// Services
Construction Drone Progress Tracking
Repeat LiDAR flights on a fixed cadence — every surface measured, every quantity documented, every pay application backed by data instead of estimates.
- FAA-Certified Pilots
- Licensed Surveyor Partners
- Serving All 50 States
- 24-Hour Quote Turnaround
01// The Service
A Measured Record of the Whole Job
Construction drone progress tracking is a program, not a one-off scan: the same site, flown with precision LiDAR on a set cadence, tied to the same ground control every time. Each flight produces a surface that can be differenced against the last flight, the pre-construction baseline, or the design — which turns arguments about quantities into arithmetic. Photo-based progress apps show you what the site looks like; LiDAR tells you what moved, by how much, and whether grade is where the plans say it should be.
The program pays for itself in specific moments: verifying an earthwork contractor's monthly quantities, checking subgrade before base rock goes down, documenting existing conditions before a disputed changed-condition claim hardens, and capturing utilities and grading before they disappear under the next lift.
02// Method
How a Tracking Program Runs
We establish ground control once at program start — semi-permanent targets observed with RTK/PPK GNSS, placed where earthwork won't disturb them — and every subsequent flight ties to the same network. A local FAA-certified pilot flies the site on your cadence with a sensor-equipped UAV; because LiDAR measures the ground directly through sparse vegetation and on low-texture surfaces like fresh cut, quantities stay reliable in exactly the conditions that break photogrammetry.
Each dataset is ground-classified, verified against checkpoints, and differenced: flight-over-flight for period quantities, flight-over-design for grade conformance. Deliverables land in your team's formats — surfaces for Civil 3D, cut/fill heat maps as GeoTIFF, volume reports as PDF — usually within days of the flight, in time for the pay application they support.
03// Buyers
Who Runs Tracking Programs
General contractors and developers use tracking to verify quantities, settle pay applications, and keep owners informed with data instead of drone photos. Data center builders — where schedule slip is measured in revenue — fly aggressive cadences through mass grading, and solar EPCs track cut/fill balance across sites too large to walk. It starts with a baseline LiDAR scan before mobilization.
Programs run identically in all 50 states: your local pilot flies, one national team processes, and a multi-state portfolio gets one format, one standard, one point of contact.
04// FAQ
Progress Tracking Questions
How often should we fly a construction site?
Match the flight cadence to the decision cadence. Monthly flights suit pay-application cycles; weekly or biweekly fits heavy earthwork phases where quantities move fast; milestone flights bracket subgrade sign-offs and utility cover. Because the pilot is local, cadence changes are a schedule note, not a remobilization.
How accurate are the volume calculations?
Volumes are computed between engineering-grade LiDAR surfaces tied to the same ground control every flight, so surface-to-surface quantities are consistent and defensible in a pay dispute. The QA report with each flight documents checkpoint residuals, and the math is transparent: you get the surfaces, not just a number.
Does scanning interrupt work on site?
No. Flights take a few hours from outside the work area, with no crews walking slopes or stockpiles and no equipment shutdowns. Most sites are captured without the field team changing anything about their day — a safety win as much as a schedule one.
What does recurring progress tracking cost?
Recurring programs are quoted as a per-flight rate that drops with committed cadence, since control is established once and reused. Most single flights fall well inside our typical $2,500–$15,000 project range, and a season-long program is scoped up front so the cost per pay period is predictable.
Can the data verify subgrade and finished grade against design?
Yes — surface-to-design comparison is the core deliverable. We difference each flight against your design surface (LandXML or DWG) and deliver heat maps and reports showing where grade is high, low, or in tolerance. Where a certified as-built is required for closeout, licensed surveyor partners provide the certification.
05// Start a Project
Get Your Tracking Program Quote
Send your site KML/KMZ and target cadence — we scope the season up front.
- Direct line
- (877) 729-5311
- team@prolidar.com