Capture Terrain Data from Above

Airborne LiDAR Services in Florida and Alabama

When you need to investigate large stretches of land across Hilliard, airborne LiDAR provides high-accuracy elevation data without requiring crews to walk every acre. You get detailed terrain profiles that show both vegetation and ground surfaces, even in areas that are difficult to access on foot. This method covers hundreds of acres in a single flight, making it practical for sites where time and terrain access are limiting factors in Hilliard.

Aerial Metrology & Inspection uses LiDAR sensors mounted on aircraft to collect millions of elevation points across your site. The laser pulses penetrate tree canopy and capture both vegetation height and bare-earth elevation. You receive a dataset that supports corridor reporting for utilities, terrain modeling for drainage planning, and infrastructure assessments where topographic accuracy directly affects design decisions.

If you are planning a project in Hilliard and throughout the Southeast that requires elevation data across a large or complex site, contact us to review your coverage area and data requirements.

What You Get After the Flight

After the airborne lidar data is collected, over your Hilliard property, the collected point cloud is processed to remove noise and classify ground versus vegetation returns. From this data set, we provide contours, digital elevation models, and cross-sectional profiles that help you make the best decision for your project. The turnaround depends on site size, but most projects deliver processed data within days of the flight.

You will notice that even heavily wooded areas show accurate ground elevations, which is not possible with standard aerial photography. LiDAR captures the shape of the land beneath dense canopy, giving engineers and surveyors the base data needed for grading plans, flood modeling, and utility corridor routing. The data is spatially referenced and compatible with CAD and GIS software.

The service does not include subsurface investigating or interior structure scanning. It is designed for open-air terrain and infrastructure that can be viewed from above. If your site includes buildings or enclosed areas that require interior detail, terrestrial scanning methods are a better fit and can be combined with airborne data collection.

Questions About Coverage and Accuracy

Most clients want to know how LiDAR handles specific site conditions and what level of detail they can expect before committing to data collection.

What if I need a licensed survey?

We can deliver a licensed survey for any data we collect, by partnering with one of our local registered land surveyors. 

How does LiDAR work in areas with thick trees?
The laser pulses penetrate gaps in the canopy and record multiple returns, including ground-level points beneath vegetation. You still get usable bare-earth elevation data even in densely wooded areas.
What file formats are included in the deliverables?
You receive classified LAS point cloud files, which can be imported into AutoCAD Civil 3D, ArcGIS, and other design platforms. Additional formats such as DEM or contour shapefiles can be provided upon request.
How long does it take to fly a site?
Flight time depends on acreage and required point density, but most sites under 500 acres are flown in a few hours. Weather conditions and airspace restrictions in Hilliard can affect scheduling.
When is airborne LiDAR the right choice?

It works best for large-area reporting, corridor data collection, and projects where terrain detail is needed quickly across difficult or overgrown sites. Smaller or highly detailed projects may benefit more from terrestrial scanning.

Aerial Metrology & Inspection coordinates flight plans, data processing, and delivery timelines based on your project schedule in Hilliard. Reach out to discuss site boundaries, required accuracy, and file format needs.