Sky Scan Surveys

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Sky Scan Surveys Sky Scan Surveys provides UK-wide drone & land surveys from Bolton. Topo, measured building, LiDAR, scan-to-BIM, roof inspections & mapping.

CAA-authorised, SafeContractor, SMSTS, Drone Safe Gold.

Building on our experience as we take on more forestry and woodland work. 🌲We’ve completed Emergency First Aid at Work +...
17/10/2026

Building on our experience as we take on more forestry and woodland work. 🌲

We’ve completed Emergency First Aid at Work +F (Forestry) training.

The course covers emergency first aid and the additional requirements of forestry and remote outdoor environments, including situations where access to emergency assistance may be limited.

For us, this is about being better prepared for the environments we work in and planning safely before we arrive on site.

Good survey work starts with good preparation.

The M400 and L3 feel like another real step forward in aerial surveying.We’re now seeing small channels, banks, changes ...
01/10/2026

The M400 and L3 feel like another real step forward in aerial surveying.

We’re now seeing small channels, banks, changes in level and the shape of the ground much more clearly even where vegetation makes it difficult to see from normal aerial imagery.

For the client, that means better information to make better decisions.

Normally, improving one part of a survey can mean compromising somewhere else time, quality or cost.

With this equipment, the opportunity is to improve all three: faster data capture, higher-quality results and less time needed on the ground.

Cleaner terrain models. Clearer mapping. Better data for GIS, CAD, drawings and 3D models.

That is the real benefit for us: not just collecting more data, but delivering better information in a more efficient way.

How much data does it take to properly understand a golf course?This recent two-course LiDAR survey covered 218.2 hectar...
01/10/2026

How much data does it take to properly understand a golf course?

This recent two-course LiDAR survey covered 218.2 hectares around 306 football pitches.

The LiDAR delivery contained 1.44 billion classified ground points, with average ground-return densities of 397–494 points/m² across the two courses.

For context, a hypothetical 5 m × 5 m ground survey grid over the same area would mean roughly 87,280 points. Even at 400 observations an hour, that is about 218 hours of field collection before access, obstacles or repeat measurements.

This level of detail lets architects and greenkeepers examine greens, bunkers, fairways and drainage terrain as one continuous surface, not just a handful of spot levels.

It’s having enough information to make informed decisions.

What does dense forestry hide from aerial imagery?At Llyn Brenig Forestry Estate, Sky Scan Surveys captured drone LiDAR ...
30/09/2026

What does dense forestry hide from aerial imagery?

At Llyn Brenig Forestry Estate, Sky Scan Surveys captured drone LiDAR and RGB data to support peatland-restoration planning.

The four requested survey areas totalled 87.84 ha. To achieve complete coverage, we flew three blocks:

• West Large — 94.4 ha
• West Small — 15.2 ha
• East — 41.4 ha
• Combined coverage — 151.0 ha, including working margins

The orthomosaic records the canopy. The classified LiDAR returns reveal the tracks, drains, plough furrows and terrain beneath it.

The deliverables included a 2 cm bare-earth terrain model, classified point cloud, orthomosaic, hillshade, canopy-height data and indicative flow-path, wetness and ponding layers.

This gives restoration teams a detailed baseline for targeting field checks and planning work where vegetation hides the ground.

Planning a peatland, forestry or habitat-restoration project? Send us the site boundary and tell us what decisions the survey needs to support. Sky Scan Surveys, supporting informed decision making

Three previous survey teams had been unable to produce a usable result. Where traditional methods failed, our LiDAR work...
26/07/2026

Three previous survey teams had been unable to produce a usable result. Where traditional methods failed, our LiDAR workflows and experience excelled.

One hectare of dense woodland. Approximately 240 trees, bushes, brambles, overgrown and almost no clear visibility through the site.

The problem was not the surveyors. It was the environment.

GNSS performance was weak beneath the canopy, while establishing and maintaining a conventional total-station control network through dense undergrowth, fallen timber and ivy-covered stems was impractical.

We were asked to take it on.

The solution was LiDAR

LiDAR does not rely on satellite visibility. By progressing through the site with overlapping scan positions, we created a consistent local coordinate system from the captured geometry and registered approximately 1.3 billion points.

We then:

• extracted horizontal sections around 1.5 m above ground to assess trunk geometry
• separated defensible diameter measurements from stems requiring ground verification
• flagged ivy-covered and partially obscured trees honestly
• screened out walls, posts, fallen timber, duplicate stems and vegetation noise
• numbered every mapped tree with XY coordinates on a CAD plan

The arboriculturist can now attend with a colour-coded drawing showing where every mapped tree is and which stems still require physical measurement, rather than beginning with an incomplete plan and trying to establish positions through dense undergrowth.

Where traditional methods failed, our LiDAR workflows excelled.

Some spaces stay with you.Beneath the Chapel at Lincoln’s Inn one of London’s four Inns of Court lies a remarkable 17th...
14/07/2026

Some spaces stay with you.

Beneath the Chapel at Lincoln’s Inn one of London’s four Inns of Court lies a remarkable 17th-century fan-vaulted undercroft.

This week, Sky Scan Surveys had the privilege of recording the space using high-resolution 3D laser scanning, creating a survey-grade digital record for design, layout and coordination.

