Mapping 33,000 km / 20,505 mi of highways with a drone

Strata Engenharia, a company specializing in smart solutions for the road, airport, and rail sectors, was commissioned to map the extensive Brazilian National Highway System (SNV), with 33,000 km / 20,505 mi of roads.

The project’s goal was to collect data on road conditions to enhance highway safety. Strata Engenharia employed two eBee X drones with S.O.D.A. RGB cameras and RTK technology for precise positioning.

The decision to choose eBee X drones was based on their large coverage capabilities of 1,235 acres / 500 hectares in a single flight, user-friendly flight planning software (eMotion), and the proven ability to safely fly over people and moving vehicles.

Key results:

• Successfully mapped 8,000 km / 4,970 mi of Brazilian highways (the project is still ongoing).
• Generated accurate 2D orthomosaic, point clouds, and 3D models, capturing details of road features, signaling, vegetation, relief, viaducts, transmission lines, and more, creating a comprehensive road system database.
• Strata Engenharia contributed to enhancing safety measures by providing vital information for improvements.
• Achieved cost savings and high return on investment (ROI) by safely flying without disrupting traffic or restricting access for individuals. This approach minimized the number of mapping days required and reduced the number of workers in the field.

*Please note that, due to the large scale of the project, the dataset contains only a fraction of the entire data.