Case study by SPH Engineering · Bathymetry and LiDAR · Water infrastructure
Mapping land and reservoir along a 10 km corridor with one drone toolkit
Spanish aerial survey company Aeromedia U.A.V., S.L. mapped a 10 km corridor at a water catchment and discharge area near the Ruecas reservoir in Cáceres, Spain. LiDAR and photogrammetry covered the land, and an SPH Engineering echo sounder covered about 9 hectares of reservoir in one day.
The challenge
The client wanted fast data capture and reliable results across both land and water. Land and underwater surveys usually need separate systems, which makes it harder to merge the data and adds time and cost. The job also called for mapping the ground under vegetation and reaching depths of up to 100 m underwater.
The solution
Aeromedia combined three drone-based technologies:
- LiDAR for accurate 3D terrain data along the corridor, including ground under vegetation;
- high-resolution photogrammetry for detailed imagery, 3D models and orthomosaics;
- an airborne echo sounder system from SPH Engineering, with an ECT 400S single-beam probe on a DJI M300, for the reservoir bed.
The LiDAR data was processed in LIDAR360, the photogrammetry in QGIS, and the bathymetry was combined with a colourised point cloud in DroneGIS.
The results
- The reservoir bathymetry of about 9 hectares took one day, and the LiDAR flights took one morning.
- The client received DEMs, point clouds and other mapping products covering land and water.
- Using one combined approach for terrestrial and bathymetric survey made the project more efficient and cut operating costs.
The source is a short project summary, so it gives few technical details beyond these.
Where this applies in India
Many Indian projects need one continuous surface across land and water. The same combination suits:
- canal, intake and outfall corridors at reservoirs and irrigation schemes;
- river crossings for highways, railways and pipelines;
- reservoir rim and foreshore mapping for dam safety and planning;
- flood studies that need terrain and channel depth in one model.
SPH Engineering's bathymetry training is also available through HobiTech.
The equipment, available from HobiTech
| Echo sounder | EchoLogger ECT 400S |
| Onboard computer | SPH Engineering's drone echo sounder system runs on SkyHub by SPH Engineering with the SkyHub echo sounder software |
| Drone | DJI M300 was used in this project. Ask us for current compatible drones, such as the DJI Matrice 350 RTK. |
| LiDAR and camera | The source does not name the LiDAR or camera models. Ask us for current compatible payloads. |
| Processing | LIDAR360, QGIS and DroneGIS (used in the project) |
Case study by SPH Engineering, published May 2024. This page summarises it in our own words; the survey was carried out by Aeromedia U.A.V., S.L., not by HobiTech. Read the original case study on SPH Engineering ↗
Need land and water mapped together?
Tell us the corridor length, the water depths and what deliverables you need. We will specify the drone, echo sounder, SkyHub and software, quoted in rupees with a GST invoice.