.