Transportation & DOT Drones: Roads, Bridges & Rail
Colorized lidar point cloud of an urban highway interchange
Survey, Mapping & AEC Transportation & DOT

Roads, bridges
& rail

Corridor mapping and structure documentation for transportation teams.

Request a survey quote

Authorized dealerWingtraXGRIDSDJI Enterprise

Photo courtesy of Wingtra
Use cases

Along the corridor

Orthomosaic of a road under constructionPhoto courtesy of Wingtra

Road corridors

Long, narrow flights, end to end.

Details
  • Design surveys and existing conditions
  • Construction progress along the alignment
  • Fixed-wing range for long corridors
Close aerial view of road pavement and lane markingsPhoto courtesy of Wingtra

Pavement & markings

Detail you can measure from the office.

Details
  • High-resolution orthomosaics of the surface
  • Lane markings, joints and patches
  • Fewer people working in traffic
Suspension bridge over a river with a ship passing below© DJI

Bridges

The whole structure, in context.

Details
  • Overall models of the bridge and approaches
  • Repeat captures from saved routes
  • Imagery to support inspector reports
Inspecting the underside of a bridge with a DJI Matrice 4 Series drone© DJI

Under-deck detail

Close views where lifts can’t reach easily.

Details
  • Zoom imagery of bearings, joints and girders
  • Location tied to each frame
  • Supports, not replaces, qualified bridge inspectors
High-resolution aerial image of railroad tracksPhoto courtesy of Wingtra

Rail corridors

Track, ballast and right-of-way.

Details
  • Corridor orthomosaics and surfaces
  • Lidar for drainage and vegetation along the line
  • Flights coordinated with the railroad’s access rules
Recommended kit

The right tools for the job

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.
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.
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 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.
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.

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.

Profiles & sections

Cross-sections along a line.

More

Cut profiles along a road, rail or pipe centerline from the surface model.

DSM / DTM

Surface and bare-earth models.

More

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

3D mesh

A textured 3D model.

More

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

Inspection images

Close-ups tied to location.

More

Geotagged photos and zoom frames organized by structure or route.

Workflow

Plan > Fly > Process > Deliver

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

Plan

Area, resolution, control.

Details
  • Draw the corridor and buffer width
  • Plan around traffic, rail and airspace
  • Place control along the alignment
DJI Matrice 4D Series flying over a city© DJI

Fly

Automated, repeatable routes.

Details
  • Corridor routes with RTK or PPK
  • Oblique passes for structures
  • Handheld scans under decks and in culverts
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
  • Orthomosaics, DTMs and profiles
  • LAS point clouds by segment
  • Geotagged structure imagery
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 a drone inspect a bridge?

It captures imagery for a qualified inspector to review. It doesn’t replace the inspection program.

Fixed-wing or multirotor for corridors?

Fixed-wing VTOL like WingtraRAY covers long corridors. A multirotor is better near structures and in tight spaces.

Can we fly over traffic or tracks?

Only within FAA rules and the owner’s access and safety requirements. Plan routes to limit exposure.

What accuracy can we expect?

It depends on control and workflow. Manufacturer figures are on each kit card, with sources below.

Do you support agency purchasing?

Yes. Request a quote and tell us your process.

Specifications are manufacturer figures from official pages, checked October 11, 2026: WingtraRAY, Matrice 400, Zenmuse L2, Zenmuse P1, DJI Matrice 4 Series, XGRIDS Lixel L2 Pro, Lixel L3, XGRIDS LCC, 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.