Allen & Company’s Advanced Technology department is at the forefront of the geospatial evolution thanks to our fleet of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

As major players in the transformation of the surveying and mapping industry, Allen & Company’s array of UAVs have been instrumental in delivering enhanced outputs for our clients.  Going beyond the capabilities of traditional photogrammetry, our Advanced Technologies have ushered the firm into a new era of increased accuracy, maximized efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in the field of data collection and analysis. Most importantly, our clients have seen the difference and now depend on the fidelity and richness of UAV-acquired data with our LiDAR/3D laser scanning and other reality capture payloads.

At Allen & Company, UAVs are reshaping the way our surveying professionals gather and utilize geospatial data for a wide range of applications, from urban planning to supporting the development of commercial and theme park projects in Florida. Whether you call them UAVs or drones, these versatile industrial aircraft take to the skies thanks to our team of FAA Part 107 licensed pilots, equipped with advanced sensors and imaging technologies that have been miniaturized over the years.

UAVs as Geospatial Services Assets

Traditionally, surveying and mapping tasks involved manual labor, time-intensive measurements, and costly equipment. Allen & Company’s team members have found themselves in the difficult task of trying to cover an area with thick brush, swamps, and wildlife, including dangerous rattlesnakes, alligators, and wild boar. Add to that the need to have accuracy while having to manage through difficult or inaccessible locations—all while having to meet the deadline for a demanding client. Considering all these factors, this is where our Advanced Technology team excels at using UAVs for surveying and mapping.

The adoption of drones or UAVs has revolutionized this practice by providing an efficient and accurate solution. Equipped with high-resolution cameras, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors, and GPS technology, Allen & Company’s UAVs can quickly and precisely capture vast amounts of geospatial data—often at a fraction of the time it would take using traditional surveying methods. Once collected, the data can then be transformed into detailed 3D models, mesh graphics, and point cloud data sets, providing an unprecedented level of accuracy and detail not available a decade ago.

Specialized Applications for Surveying and Mapping

The integration of these technologies has significantly reduced the time and resources required for surveying and mapping projects, creating new possibilities for industries that rely on precise geographical information. Without question, the impact of UAVs on the surveying and mapping industry is far-reaching, with applications spanning various sectors:

• Construction and Infrastructure Development: UAVs are rapidly becoming indispensable tools for construction companies and infrastructure developers. Here in Central Florida alone, Allen & Company supports many enterprise-level builders by monitoring construction progress, analyzing geospatial data, and creating topographic maps of construction sites. As valued partners to our clients, our capabilities enhance project management, reduce errors, and promote safer working environments.
• Agricultural and Resource Management: Our UAVs have proven invaluable for environmental monitoring and conservation efforts, particularly in supporting Central Florida’s agricultural industries. The Advanced Technology teams can survey remote and sensitive ecosystems, helping municipalities and government agencies monitor wildlife populations, track deforestation, and assess the impact of severe storms and hurricanes. These insights are crucial for developing effective conservation policies, irrigation solutions, and overall effective management of our cities and towns.
• Urban Planning and Management: Urban planners leverage Allen & Company’s Advanced Technologies to create detailed urban models, analyze traffic patterns, and plan infrastructure upgrades. Our UAVs can rapidly scan, photograph, and assess the dynamics of a designated project area and create accurate resource or asset assessments. These services can also help public and private organizations in their planning for infrastructure expansion, which in turn fuels Central Florida’s progress and growth.
• Cultural Heritage Documentation: This is an area that continues to grow as cultural heritage organizations can benefit from UAVs’ ability to capture high-resolution images of historical sites and artifacts. These images facilitate the creation of detailed 3D models, aiding in the documentation and restoration of cultural heritage sites. In the event of a major storm or hurricane, this data can help manage through the rebuilding of historical landmarks, as well as document their physical condition for insurance recovery purposes.

The integration of UAVs into geospatial services offers numerous advantages that have increased their widespread adoption by Allen & Company. Through our ongoing cross-training of surveying and mapping professionals—many of whom have earned their FAA drone pilot license—we have created new opportunities in what some considered to be a “dying” profession. Instead, our Advanced Technologies team has been successful in creating a complementary menu of Reality Capture services using aerial tools that continue to redefine our industry. From time and cost efficiency to enhanced accuracy and real-time data—Allen & Company can deliver the most impressive results of any competitor using state-of-the-art tools, without compromising our team members’ safety and with greater accessibility to project sites than ever before.

