Contours and elevation models
DTMs, surface models and contours at the interval your designers are working to, in your project coordinate system.
services
Topographical Survey
Survey-grade topographical mapping by drone, RTK/GNSS or both — contours, DTMs, orthomosaics and CAD-ready terrain outputs for engineering, planning and setting-out across Kenya.
Know the land before you design it
Most projects we see start with a vague idea of what's actually on site. We turn that into a measured base map — using drone photogrammetry, RTK/GNSS rovers, a total station, or some mix of all three depending on what the site, the canopy and the deadline call for. Levels, edges, drainage lines, existing features — what's there ends up in the data.
You get DWG, DXF and GeoTIFF, plus the supporting reports — opened straight in AutoCAD, Civil 3D or QGIS without rework. We've done this for half-acre plots and 40-kilometre corridors. The approach scales; the control discipline doesn't change.
What you receive
Standard packs for engineers, project owners and consultants. Formats and layers are agreed before the campaign so nothing comes back for cleanup.
Orthomosaic base maps
A georeferenced site image at sub-5 cm pixel size. Boundaries, access, vegetation and structures all show up at scale.
CAD and GIS exports
DWG, DXF, SHP and GeoTIFF, with layer names you can actually find. A short note travels with the files so the recipient knows where everything is.
Control and QA notes
A short report covering control point locations, RMS values and the checkpoints we held back for validation. Useful when somebody asks where the numbers came from.
How a survey runs
Every job looks slightly different. The four moves underneath are the same.
- 01
Scope and control planning
Boundary, deliverables and coordinate system are agreed before anyone leaves the office. Control strategy comes out of that.
- 02
Drone and GNSS capture
On-site flying and ground control, with flight height and overlap chosen for the resolution you actually need.
- 03
Processing and validation
Photos and control go through processing. We pull independent checkpoints, look for gaps and artefacts, and sign off only when the numbers hold.
- 04
Handover for design
Files come over in the agreed formats, with a one-pager so your CAD or GIS lead knows what's where.
Where it's used
Usually the first thing a project asks for, and the thing every later decision rests on.
Roads, pipelines and utilities
Route design, drainage review, setting out — long corridors get the same treatment as compact sites.
Land development
Subdivisions, housing schemes, mixed-use sites — anything that needs a base map before architects start.
Water and drainage projects
Catchment work, stormwater design and flood modelling, with terrain data clean enough to feed straight into the model.
Boundary verification and cadastral support
Topographical surveys that include boundary verification — beacons, fences, existing features — alongside the terrain mapping. Often bundled with a formal boundary survey.
What we run, on the ground and in the air
Topo work is a means to an end — the right tool depends on the site. Some jobs get flown, some get walked with GNSS, some need a total station, most need a bit of each.
Drones, when the air makes sense
Mavic 3 Enterprise RTK and Phantom 4 RTK are our usual workhorses, with a Mavic 2 Pro for smaller jobs. Live RTK where the GSM coverage holds, PPK where it doesn't.
GNSS rovers and a base station
Multi-frequency receivers running on NTRIP corrections. They set the control, pick up the things the drone can't see clearly (manhole rims, kerb inverts, corner pegs) and validate the model after.
Total station, where it's the better tool
Dense urban sites, sites under canopy, anywhere GNSS gets blocked — the total station does the work. Same survey, different toolkit.
Office: photogrammetry, CAD, GIS
Pix4D and Agisoft for the imagery side. Civil 3D, Global Mapper and QGIS for the contours, breaklines and the layered DWGs your designers actually want to open.
We've done this before
Multi-site programmes, road and pipeline corridors, development properties — captured fast from the air, tied down with proper ground control.
Sample topographical survey projects
A few we've delivered recently — corridor work, multi-site programmes, a campus, a ranch. Open any one to read the brief, the approach and what was handed over.
Topographical Survey of 60 Sites Across Five Northern Kenya Counties for Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR)
Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir & Garissa Counties View case study
Duka Moja Ranch Ltd Unlocks Land Potential with Precision Drone Topographical Survey
Kenya View case study
Lakeview Heralds Academy Enhances Campus Planning with Drone Mapping
Kenya View case studyWhere this kind of survey actually fits
Quick framing for clients who haven't commissioned a topographical survey before, or who are weighing whether to fly the site, walk it, or both.
