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LiDAR for land and topographic survey
- Bare-earth terrain models (DTM) and contours
- Survey under bushes and tree cover
- Base maps for design and planning
NVX Dhritra · LiDAR drone, made in India
Dhritra: a made in India LiDAR drone for 3D mapping.
Under development at NVX, New Delhi: up to 35 minutes of flight and a 5 km range, in a protective cage for tight spaces. LiDAR 3D mapping with Dhritra is available now as a service, on order.
- flight time (Dhritra)
- 35 min
- flight time (Dhritra)
- range (Dhritra)
- 5 km
- range (Dhritra)
- measured point clouds, not just photos
- 3D
- measured point clouds, not just photos
- industries that use drone LiDAR
- 8
- industries that use drone LiDAR
Meet Dhritra
NVX's own LiDAR drone, built in New Delhi.
Dhritra carries a LiDAR sensor and an onboard computer inside a protective carbon cage, so it can fly close to walls and into tunnels, plants and other tight spaces. LED lights let it work in the dark. It is under development, and LiDAR 3D mapping with it is available now as a service, on order.
- Flight time
- Up to 35 min
- Range
- 5 km
- Frame
- Ducted rotors in a carbon cage
- Status
- Under development; mapping service on order
Why the name? Dhritra joins two Sanskrit words: Dhṛta, held or sustained, and Rāṣṭra, nation. It is built to help keep the nation's tunnels, mines, plants and infrastructure standing, by measuring them in 3D.
Made for spaces GPS cannot reach
The cage protects the drone and its surroundings when it flies close to walls, so it can map inside places that are unsafe or slow for people to survey.
- Tunnels and metro
- 3D records of tunnel walls, linings and services.
- Underground mines
- Galleries, stopes and voids where GPS cannot reach.
- Sewers and drains
- Stormwater and sewer lines mapped without sending people in.
- Tanks, silos and boilers
- Internal 3D scans for inspection and volume.
- Plants and warehouses
- As-built 3D models of industrial interiors.
- Buildings and heritage
- Interiors, roofs and monuments in fine 3D detail.
What is a LiDAR drone?
Laser scanning from the air, point by point.
A LiDAR drone fires hundreds of thousands of laser pulses a second and times each return. Combined with a GNSS/IMU unit that records exactly where the scanner was, every return becomes a measured 3D point. The result is a dense point cloud that shows the ground under trees and thin objects such as power lines, which photo mapping alone cannot.
LiDAR drone uses
Commercial uses of LiDAR drones in India
Where a LiDAR drone earns its cost over a camera drone.
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LiDAR for mining and quarries
- Pit and stockpile volumes
- Bench, slope and haul-road monitoring
- Repeat surveys to track change
03
LiDAR for power lines and utilities
- Conductor position and sag
- Vegetation clearance along the corridor
- Tower and right-of-way records
04
LiDAR for forestry and plantations
- Tree height and canopy structure
- Biomass and green-cover estimates
- Ground levels under the canopy
05
LiDAR for cities and urban planning
- 3D city models and building heights
- Base maps for smart-city projects
- Encroachment and change detection
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LiDAR for roads, rail and highways
- Corridor surveys for alignment and design
- Earthwork and cut-and-fill
- As-built checks after construction
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LiDAR for rivers, floods and drainage
- Bare-earth models for flood studies
- Riverbank and erosion mapping
- Drainage and catchment planning
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LiDAR for heritage and structures
- Detailed 3D records of monuments
- Documentation before restoration
- Structure and facade measurement
Point-cloud and landscape images in this section are illustrations, not NVX project data. Dhritra images are from NVX.
3D mapping
Every roof, tree and street, measured.
Coloured by height, from ground to rooftop.
A LiDAR point cloud measures heights directly, ready for 3D city models and planning.
Repeat the flight to see what changed.
Same flight plan, same control: new buildings, cuts and fills stand out.
What a LiDAR survey delivers
Standard point cloud, CAD and GIS formats for engineers and planners.
- Point cloud
- Millions of measured 3D points of the site, in standard LAS or LAZ files.
- Classified point cloud
- Points sorted into ground, vegetation, buildings, wires and more.
- Terrain model (DTM)
- The bare ground surface, with trees and buildings removed.
- Surface model (DSM)
- The top surface: tree canopy, roofs and structures.
- Contours
- Contour lines from the true ground, for CAD and GIS.
- Colourised point cloud
- Points coloured from the drone's RGB camera for easy reading.
- Volumes and sections
- Stockpile, pit and cut-and-fill volumes, plus cross-sections.
- CAD and GIS vectors
- Extracted features such as power lines, building outlines and breaklines.
How a LiDAR drone survey works
From site plan to classified point cloud.
Step 1
Scope the site
Area, terrain, vegetation, the accuracy needed and the deliverables decide whether LiDAR, photogrammetry or both is the right tool.
Step 2
Plan and permissions
Flight height, speed and line spacing are planned for the point density needed. The airspace zone is checked on Digital Sky, with permission where the zone needs it.
Step 3
Fly the mapping flight
Outdoors the drone flies parallel lines, often with a GNSS base station logging corrections. In tunnels and indoor spaces, where GPS does not reach, the LiDAR itself tracks the drone's position as it maps.
