Debris flow investigation in the mountains near Chengdu with the Apus-MX

The take-off points were nearly 1,000 m below the highest point of the survey area, so a multi-rotor drone carrying a LiDAR had to climb at least 1,000 m in one flight. The area is covered by dense, multi-layered forest and the terrain could disturb data transmission.

• The team used a flight strategy that follows the ground closely, and covered the two areas (0.5 km² at 1,400 to 2,300 m and 0.35 km² at 1,150 to 1,450 m) in three flight missions.
• Sat-LiDAR turned the data into high-precision colour point clouds.
• Ground points were separated by filtering and used to produce a DEM, a DSM and contour lines. The software can also calculate volumes between survey dates.

• Average point density of 127 points per m², with accuracy better than 2 cm.
• Ground points under the vegetation were continuous and dense.
• SatLab states that the system can measure up to 1,200 m at 60% reflectivity at a pulse rate of 550,000 shots per second.

SatLab Apus-MX UAV LiDAR on a DJI Matrice 350 RTK, an RTK CORS network and Sat-LiDAR software. We supply and support the Apus-MX in India, with training and service from Pune.

• A digital twin of Portugal's largest biofuel plant, scanned in one day with the Apus-MX
• Full-scene bridge inspection with UAV LiDAR and a USV multibeam boat
• Mapping a 3 km bridge from a drone with a Livox LiDAR