Aerial Survey Aircraft - Williams Aerial & Mapping, Inc. currently owns 26 aircraft that have been modified and specially equipped for aerial survey operation. All Williams' aircraft are versatile, dependable, safe and cost effective, making our fleet ideally suited for survey work. We have a variety of options for all your survey needs.
The two major features of Photogrammetric Mapping are Planimetric and Topographic Mapping. Planimetric mapping includes and identifies physical features such as roads, buildings, and vegetation, while Topographic Mapping is a collection of break lines and spot elevations. This method of mapping is a primary source for the creation of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and Digital Terrain Models (DTMs). Williams Aerial & Mapping, Inc. has over 100 years of experience creating both planimetric and topographic maps.
Aerial Survey Aircraft
Williams Aerial & Mapping, Inc. provides Aerial Photography, Digital Mapping, LiDAR, GIS Base Maps, Digital Oblique Imagery Parcel Mapping, Digital Orthophotography and related products. We at Williams offer a full service photogrammetric mapping and photographic firm with over 100 years of combined experience. View some of our products below to find out more information or click here for even more information about what Williams Aerial & Mapping, Inc. can offer to you.
Photogrammetric Mapping
In some cases, manned aircraft and UAVs are used on the same project, such as for corridor mapping of power lines, with the former capturing the whole corridor and the latter inspecting specific towers. In fact, some manned aircraft surveyors are teaming with UAV operators to combine these technologies and create more useful data packages. Alternatively, a manned aircraft company will subcontract a job directly to a UAV company or vice versa. These working relationships improve the process and the product for the client.
Williams Aerial & Mapping, Inc. has a rich history in the creation of planimetric and topographic maps. Beginning as the photogrammetry department with Clyde E. Williams and Associates, the company had its origins in 1941. Today Williams is a thriving firm of Professional Photogrammetrists. We look forward to hearing from you as you search out the right fit for your project.
Orthophotography is commonly used as base maps in the Geographic Information System (GIS). These maps are compiled with the collection of aerial photographs, which are oriented through trigonometric processes and then molded to the ground elevation data you prefer. After this process is complete, the final product is what is known as an Orthorectified Base Map.
Manned aircraft are the best choice to cover large areas quickly and/or to carry heavy sensors because of their much greater endurance. Sometimes, a client’s RFP (requests for proposals) requires a manned aircraft. UAVs are the best choice for areas where manned aircraft cannot fly safely, such as very close to a building or a cell phone tower. They are the only choice for areas where manned aircraft cannot fly at all, such as along narrow streets, under a bridge, or inside a covered stadium, and for those too far from airports. UAVs need only very small areas to take off and land—no more than a few square feet in the case of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) models. They are also more cost-effective for repeated surveys of small areas, such as monitoring progress on construction sites.
Our Products And Services
Manned helicopters combine some of the benefits of manned airplanes (endurance, payload capacity) with those of UAVs (ability to hover and get close to targets, small area for take-off and landing), but are very expensive per hour of operation.
Our array of state of the art sensors allow us to acquire emulsion, digital and LiDAR data for your projects, on your schedule. Take a look at the variety of sensors we offer to see how we can accommodate your needs. Click here for more information.
Typical professional UAVs cost a few thousand dollars, while a Cessna 172 airplane, a model regularly used for aerial imaging, costs roughly $300,000, and a Bell 206 JetRanger helicopter costs more than three times as much. However, it is difficult to compare the hourly cost of manned flights with the equivalent cost of UAVs because there is no standardized and accepted protocol for calculating costs per flight hour, which can be based on various metrics. Additionally, when end users switch from one aerial platform to another, they often also overhaul their whole operation. Furthermore, the UAV market is still in rapid growth, so the price per hour will continue to drop for the foreseeable future, while that of manned aircraft will likely remain stable.
