Construction Drones: Progress, As-Builts & Earthwork
Aerial view of an earthworks site with stockpiles and a screening plant
Survey, Mapping & AEC Construction

Construction
drones

Progress, as-builts and earthwork quantities from one repeatable flight.

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Authorized dealerWingtraXGRIDSDJI Enterprise

Photo courtesy of Wingtra
Use cases

Built for the jobsite

Tower cranes over a building site under construction© DJI

Progress tracking

Same site, same route, every week.

Details
  • Scheduled captures you can compare side by side
  • Orthomosaics and models for owner and lender updates
  • Dock 3 can fly a fixed route without a crew on site
Aerial view of an earthwork site with graded benches and haul roads© DJI

Earthwork cut / fill

Quantities from surfaces, not guesses.

Details
  • Compare a flown surface to the design surface
  • Track cut, fill and stockpiles between flights
  • Export surfaces to your civil software
Colorized point cloud of a construction sitePhoto courtesy of Wingtra

As-builts

Record what was built, where.

Details
  • Point clouds and orthomosaics at key milestones
  • Check grades and locations against plan
  • Archive conditions before work is covered up
Point cloud overlaid on a building interior for BIM© XGRIDS

BIM & design checks

Scan inside. Compare to the model.

Details
  • Handheld SLAM lidar for interiors and MEP
  • Point clouds for scan-to-BIM and clash checks
  • Gaussian-splat walkthroughs with XGRIDS LCC
Overhead drone view of a steep construction slope and access road© DJI

Site documentation

A visual record of the whole site.

Details
  • Slopes, access roads and laydown areas
  • Before-and-after records for claims and closeout
  • Share imagery in DJI FlightHub 2
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Recommended kit

The right tools for the job

DJI Matrice 4 Series drone flying over a ridge at dusk© DJI
DJI Enterprise

DJI Matrice 4E

Compact mapping drone. Fast to deploy, every week.

See the Matrice 4E bundle

Key specs
  • 4/3 CMOS 20 MP wide camera with mechanical shutter
  • 0.5 s minimum photo interval
  • RTK: 1 cm + 1 ppm horizontal, 1.5 cm + 1 ppm vertical
Source: DJI, Matrice 4 Series spec page. Manufacturer figures; results depend on the site and workflow.
WingtraRAY VTOL survey drone in flightPhoto courtesy of Wingtra
Wingtra

WingtraRAY

Fixed-wing range for big areas. Vertical take-off.

Explore WingtraRAY

Key specs
  • Up to 550 ha (1,360 ac) per flight with the MAP61 sensor at 120 m (400 ft)
  • 3 cm (0.1 ft) absolute accuracy (RMS x, y, z) with PPK, under Wingtra’s recommended workflow
  • Up to 59 min flight time (RGB, multispectral), 45 min with LIDAR
  • Swappable RGB, LIDAR and multispectral sensors
  • NDAA, Blue and Green UAS cleared (US)
Source: Wingtra, wingtra.com/ray. Manufacturer figures; results depend on the site and workflow.
DJI Zenmuse L2 lidar on a Matrice drone over mountains© DJI
DJI Enterprise

Matrice 400 + Zenmuse L2 / P1

Heavy-lift lidar and full-frame photogrammetry.

Ask about Matrice 400

Key specs
  • Matrice 400: 6 kg max payload (third gimbal connector, sea level), IP55
  • Zenmuse L2: 5 cm horizontal / 4 cm vertical system accuracy at 150 m (DJI test conditions, DJI Terra), up to 5 returns
  • Zenmuse P1: 45 MP full frame, 3 cm horizontal / 5 cm vertical absolute accuracy (3 cm GSD, 75% / 55% overlap)
  • Shop the Zenmuse L2 or Zenmuse P1
Source: DJI, Matrice 400, Zenmuse L2 and Zenmuse P1 spec pages. Manufacturer figures; results depend on the site and workflow.
Operator scanning outdoors with the XGRIDS Lixel L2 Pro© XGRIDS
XGRIDS

Lixel handheld SLAM lidar

Walk it. Scan it. Indoors, under structures, where GNSS drops out.

Explore XGRIDS

Key specs
  • Lixel L2 Pro: 3 cm real-time absolute accuracy, 1 cm relative accuracy after processing
  • Lixel L2 Pro: 320,000 / 640,000 points per second
  • Lixel L3: 5 mm relative accuracy
  • XGRIDS LCC: Gaussian splatting platform for capture, editing and cross-platform delivery
Source: XGRIDS, Lixel L2 Pro, Lixel L3 and LCC pages. Manufacturer figures; results depend on the site and workflow.
DJI Dock 3 open with a Matrice 4TD drone above it© DJI
DJI Enterprise

DJI Dock 3

The drone lives on site and flies on schedule.