In the coming years, Allen & Company expects further advancements in UAV and Reality Capture technology, with increased sensor capabilities and data processing techniques that should increase the sophistication of our deliverables. These developments will likely lead to even more refined and comprehensive geospatial services, expanding the possibilities for industries that rely on accurate and up-to-date geographical information. The rapid data collection, enhanced accuracy, and versatility of drones are reshaping how technology evolves—and at Allen & Company, we can anticipate a future where UAVs play an increasingly integral role in shaping our understanding of Central Florida’s landscapes and environments.

Contact Allen & Company’s Business Development team for a consultation and scope review by calling us at (877) 893-4815 or reach out to us via our online contact form.

Allen & Company is a surveying, mapping, and geospatial services firm with over three decades of experience delivering value to our customers across the Central Florida area—and beyond.

Surveying and mapping have been vital tools for understanding the Earth’s physical features and gathering essential information for various industries—primarily construction companies, but also for commercial Real Estate and industrial or infrastructure development. Traditionally, these practices involved manual measurements and fieldwork, which are known to be time-consuming and require significant human effort, specialized training, and even manual calculations. And while all of these skills are still needed, the evolutionary process has opened our future to new and exciting opportunities beyond construction and development.

With the advent of advanced technologies for surveying and mapping, firms like Allen & Company have evolved into the geospatial services industry as the former professional trade transitioned into a specialized technologist competency. This transformation has revolutionized how we gather, analyze, and utilize geospatial data as licensed professional surveyors and mappers. Building on years of experience of our traditional surveying and mapping methods, Allen & Company has been training and developing our teams to serve our clients with advanced technologies—and we have invested in the tools and devices that can accurately map, survey, and report with more accuracy than ever before.

How Geospatial Technologies Drive Innovation

One of the most significant drivers of Allen & Company’s geospatial services evolution involved the adoption of emerging geospatial technologies. Cutting-edge tools such as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) are revolutionizing data acquisition and processing. Here is a primer on how Allen & Company is using these advanced technologies:

• GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems): GNSS provides real-time positioning information with high accuracy, allowing surveyors to precisely locate points on the Earth’s surface. This technology has found applications in agriculture, construction, disaster management, and urban planning, and many more applications for accurate measurement of points on land. GNSS is part of many of the tools and technology resources in use by Allen & Company—allowing our teams to identify and locate the position of land across our surveying and mapping projects.
• GIS (Geographic Information Systems): GIS enables the visualization, analysis, and interpretation of spatial data, empowering decision-makers with valuable insight that uses satellite positioning. Given its accuracy and accessibility, GIS has become an indispensable technology platform across various industries—but most importantly, it is now a staple of forward-thinking surveying and mapping firms like Allen & Company.
• LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging): LiDAR technology, when combined with aerial and terrestrial platforms used in the surveying and mapping industry, can produce high-resolution 3D maps of the environment. This data is crucial for urban planning, infrastructure development, forestry, and environmental monitoring—or in Allen & Company’s case, it delivers rich data for large commercial, industrial, infrastructure, and residential development projects. Allen & Company employs a variety of LiDAR devices, from vehicle or UAV-mounted for scanning large facilities to handheld scanners that can be used indoors or in tight spaces.
• UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles): UAVs are commonly known as drones, and they have dramatically changed the surveying and mapping profession with fast and effective capabilities when coupled with payload attachments for photogrammetry or LiDAR. Allen & Company uses drones to survey and map large areas—from tracts of land to be developed to existing infrastructure such as highways or airports. If the weather conditions are favorable to fly a mission, our UAV fleet can capture high-resolution imagery and LiDAR data, making these drones a formidable tool for cost-effective data collection.

Allen & Company’s multi-competency approach to surveying, mapping, and geospatial projects allows us to serve the needs of customers across multiple industries and markets. We actively work with enterprise-level clients with large or multiple projects requiring a variety of solutions within our geospatial spectrum, allowing us to consult prior to the proposal stage to ensure they are procuring exactly what they need. In many cases, our geospatial and advanced technology solutions can find ways to save them time and effort—leading to successful outcomes and satisfied customers.

Contact Allen & Company’s Business Development team for a consultation and scope review by calling us at (877) 893-4815 or reach out to us via our online contact form.