Manned aircraft can carry much heavier sensors than UAVs, such as bathymetric LiDAR. Moreover, they can carry a combination of sensors, such as a LiDAR sensor, a digital camera, and a hyperspectral imager. Some projects require collecting data with multiple sensors. A UAV that can carry only one sensor at a time would have to make multiple passes, thus increasing the flight time and processing time, while a manned aircraft carrying multiple sensors could collect all the data in a single pass.
Costs Of Manned Aircraft And Uas
Power companies take notice! Need LiDAR for your transmission lines? Think that the helicopter platform is the only way to get the point density you need? Williams has modified single engine, slow flying, fixed wing aircraft to run our LiDAR sensor. This combined with the high speeds achievable from the sensor itself will provide the point densities you need at a significant cost savings. Contact us today to discuss.
In the case of digital imaging, the much greater payload capacity of manned aircraft compared to UAVs enables them to carry much larger cameras with much greater resolution. UAVs compensate for this disadvantage by flying much lower. Typically, UAV imagery at 400 feet yields 5 cm resolution, and at 200 feet, it yields a 2.5 cm resolution. However, not all surveys need the highest resolution for all the terrain to be covered.
Our fleet is globally located giving us the ability to respond to your projects wherever they are. We take great pride in our ability to collect your required data in a timely manner. Currently Williams offers aircraft throughout Europe, the United States and Hawaii. Take a look at our current fleet by clicking here.
Another consideration is the number of people required for a flight. Under the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulations for small unmanned aircraft (Part 107), it is legal for a single pilot to operate a UAV. However, in most cases, it is still preferable to have a pilot in command (PIC) and a spotter on every project, with the former totally focused on the aircraft’s stability. For mapping missions with a manned aircraft, the pilot is often the only person required on board.
Payload Options For Manned Aircraft And Uas
We offer short and long term leases that are turn key and much cheaper than you would expect! Let us keep you in the air longer with optional extended fuel range. Let us keep you in the air with simple to operate aircraft that pilots find desirable.
Reduce your cost of operation by letting us handle your aircraft needs on a per flight hour fixed cost basis. We can specifically acquire an aircraft for your needs. Just call us to discuss your operation.
If you have ever operated Piston Aircraft you will know that there is an enormous amount of down time for scheduled and non scheduled maintenance. Once you try our turbines and realize the lower cost of operation as well as immense up time by comparison, you will never go back!
Here at Williams we are proud to be able to offer a large variety of products. This is partially due to the array of sensors that we hold in our company possession. We are able to accommodate any current project you have or any project you will in the future. We hope that our sensor descriptions are informative and that any question you may have has been answered. However, if they were not we encourage you to ask any questions. Please visit our Contact page if there is anything we might be able to help with.
Lidar Collection
As UAVs continue to improve—fly longer, withstand higher wind speeds, and carry more sophisticated payloads—the overlap between their mapping capabilities and those of manned aircraft will increase. The next huge increase in the number of UAVs and in their applications will be when the FAA allows flight beyond the line of sight (BVLOS) in controlled airspace.
Williams Aerial & Mapping, Inc. is a full service photogrammetric mapping and geospatial data firm. Our mission is to be recognized worldwide as the number one aerial survey company of choice. We are committed to provide the best quality, flexibility, customer service, and performance in the industry. Our goal is to build strong relationships, demand safety at all levels of operation and continue to support the entrepreneurial spirit that has been the cornerstone of our company's rich heritage.
Our headquarters are located in South Bend, Indiana. The type of services we provide allows us to complete your project regardless of where it is located. All of the data is processed at our office by our certified photogrammetrist team of experts. The professionals of Williams have completed a vast array of projects worldwide for local governments and private corporations. To find out more please feel free to learn about us and our history as well what we can do for you here.
Resolution With Manned Aircraft And Uas
aerial survey equipment, aerial survey pilot, aerial survey company, aerial survey companies in us, aerial survey maps, aerial photography in surveying, cooper aerial surveys, aerial surveys international
0 Comments