Richard Allitt Associates: Exclusive interview

A leading provider of hydraulic modelling, Richard Allitt Associates Ltd (RAA) has 19 years of experience. 

In this exclusive interview, the Company talk about its Remote Aerial Surveys service and their impact on the construction industry. 

Could you give us an overview about the company and services?

Remote Aerial Surveys is an aerial survey service offered by consulting engineers Richard Allitt Associates Ltd (RAA). Established in 1996, RAA is one of the UK’s leading providers of hydraulic engineering and flood risk consultancy for the urban drainage industry. We bring our engineering skills and GIS and remote sensing experience to the latest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology to produce a range of surveys with environmental monitoring and mapping of the highest quality.

One of the areas you specialise in is remote aerial services. How did this come about?

It was innovative thinking at parent company RAA that sparked the development of Remote Aerial Surveys. Originally devised as a method of inspecting difficult-to-reach river channels, the service has developed and now offers an impressive range of surveys including, amongst other things, precise high quality topographic, as-built, pre-condition and thermal surveys.

What do you offer with this service?

UAVs are an incredibly versatile technology and the possibilities for their applications are virtually limitless. Our pilots are highly experienced in their many applications. However, our background in hydraulic modelling, GIS and remote sensing makes us especially skilled in providing environmental monitoring, industrial inspections and mapping solutions.

UAVs are the perfect survey solution to get up-to-date high resolution imagery filling in the gaps from other survey methods by providing more recent and more precise data.

What do your UAVs offer the industry that others do not? What sets you apart?

UAVs bring a whole new level to what is possible when capturing data and imagery, opening up a diverse range of mapping and surveying possibilities. The UAV platform can take off almost anywhere, ensuring that only the data that is specifically requested is paid for with minimal data redundancy and enabling a bespoke survey service.

One of our most popular products is elevation modelling, which is just one really powerful application of our UAV surveys. Our 3D visualisations are becoming increasingly popular for purposes such as marketing new and planned developments. The data captured by using a UAV-mounted camera can produce 3D models and maps that make a really engaging tool for communicating information about the landscape.

Could you give an example of the typical process involved with a UAV providing an aerial survey? What can a client expect to get out of it?

The process for each project will involve a feasibility study checking out the weather forecast in addition to any legal or safety implications for the site in question. Once on site the survey is completed and data collected. We are happy for the client to accompany us if desired. The client can then either have the raw data in a variety of formats or the job may involve a wide diversity of data processing to provide bespoke deliverables.

How do the likes of building industry clients benefit from the process?

UAVs are increasingly complementing other sources of survey data and information in the construction and other industries. For example information gathered via a UAV can assist the construction process right through from pre-planning to marketing a property or commercial site. Information gathered from our UAVs can be used to provide clients with:

• Topographical Surveys
• Digital Elevation Models
• 3D Models
• Photo-realistic Models
• Construction Progress Photography
• Volumetric Analysis
• Marketing Video & Photography

 

 

Essentially, Remote Aerial Surveys not only have the imaging equipment required to carry out surveys but are highly skilled in GIS and remote sensing so that we can offer a full survey and mapping service as well as more straightforward photography and videos.

Ground-based survey techniques are well established within construction, however UAV-mounted tools are an excellent complementary source of information. There are a number of key advantages to using UAVs to gather data.

• UAVs are quick to mobilise and can survey areas that are difficult to reach
• Surveys can be carried out quickly and deliver highly accurate and/or alternative data
• UAVs are a highly cost effective solution

Data from UAVs can be supplied in a variety of ways such as mesh, point and vector-based formats. At the construction planning stage, working with the data gathered, Remote Aerial Surveys can use photogrammetry to generate digital surface models as well as 3D visualisations and photo-realistic models. Whatever your survey requirements, UAVs offer a new way of information gathering.

From digital elevation models we can also carry out volumetric analysis to aid construction planning to evaluate for example how much earth or vegetation needs removing from a site. We have the industry specific skills to provide expert advice on surface water run-off, flood risk and other urban drainage-related issues from survey data gathered via our UAVs.

In addition to all the survey-related information, Remote Aerial Surveys can deliver exceptional, high resolution imagery. With repeatable flight paths, construction progress photography can be quickly and easily obtained at regular intervals throughout the project. Finally, our creative team is adept at taking unique and stunning images from the air, which give an added dimension to marketing and promoting new builds and commercial premises.

So from site identification right through to sale, our UAV team can add value to the process, saving time and money and delivering a better result all round.

 

 

Do you have any examples of the work undertaken through the aerial surveys?

The potential for UAV surveys are extensive and new applications continue to grow. To show some idea of how diverse their uses are we have assisted on a wide range of projects including but not limited to:

• Flood survey work
• Identifying Urban Creep
• Construction Progress Photography
• Riverbank Surveys
• Pre-Construction Pipe Line Survey
• Roof Inspection for Loss Adjustment
• Business Park Promotional Imagery

Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

We have become the first UAV operator in the UK to offer a UAV-mounted LiDAR survey service. We can provide this service across the UK, substantially improving the quality and speed of capturing survey data. Remote Aerial Surveys’ UAV-mounted LiDAR combines the latest UAV technology with a state-of-the-art LiDAR pod to capture survey grade positional accuracy together with a very high point cloud density. Combining LiDAR with UAV technology will revolutionise the surveying industry with the improvements it will bring in data quality where accurate mapping is essential but has previously been difficult to achieve.

It is worth bearing in mind that the technology in the UAV industry is changing and advancing fast and you should look for an operator that is leading the way. At Remote Aerial Surveys we have five multirotor units and two fixed wing systems as well as a range of sensors including thermal and multispectral cameras. Our team includes a number of pilots, camera operators and data processors who draw on their extensive skills to produce high quality aerial surveys and images. Essentially our aim is to provide clients with a highly responsive service offering state-of-the-art unmanned aerial surveys, video and photography of the highest technical and creative quality.

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