Hydrology & Water Sampling

Drone payloads for water work: radar sensors that measure river water level and surface velocity without touching the water, and a drone water sampler that collects samples from lakes, reservoirs and tailings ponds without a boat or crew. Supplied in India by HobiTech, SPH Engineering's official partner, with the heavy-payload mounts for DJI Matrice drones. Priced per configuration.

Which payload do you need?

Payload	What it measures	How it is flown	Result
Geolux LX-80-AB	Water-surface elevation (80 GHz radar)	Flies along the river centreline at about 30–40 m	CSV of elevation along the river, 3 cm or better per SPH Engineering
Geolux RSS-2-AB	Water-surface velocity (K-band Doppler radar)	Hovers every 2 m across the cross-section, at least 20 s per point	Radar data (CSV and SEG-Y), 10 cm/s or better per SPH Engineering
Drone water sampler	Collects a water sample for the lab	Drops a Ruttner sampler on a 4 m line to a planned depth	1 L sample on DJI M350/M300 RTK, up to 5 L on heavy-lift drones

Use the radar kits for river and channel monitoring and the sampler for water-quality work. Tell us the site and the question you need answered and we will put the right kit together.

What you need for a complete system

• A drone: DJI M350 RTK or M300 RTK, Pixhawk-based drones or other SkyHub-compatible drones; RTK positioning matters for level work.
• SkyHub onboard computer: logs the sensor data and, for the sampler, releases the messenger that closes it. See the SkyHub range.
• UgCS mission planning: plans and flies the river profile, the hover points and the sampling missions. See UgCS licences.
• A mount: the universal heavy-payload mount for DJI M350/M300 RTK or the version for DJI M400, for payloads that hang below the drone.
• An altimeter: the water sampler uses a radar or laser altimeter to reach the planned depth.

Who uses these payloads

• Hydrologists and water agencies monitoring river levels and flow, including for flood and irrigation planning
• Engineers working on water-supply and irrigation-channel projects
• Environmental agencies, laboratories and water utilities that need samples from hard-to-reach water
• Sites that sample reservoirs, lakes and tailings ponds without putting a boat on the water

Measuring water depth instead? See our drone bathymetry payloads.

Planning a hydrology or sampling survey? Ask for a quote or call/WhatsApp +91 70225 26509.

Hydrology and water sampling FAQs

How can a drone measure river water level?

The Geolux LX-80-AB is an 80 GHz radar that measures the distance from the drone to the water surface. Combined with the drone's RTK position, it gives a water-surface elevation profile along the river with under 1 m spatial resolution and 3 cm or better accuracy, per SPH Engineering.

How is river flow velocity measured from a drone?

The Geolux RSS-2-AB is a Doppler radar. The drone hovers every 2 m across the river cross-section for at least 20 seconds and records surface velocity, with 10 cm/s or better accuracy per SPH Engineering. Because it is radar, it works even when the water surface has no visible features to track.

How much river can be surveyed in an hour?

SPH Engineering quotes 1.5–4.5 km of river per hour for water-level profiles and 0.75–1.5 cross-sections per hour for velocity.

How much water can the drone sampler collect?

1 L on the DJI M350 RTK or M300 RTK, and up to 5 L on heavy-lift drones. The sampler has an internal thermometer reading from -10 °C to +50 °C.

Which drones can carry these payloads?

The radar kits are listed for the DJI M350 RTK and M300 RTK and for Pixhawk-based drones, through SkyHub. Hanging payloads mount with the universal heavy-payload mount, available for the DJI M350/M300 RTK and the DJI M400.

Do I need SkyHub?

Yes. The SkyHub onboard computer logs the radar data and controls the water sampler, so it is part of every system on this page.

What is the price in India?

Every payload here is priced on request, because the drone, SkyHub, software and mounts you need change the total. We send a quote with a GST invoice.

Is this the same as bathymetry?

No. These payloads measure water level, surface velocity and water quality. Bathymetry measures depth to the bottom with an echo sounder; see our bathymetry range for that.

Do you provide training?

Yes. We supply SPH Engineering's courses and certification, including UgCS flight planning; see Training & Certification.