How often should inventory be measured

It depends on the rate of change. On an active quarry or earthwork site it is common to measure every one to two weeks, to keep an up-to-date inventory picture and catch discrepancies early.

Is the report valid for reconciliation

When it is produced signed by a certified surveyor, yes. We connect you to firms that hold the credential, so the report holds up both against the other party and with authorities.

Isradrone Direct · Surveying & Mapping

Earthwork Volume Calculation and Stockpile Measurement by Drone

Measuring earthwork volumes, material stockpiles and cut/fill for construction sites, quarries and infrastructure contractors. An RTK drone produces an accurate point cloud from which volumes are calculated at centimeter accuracy, instead of rough estimates or slow manual measurement.

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How it works

How a drone calculates volumes at centimeter accuracy

The drone photographs the site in hundreds of overlapping images, and photogrammetry software builds an accurate 3D point cloud from them. Volume is computed from the point cloud against a reference surface, giving an accurate earth or material quantity per stockpile and per zone. With RTK, vertical accuracy reaches a few centimeters, enough to rely on the numbers for billing, reconciliation and planning.

Who saves the most money

Quarries and earthwork contractors that until now measured manually once a month can switch to a drone survey every two weeks and get an accurate, continuous inventory picture. A construction site can verify how much earth was actually excavated and hauled against what was billed. On a large earthwork project, the gap between a rough estimate and an accurate measurement is usually tens of thousands of shekels.

When you need an output signed by a certified surveyor

When the volume calculation is used for contractual reconciliation, a claim or submission to an authority, it has to withstand scrutiny. An output signed by a certified surveyor gives the numbers valid standing that is hard to challenge. We connect you to firms that produce the survey under a CAA pilot and a certified surveyor, so the report holds up both technically and legally.

What you receive

Volume report with a figure per stockpile and per zone
Point cloud (LAS/XYZ) and terrain model (DSM/DTM)
Cut/fill comparison of surplus vs. shortfall
Periodic tracking of inventory changes over time
Centimeter vertical accuracy with RTK/PPK

Frequently asked questions

With RTK, vertical accuracy reaches a few centimeters, and on controlled projects the error is under 3 centimeters on the Z-axis. That is accurate enough to rely on the numbers for reconciliation.