How Much Do Drone Services Cost?
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Pricing for High Quality Drone Video and Photos
Drone Service Pricing – What does that thing cost??
The first question we get every time while on-site is “what does that thing cost“? Our new answer is “it’s not just this drone it’s all of our drones and the batteries!” Good quality equipment is not cheap our drones range from $600 to $60,000…from the DJI Mini to the Flyability Elios 2 and everything in between.
The type of work and the location dictate who we deploy to a project as well as the drones/sensors that will be used. We have the best people and drones, and we renew equipment regularly to ensure we provide the best drone service and the best results; this is integral to our client service strategy.
Drone Service Pricing for Media Capture
Drone service pricing for drone media capture starts at $299.00. This includes media capture for websites, commercial real estate marketing, land development, back-plating, TV shows, advertising, and much more.
We also create post-production marketing videos. If you need great video content to support your project you can count on us to get it done. Check out this example for the Canada Lands Company, this one created for Dream Reality or this one we worked on for Carleton University!
Inspections, Mapping, and Drone Surveying
Data collection for inspections, mapping, and surveying is similar to drone media capture BUT requires an extra level of effort. Drone inspections, mapping, and surveying demand specialized equipment, an experienced pilot, a visual observer, a fully tested workflow, particular software, and well-developed expertise to produce consistent and reliable results.
The operational environment for inspections is often considered complex, which increases the level of risk to equipment, people, and the client’s assets. We have conducted inspections on wind turbines, dams, bridges, telco towers, radio towers, building facades, roofs, construction sites, industrial boilers, water towers, and more. We have also mapped and surveyed multiple properties over the years for various development projects.
The Cost for Drone Inspections, Mapping, and Drone Surveying
Given the effort, resources, experience, risk, and development work needed to competently conduct these operations, the cost reflects the additional expertise required.
Drone inspections start at $1499.00, but this can vary depending on the type of inspection and equipment we deploy.
Drone base mapping flight operations are charged on a per-acre basis + associated costs. Project costs vary greatly depending on the complexity and our clients can expect to pay between $60-$160 per acre.
Drone images to AutoCAD processing are charged on a per-acre basis. Complex as-built feature extraction projects are generally $80/acre. Basis development base mapping projects are generally $35/acre.
Drone-based gas leak detection costs vary according to the contaminant and risk but generally start at $5000 + associated costs.
Want to learn more about what is included? Please check out info related to aerial mapping/surveying, wind turbine blade inspections or drone-based surveying information.
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Cost for Drone Inspections, Mapping & Surveying
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Drone Pricing for Drone Data Transformation
Drone Data Transformation
Drone data transformation includes all the expertise and requirements related to drone inspections, mapping, and surveying operations but also includes the additional requirement to produce a very specific client deliverable.
The client deliverable is normally documentation, a report, and/or electronic files that involve processing and interpreting data, hence data++. Recon Aerial plans the data collection, processes the data, and in some cases interprets the results to yield an insight that would not otherwise be possible. The goal in every case is to transform the data and provide added value to the client’s work. This workflow often includes additional software processing and even interpretation through artificial intelligence to help the client answer a specific question.
For example, Recon Aerial undertook a First in Canada project sponsored by SNC Lavelin for Ontario Power Generation. The goal of the project was to create a damage map of the entire downstream face of a remote hydroelectric dam. We did this in order to complete an engineering report, tables of deficiencies as well as damage markups for multiple defects, and AutoCAD reference diagrams. The client used this data to solicit for major capital repair for the aging infrastructure.
This was a complex project. The planning, flight operations, software processing, damage annotation, report writing, and engineering review required 300+ hours to complete.
Drone Pricing for Data Transformation
Complex projects such as these may require months to plan, execute and deliver; this prevents us from outlining an accurate baseline price for data++ projects; each project is unique and we cost it accordingly.
However, drone projects of this nature may range between 5K to 100K or more depending on the experience required, the equipment, the level of effort, resources, legal complexity, processing, data interpolation/interpretation, the location, and many other factors.
One example of a data++ project type we routinely conduct is wind turbine blade inspections. We incorporate a turnkey workflow to produce AI driving defect reports that tell our clients (down to the mm) the defect type and the location of defects on each blade side.
Another example is mapping/surveying for land development activities where we produce line-work overlays on georeferenced orthom*osaics to assist our client with land-use planning objectives.
