Cowie Embankment

Specialised Case Study

As part of our CP6 Year 4 works we were required to carry out a survey at a site called Cowie - SCM3 115 miles 0660 yards to 115 miles 1540 yards. The site is made up of a section of raised track with embankments either side, crossing through fields. The topo spec required a full topo of the above mileage and surrounding infrastructure. A topo this size would require approx. a full week on site with 2 surveyors. Then there is the issue of working on steep slopes to consider.

It was decided that the best option would be a combination of using a GPS kit and a UAV drone to survey the area. Due to the amount of vegetation on site, the DJI Matrice 300 RTK drone was fitted with the DJI L1 (LiDAR) first of all and a number of flights were carried out over the site. Additional planned flights were then undertaken using the DJI P1 camera fitted to the drone and high accuracy aerial photogrammetry was carried out over the area. The on-site drone works were completed in 1 day. A Leica GS18t GPS kit was used to survey in all boundary detail/ drainage features and any other detailed aspects of the site which the drone may have issues reaching. The GPS works were completed in 2 days on site.