How much does a LIDAR drone cost—and save—you today?
How expensive is LIDAR data?
A broader view of the cost-benefit landscape is key to understanding price. Why? Because, up until a few years ago, the cost of LIDAR data when captured by airplanes or a field crew with scanners was very high, due to expertise and man hours.
With a drone, you are investing in a system that can give you this data much, much cheaper over repeat projects thanks to the lower UAV LIDAR cost.
The current LIDAR data cost landscape
Since a LIDAR drone survey costs what it always has, you now have the opportunity to get a system that can fetch the data much faster and repeatedly for a much bigger profit margin.
For service providers this is a goldmine opportunity. For site managers and those whose projects benefit from LIDAR, this moment marks the opening doors to much higher margins and dramatically better project efficiency.
If you have this tech, and you know how to use it, you’re ahead of the game no matter your industry.
What is the cheapest LIDAR aerial system?
So of course you now want to know which one is cheapest so you can make the most bucks! If only it were so straightforward.
Here’s the catch: LIDAR data capture can be very complex and present hassles and challenges if you do not choose the right system for your projects today and into the future.
Taking time to learn about how it works is a good first step to preventing headaches and costs in the future.
How much does a LIDAR drone cost?
When you think about LIDAR price, you cannot separate it from the quality of the system you purchase, because this will imply either easier setup and faster time to outputs, or the opposite.
You absolutely need to be aware of:
- The price of the drone and the payload
- Ease of use and training requirements
- Component quality and engineering
- How much “editing” the data needs (in cases of lower quality systems)
- Field setup time per flight, including calibration if that is needed
- Efficiency of data capture
- Coverage plans to prevent unpredicted costs
- Processing suite and subscriptions
- Quality and speed of customer service
So now the meaning of this question changes, because if you go with cheap drone LIDAR, you are probably going to pay more for hassles and lost time.
All of this adds to the bill. You can see why you’ll want to research and have deeper conversations with drone companies when you are making your final decision.
It could take an extra week or two to get informed, but the time it saves and benefits it can yield are well worth it!
LIDAR sensor costs today
LIDAR drone price can range from more than 100K or as little as 20K depending on what you want to do with them and the quality you need from the data. Reigl sensors are the gold standard, for example.
They avail data through slightly thicker vegetation than lower-range sensors and are highly reliable.
In addition to the large price tag, biggest drawback with high-end systems like Riegl is that they don’t travel so well.
You cannot fly with the system and need to ship it along with batteries.
So it’s heavy not only in price but portability and waiting time, customs and other issues that can crop up when you need it for remote projects. If you break this down, it’s a lot of extra expense to tack onto this LIDAR drone’s cost.
Maybe your project doesn’t require that level of data quality. Maybe you could get more from a mid-range, nimble system.
Final thoughts
In the end, you need to do a little research to properly assess LIDAR drone costs.
Not just in terms of their price tag and subscription fees, but also in terms of the time and money they are going to save you in the field and on your projects.
Not only this, speaking to experts about data quality disparities across systems is a good idea. Many articles exist to help you get started.
You’ll also want to understand when exactly you need this data, and when photogrammetry might better suit your needs.
Or do you need both of these kinds of data to make optimal decisions? In this case, you will want one system that can capture everything at the quality you need, ideally.