Inventory you can put in a ledger.
Drone volumetric survey, pit and face measurement and reclamation monitoring for quarries and aggregate operations across Vancouver Island. Every pile measured to a surface against a stated base, without stopping production.
The number nobody trusts
Most aggregate operations carry an inventory figure that everybody quietly knows is wrong. It started as a survey, was maintained by truck counts, adjusted by judgement, and has been drifting in one direction for years. At some point it has to be reconciled, and reconciling it by walking piles with a rover is a week of somebody’s time and a person climbing loose material.
A flight measures every pile in the yard in under an hour, from the air, with nobody on the material, and produces a per-product breakdown against a stated base surface. Typically within one to two per cent on a well-formed pile. Where the figure feeds a royalty calculation or a year-end position, the survey pays for itself on the first reconciliation.
The honest limit
Volume accuracy depends less on the aircraft than on whether the ground under the material is measured or assumed. We say which in every report. Operators who quote a volume accuracy without mentioning the base surface are quoting the easy half of the problem.
What we fly for aggregate operations
Stockpile inventory and reconciliation
Per-product volumes across the yard on a schedule that suits your reporting, with drawdown tracked between visits. Volumetric survey.
Pit and extraction survey
Extracted volumes, face position and pit progression over time, measured rather than projected from production records.
Highwall and slope monitoring
Dense face measurement and surface-to-surface comparison quantifying movement between visits, supplied for the engineer doing the assessment.
Haul road and site planning
Terrain and grade data for haul road design, drainage and site layout, at a resolution that shows what a machine will actually encounter. Topographic survey.
Reclamation and closure monitoring
Matched surveys and imagery before, during and after work, demonstrating change for permitting and closure reporting.
Permit boundary and disturbance area
Current imagery and measured disturbance extents for permit compliance reporting, dated to the flight rather than to old imagery.
Why measure it from the air?
Against truck counts
A count measures what was recorded as moved, assuming full loads, complete records, and no material entering or leaving by another route. It accumulates error in one direction and never self-corrects. A surface is a direct observation of what is there today.
Against a ground crew
A rover survey is accurate and takes a substantial part of a day per pile, with a person on loose material. A flight covers the whole yard in under an hour and produces millions of points rather than a few hundred.
Against an estimate
Experienced yard managers estimate well and are still routinely out by double digits on an irregular pile. Where the number feeds a financial position or a royalty, that gap dwarfs the cost of measuring it properly.
What arrives
| Deliverable | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Volume report | PDF + CSV | Per product, with the base surface basis stated |
| Annotated orthomosaic | GeoTIFF + PDF | Each pile outlined and labelled with its figure |
| Surface model | GeoTIFF DSM | The measured surface volumes were computed from |
| Base surface | GeoTIFF | Measured pad where available, interpolated where not |
| Change report | PDF + CSV | Movement since the previous survey |
| Point cloud | LAS / LAZ | For your own analysis and archive |
| Typical volume accuracy | 1–2% |
|---|---|
| Piles per flight | Whole yard |
| Site attendance | 1–3 hours |
| Production stoppage | Not required |
| Standard turnaround | 48 hours |
| Suggested cadence | Quarterly |
Survey deliverables are provided for information and planning purposes and are not a legal survey. Boundary, legal plan and statutory right-of-way work requires a British Columbia Land Surveyor. Highwall and slope stability assessment is reserved practice for a professional engineer; we supply the measurement, not the opinion.
What your procurement team will ask for
We fly under a Transport Canada Advanced Operations certificate with licensed pilots, which is the level required to operate in controlled airspace and near people. Airspace authorisations are obtained before mobilisation, and the airframe carries a certified parachute for work near occupied areas.
We carry $5M in aviation liability insurance and a certificate is available on request for your project file. WorkSafeBC clearance is available, site safety orientation is completed on arrival, and we work to the host contractor's requirements.
Survey deliverables are provided for information and planning purposes and are not a legal survey. Boundary, legal plan and statutory right-of-way work requires a British Columbia Land Surveyor.
- Transport Canada Advanced Operations certificate
- Licensed pilots, current flight reviews
- $5M aviation liability insurance
- WorkSafeBC clearance letter available
- Certified parachute for operations near people
- Airspace authorisation handled by us
- Written method note on every job
Quarries and pits across the Island
Cowichan Valley
Gravel and aggregate operations through the valley and along the highway corridor.
Nanaimo & central Island
Quarries, pits and port-side material handling.
Elsewhere in BC
Mainland and remote operations quoted on a mobilisation basis.
Aggregate survey, answered
How accurate is an aerial stockpile volume?
On a well-formed pile with ground control and a known base, typically within one to two per cent — materially better than a truck count and not comparable to a visual estimate. The limiting factor is almost never the aircraft: it is whether the ground beneath the material is measured or assumed. We state which basis was used in every report rather than presenting a number without one.
What if we never surveyed the pad before stockpiling?
Then the base is interpolated from a surveyed toe line and the absolute figure carries an offset. That offset is consistent between visits, so change over time remains accurate even where the absolute number does not. For most inventory reconciliation the change figure is what matters. If you have new ground about to be used, one flight before material arrives makes everything afterwards absolute — it is the cheapest accuracy available.
Can you survey an active pit without stopping production?
Yes. We coordinate exclusion zones with your supervisor and fly around plant movement. On a busy yard we often fly early, before loaders start reshaping piles, because a pile being worked while it is measured is a pile measured badly.
Do you do highwall and slope surveys?
We supply the measurement: dense terrain data of the face, and surface-to-surface comparison between visits that quantifies movement. The stability assessment itself is reserved practice for a professional engineer in British Columbia, and we provide the data they interpret rather than an opinion of our own.
How often should we fly for inventory?
Quarterly suits most operations. Monthly where material moves quickly or where the figure feeds a financial reconciliation, and annual where the requirement is a year-end number. Repeat flights from the same plan also give you drawdown trends, which are more useful for planning than a single snapshot.
Can you help with reclamation reporting?
Yes. Matched surveys before, during and after work demonstrate what changed, which is considerably more persuasive in a closure or permitting file than a set of photographs. Vegetation establishment can be tracked from the same repeat imagery.
Tell us about the site
Location, rough area, what the data is for and your timeline. That is usually enough to quote without a site visit, and we reply within one business day.
Volume figures are reported against a stated base surface with the basis recorded. Stability assessment belongs to a professional engineer and we supply the data rather than the conclusion.