The scan captures the visible geometry of the space the arches, vaults, pillars, alcoves, access routes and architectural details so the design and build team can work from accurate, measurable data.

Historic spaces like this need a careful approach: non-intrusive, efficient, and precise

Accurate building measurement starts with reliable survey control.We recently completed a detailed building façade and r...
13/06/2026

Accurate building measurement starts with reliable survey control.

We recently completed a detailed building façade and roof measured survey in the City of Westminster, Central London, combining terrestrial laser scanning, drone capture, and total station control.

The project required a controlled approach to capture complex external masonry, upper façade details, roof areas, and sections with limited visibility from street level.

Our workflow included:

✅ Closed-loop traverse around the building perimeter
✅ Terrestrial laser scanning as the primary geometry
✅ Total station validation and control checks
✅ Drone photogrammetry to fill upper façade and roof gaps
✅ Point cloud registration and QA
✅ Combined measured survey dataset
✅ 3D visual reference model

The closed-loop traverse provided the control framework, while TLS captured the main measured geometry. Drone data was then registered into the scan dataset to provide additional coverage where ground-based scanning had limitations.

The result was a complete, controlled point cloud and 3D dataset to support façade review, masonry assessment, and onward project work.

A three-day cable landfall survey on the Isle of Hoy, planned around tide, weather, and access.We recently completed a m...
13/06/2026

A three-day cable landfall survey on the Isle of Hoy, planned around tide, weather, and access.

We recently completed a mainland-to-island subsea power cable landfall survey on the Isle of Hoy, capturing accurate position and topographical data across a remote intertidal environment.

The mission required careful planning around low-tide windows, ferry logistics, night operations, and remote-site safety. Using a two-person field team, we carried out both night-time and daylight survey operations to capture the cable route and surrounding foreshore conditions.

The works included:

✅ Night-time LiDAR survey
✅ Daylight photogrammetry
✅ RTK control
✅ Geo-referenced H20T laser rangefinder observations
✅ Foreshore topographical data
✅ Cable route mapping
✅ DXF/DWG deliverables
✅ Data conversion into the required tidal datum using VORF/LAT transformation

By combining UAV survey methods, RTK positioning, and tidal datum conversion, we produced a clear and traceable dataset for review and onward project use.

A strong example of how drone survey technology can support critical infrastructure projects in remote coastal locations.

From drone LiDAR capture to a design-ready topographical survey pack.We recently completed a detailed LiDAR topographica...
13/06/2026

From drone LiDAR capture to a design-ready topographical survey pack.

We recently completed a detailed LiDAR topographical survey across a complex landfill environment, where accurate ground modelling and clear CAD presentation were essential.

The site included varied levels, benches, lagoon features, tracks, vegetation, and areas where the surface needed careful interpretation. Using drone LiDAR, RTK GNSS control, and detailed post-processing, we produced a full survey output suitable for review, comparison, and onward project use.

Our deliverables included:
✅ LiDAR point cloud
✅ Bare-earth ground model
✅ DEM and DSM outputs
✅ Orthomosaic imagery
✅ DWG topographical drawings
✅ PDF drawing sheets
✅ Updated contours from the rebuilt surface
✅ Spot levels refreshed from the bare-earth model
✅ Breaklines to improve surface definition
✅ Interpreted top and bottom of bank lines
✅ Road, track, lagoon, and water feature edge interpretation
✅ GCP control data and supporting survey notes

A key part of this project was rebuilding the LiDAR-derived bare-earth surface so the contours better represented the actual ground, particularly around benches, banks, lagoon edges, and level changes.

In areas affected by vegetation, standing water, or limited visibility, breaklines and feature edges were interpreted from the LiDAR, orthomosaic, and visible surface evidence to create a more practical and usable final output.

The result was a clearer, more reliable survey package that turned a complex site into structured, measurable information for project teams.

This is where drone LiDAR adds real value: not just in capturing data, but in transforming it into deliverables that support confident decisions.

From dense coastal terrain to clear, design-ready survey deliverables.We recently completed a detailed survey of a chall...
13/06/2026

From dense coastal terrain to clear, design-ready survey deliverables.

We recently completed a detailed survey of a challenging coastal site, using LiDAR and reality capture workflows to produce accurate, practical outputs for design and analysis.

The project involved capturing and processing high-resolution survey data across steep, vegetated, and access-constrained terrain. From this, we developed a full suite of deliverables, including:

✅ LiDAR point cloud data
✅ Bare-earth terrain model
✅ Digital terrain model
✅ Contour drawings
✅ Breakline extraction
✅ Orthophoto mapping
✅ 3D visualisations
✅ DWG drawings for design and presentation
✅ Detailed topographical survey outputs

One of the key elements was filtering the LiDAR data to remove vegetation and surface features, allowing us to create a clearer representation of the underlying ground levels. This bare-earth model provides valuable insight for engineers, designers, and project teams working in complex environments.

By combining accurate data capture with detailed processing and CAD deliverables, we turned a visually complex landscape into clear, measurable, and presentation-ready information.

A great example of how modern survey technology supports better planning, design, and decision-making.

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34 Kendal Road
Bolton
BL14DS

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