Explore Dock 3

Key specs
  • IP56 dock that houses one Matrice 4D or 4TD
  • Matrice 4D: 4/3 CMOS 20 MP wide camera with mechanical shutter
  • Up to 10 km max operating radius (DJI test conditions)
Source: DJI, Dock 3 spec page. Manufacturer figures; results depend on the site and workflow.
DJI Terra lidar point cloud of a lattice tower© DJI
DJI Enterprise

DJI Terra, Modify & FlightHub 2

Process, clean up and share the data.

Ask about Terra & Modify

Key specs
  • DJI Terra: 2D and 3D reconstruction from imagery, DJI lidar processing, multispectral reconstruction and 3D Gaussian Splatting
  • DJI Modify: point cloud smoothing, noise reduction, downsampling and classification; one-click mesh repair for holes, floating objects and vehicles
  • DJI FlightHub 2: missions, media and models in the cloud. About FlightHub 2
Source: DJI, DJI Terra and DJI Modify pages. Manufacturer figures; results depend on the site and workflow.
Help me choose
Deliverables

What you get back

Orthomosaic

A true-scale, measurable map image.

More

Distortion-corrected, georeferenced imagery for measuring distances and areas. Typically delivered as GeoTIFF.

DSM / DTM

Surface and bare-earth models.

More

The DSM includes buildings and canopy. The DTM is ground only, built from ground-classified points.

Volumes & cut/fill

Quantities between two surfaces.

More

Compare a flown surface to design or to an earlier flight to report cut, fill and stockpile volumes.

Point cloud

Measured 3D points.

More

From lidar or photogrammetry. DJI Terra exports PNTS, LAS, PLY, PCD and S3MB; Wingtra software exports LAS or CSV.

3D mesh

A textured 3D model.

More

Built from nadir and oblique imagery. Good for reviews and stakeholder updates.

Contours

Elevation lines for CAD.

More

Generated from the DTM at the interval your plan set calls for.

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Workflow

Plan > Fly > Process > Deliver

Mapping flight route planned over a site on a satellite map© DJI

Plan

Area, resolution, control.

Details
  • Set the boundary, ground sample distance and overlap
  • Place ground control and check points
  • Check airspace and site access before the flight
WingtraRAY on the ground at an aggregates plant with a pilotPhoto courtesy of Wingtra

Fly

Automated, repeatable routes.

Details
  • The same route flown on each visit for clean comparisons
  • RTK or PPK positioning
  • Handheld scans for interiors and covered areas
Point cloud being processed on a laptop in a vehicle© DJI

Process

Terra, Modify, Wingtra software, LCC.

Details
  • DJI Terra: photogrammetry, DJI lidar and Gaussian splats
  • DJI Modify: clean and classify point clouds, repair meshes
  • Wingtra software or XGRIDS LCC for their own data
Designer reviewing a 3D building model on two monitors© DJI

Deliver

Files your team already uses.

Details
  • GeoTIFF orthomosaics and surfaces
  • LAS point clouds and volume reports
  • Meshes and splats for owner reviews
Request a survey quote
Support

FAQ

Ohio Drone Repair
  • Kitting: aircraft, sensors, batteries and cases set up around your crew.
  • Repair bench in Akron, Ohio, with a free estimate, for the drones we service.
  • Warranty help: we coordinate manufacturer service for the rest of your kit.
Can drone data replace my surveyor on site?

No. Drone data speeds up progress and quantity work. Layout, control and anything certified stays with your licensed surveyor.

How often should we fly?

Match it to your reporting cycle. A fixed route keeps every capture comparable.

Which drone fits a small site?

The Matrice 4E is a common starting point. Larger or long sites may suit WingtraRAY or a Matrice 400 with lidar.

Can we scan inside the building?

Yes. XGRIDS handheld lidar scans interiors where GNSS drops out.

Will the files open in our software?

Orthomosaics and surfaces export as GeoTIFF and point clouds as LAS, which most CAD, BIM and GIS tools read.

Ask us a question
Get a quote

Send us the site

Area, deliverables and deadline. We’ll match the kit and quote it.

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Specifications are manufacturer figures from official pages, checked October 11, 2026: DJI Matrice 4 Series, WingtraRAY, Matrice 400, Zenmuse L2, Zenmuse P1, XGRIDS Lixel L2 Pro, Lixel L3, XGRIDS LCC, DJI Dock 3, DJI Terra, DJI Modify. Accuracy depends on the site, control and workflow.

Drone data supports, but does not replace, a licensed professional surveyor. Boundary, legal and certified survey work must be done or signed by a licensed surveyor where the law requires it.

Wingtra and WingtraRAY are trademarks of Wingtra AG. XGRIDS, Lixel, PortalCam and LCC are trademarks of XGRIDS. DJI, Matrice, Zenmuse, DJI Terra, DJI Modify and FlightHub are trademarks of SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. Images © DJI; photos courtesy of Wingtra; images © XGRIDS, used with permission; Ohio Drone Repair.