How Aerial Imagery and Terrestrial LiDAR Work Together
Aerial photogrammetry and drone-mounted LiDAR are well suited to roofs, site grading, building envelopes and large exterior areas — anything visible from above or at an oblique angle with clear sightlines.
Terrestrial LiDAR and handheld scanning cover what aerial capture structurally cannot: interior rooms, mechanical spaces, below-canopy areas and tight clearances between structures.
Registering the two datasets into one coordinate system is what makes them a single record rather than two unrelated files. Ground control and shared reference points are what make that registration trustworthy rather than approximate.
Scoping decides the mix. A roof capital decision may need aerial only; a facility asset registry usually needs both.
Professional boundaries
- Legal boundary and property line determinations require a licensed land surveyor.
- Final tax positions, asset lives and depreciation treatment require a qualified tax professional.
- Structural, mechanical and other engineering conclusions require a licensed engineer.
- Official valuations and appraisals require a licensed appraiser.
- Thermal imagery indicates apparent anomalies only and is not a diagnosis.
- Legal opinions, causation findings and expert testimony require qualified counsel and retained experts.
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