Drone survey vs. ground survey
A drone covers ground a two-person crew can't realistically reach in the same window. A 50-acre site that takes a week with a total station typically lands as a measured base map in two to three days end-to-end. The catch is canopy, wires, dense built-up areas — anything that hides the ground from the air. Where that's the picture, we walk the site instead.
We don't really treat them as alternatives. RTK GNSS and a rover pick up the things the drone can't see; the drone fills in the open ground at sub-5 cm pixel resolution. Most projects get both.
Accuracy that's traceable
Every survey we deliver is tied to documented control. Checkpoints are held back from the adjustment, so the residuals in the report are independent — not the points the model was solved on.
On open ground we typically land ±3–5 cm horizontal and ±5–8 cm vertical, in whatever CRS your project is using. Tighter than that, we densify control.
Outputs that drop straight into design
Engineers shouldn't be cleaning up survey data. CAD layer naming, contour intervals, breakline policy and CRS are agreed before fieldwork starts — so the DWG opens in Civil 3D with the right pen weights, and the GeoTIFF lines up in QGIS without re-projection.
BIM-led project? Mesh export alongside the DWG. GIS-led? SHP/GPKG with the attribute schema populated.
Topographical survey — a few questions we get a lot
Quick answers to the things clients usually want to know before we start a survey.
Drone or ground survey — which one do I actually need?
Honestly, both, on most jobs. Open ground gets flown for coverage; the same site gets walked with GNSS or a total station to pick up what the drone can't see — manhole rims, kerb inverts, fence lines under trees. Heavy-canopy or built-up sites lean more on the ground crew; flat, exposed sites lean more on the drone. Either way the deliverables look the same.
How accurate is it compared to a total station survey?
On open ground, with proper RTK control, the data is comparable — typically ±3–5 cm horizontal and ±5–8 cm vertical against held-back checkpoints. The difference isn't accuracy, it's coverage. A drone records every visible point on the surface; a ground crew samples representative ones.
How long does a topographical survey take?
Roughly: 2–3 days end-to-end for a 50-acre site, 1–2 weeks for a small estate or development, 4–6 weeks for corridor work in the 100–200 km range. Weather, access, the level of feature digitisation you want and the CRS you're working in all shift this around.
What do I get at the end?
A CAD-ready DWG/DXF with contours, breaklines, spot heights and feature linework; a high-resolution orthomosaic; a DTM and DSM as GeoTIFFs; SHP/GPKG vector exports if your team is GIS-led; and a short control and QA note covering RMS values and the held-back checkpoints. Layer naming and contour interval are agreed with you before the survey runs.
Which coordinate systems do you deliver in?
Arc 1960 / UTM Zone 36S and 37S, WGS84 / UTM, local construction grids, or whatever CRS your design team is using. Files come out as DWG, DXF, SHP, GPKG, GeoTIFF, LAS or PDF — with layers named to match your project standards.
Can you handle big corridors and multi-site work?
Yes. We've delivered a single 185 km pipeline corridor and a 60-site programme spread across five counties. Mission planning, control density and processing parameters get standardised across sites so the deliverables come back consistent — modelling and design teams can work straight off them.
Do you handle KCAA approvals?
Yes. We hold a Remote Operator Certificate (ROC) issued by KCAA, fly under a documented safety case, and coordinate any extra approvals (BVLOS, controlled airspace, ATC notifications) when a project needs them.
Where in Kenya do you work?
Country-wide. Recent campaigns have run in Turkana, Marsabit, Wajir, Kiambu, Kajiado, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Laikipia, Kilifi and Nairobi. Field crews mobilise out of Nairobi; processing and CAD production happen there too.
What do you need from me to scope a survey?
A site boundary or KMZ, what the data is for (design, planning, statutory submission, monitoring), the CAD/GIS deliverables and layer standards you need, the target coordinate system and contour interval, and a deadline. With those, you'll have a fee, mobilisation plan and timeline back within 48 hours.
Related services
Other things our team gets brought in for, often on the same projects.
Aerial LiDAR Survey
- Point clouds
- Bare-earth DTM
- Corridor profiles
Boundary & Cadastral Survey
- Boundary demarcation
- Cadastral plans
- Title support
Engineering Survey & Setting Out
- Setting out
- Control networks
- As-built surveys
Volumetric Survey
- Stockpile volumes
- Cut-fill analysis
- Repeat tracking
Backed by certifications, partnerships and standards that matter
We hold the regulatory approvals and supplier partnerships required to deliver compliant, audit-ready geospatial outcomes across East Africa.
