Indeed, MWH takes on jobs that test today’s drone survey equipment to its limits. Resource and energy clients worldwide turn to the firm to provide high-quality drone topographic surveys of remote lands. Since MWH began using drones, their projects have increased in size and complexity, to what MacNabb describes as aerial maps “above and beyond the normal scope of work.”

Both projects for Finnish mining companies were located in the Lapland area of Northern Finland, above the Arctic circle. The ground was difficult to navigate on foot. Each of them involved more than 100 flights and 70,000 images set at 5 cm (2 in) GSD, on which to base high-resolution orthophoto and DSM maps. The unique functions of the WingtraOne made the drone surveys possible.

“WingtraOne has a much higher resolution sensor, which means we could fly higher and cover more area,” MacNabb said. “It has a longer flight time, and the ability to tail-land also saved us time and made the project possible. With a belly-landing aircraft, we would have had gaps in the data where it simply wasn’t safe or appropriate to fly a mission due to no adequate landing zone.”