Step 4
Process the trajectory
The flight path is computed from GNSS and IMU data, and every laser return gets a real-world coordinate.
Step 5
Classify the points
Software separates ground from vegetation, buildings and wires, so the true terrain appears even under trees.
Step 6
Deliver and check
Point clouds, terrain models, contours and volumes are delivered with an accuracy check against surveyed ground points.
LiDAR vs photogrammetry
Both make 3D maps from a drone. They measure in different ways, and the site decides which is right.
| LiDAR drone | Photogrammetry drone | |
|---|---|---|
| How it measures | Laser pulses measure distance directly | Builds 3D from overlapping photos |
| Under trees and crops | Reaches the ground through gaps in the canopy | Sees only the top surface |
| Thin objects (wires, poles) | Captures them well | Often missed or noisy |
| Colour map (orthomosaic) | Needs an added camera | Built in, very sharp |
| Low light | Works without daylight | Needs good, even light |
| Cost | Higher: scanner, GNSS/IMU and software | Lower |
| Best for | Forests, corridors, power lines, terrain under cover | Open ground, stockpiles, construction progress |
General comparison. Many projects use both: LiDAR for the terrain, a camera for the colour map.
What decides the price of a LiDAR drone
LiDAR drones and LiDAR surveys are priced on quotation. These are the main reasons quotes differ.
- Scanner range and accuracy
- Longer range allows higher, faster flights; better accuracy costs more.
- Points per second and returns
- More points and more returns per pulse give denser clouds and better ground under vegetation.
- GNSS/IMU grade
- The position and orientation unit largely decides the final accuracy.
- RGB camera
- A built-in camera colours the point cloud and gives an orthomosaic.
- Drone endurance and payload
- The drone must carry the scanner long enough to cover the site in few flights.
- Software, training and support
- Processing and classification software, operator training and calibration are part of the real cost.
Why a made in India LiDAR drone
- Import rules. India has prohibited importing complete foreign-made drones since February 2022, with narrow exceptions.
- Data stays in India. Survey data from sensitive sites is processed and kept under Indian control.
- Local support. Calibration, repair and spares from a team in New Delhi, not abroad.
- Make in India preference. Public sector buyers often prefer products made in India.
Rules: LiDAR flights follow the Drone Rules 2021: a UIN on Digital Sky, a pilot with a Remote Pilot Certificate, and permission before flying in yellow or red zones. India's geospatial guidelines of February 2021 let Indian entities collect and produce map data without prior approval, outside restricted areas.
LiDAR terms, explained
The words you will see in LiDAR quotes and reports.
- LiDAR
- Light Detection and Ranging: measuring distance with laser pulses and their return time.
- Point cloud
- Millions of 3D points describing the shape of the site.
- Returns
- One laser pulse can bounce back several times: from leaves, branches and finally the ground.
- Point density
- Points per square metre. Lower, slower flights give denser clouds.
- GNSS/IMU (INS)
- Satellite positioning plus motion sensors that record where the scanner was and how it pointed.
- Classification
- Sorting points into ground, vegetation, buildings, wires and other classes.
- DTM and DSM
- Terrain model (bare ground) and surface model (canopy, roofs, structures).
- LAS / LAZ
- The standard file formats for point clouds; LAZ is the compressed version.
Need a camera survey instead?
For open sites, stockpiles and construction progress, NVX offers drone survey and mapping services across India, flown with Saksham, our Indian made RTK drone. Read the drone mapping guide to compare methods.
LiDAR drone questions
What is a LiDAR drone?
A drone that carries a laser scanner, a GNSS/IMU positioning unit and often an RGB camera. It measures the ground and objects as a 3D point cloud, including the ground under trees.
Does NVX make a LiDAR drone?
Yes. NVX Dhritra is NVX's own made in India LiDAR drone for 3D mapping, under development in New Delhi.
What is Dhritra's flight time and range?
Up to 35 minutes of flight time and a 5 km range.
Can I buy Dhritra?
Not yet: it is under development. You can already book LiDAR 3D mapping with it as a service, on order.
Does NVX offer LiDAR mapping as a service?
Yes, on order. Tell us the site, the area or length to map, the accuracy you need and your deadline, and we send a written quote.
What does the name Dhritra mean?
Dhritra joins two Sanskrit words: Dhṛta, held or sustained, and Rāṣṭra, nation. It is built to help sustain the nation's infrastructure by mapping it in 3D.
What is the price of a LiDAR drone in India?
LiDAR drones are sold on quotation. The scanner, GNSS/IMU grade, camera, drone endurance, software and training decide the price. Ask NVX for a quote for your use.
What does a LiDAR drone survey cost in India?
LiDAR surveys cost more per acre than standard photo mapping because of the equipment and processing. The area, vegetation, accuracy and deliverables decide the price, so compare written quotes.
Is LiDAR better than photogrammetry?
For forests, corridors, power lines and terrain under cover, usually yes. For open ground, stockpiles and construction progress, photogrammetry is often enough and costs less. Many projects use both.
Can a LiDAR drone see through trees?
Not through solid leaves, but laser pulses pass through gaps in the canopy, so some returns reach the ground. That is how LiDAR maps the terrain under forests.
How accurate is drone LiDAR?
It depends on the scanner, the GNSS/IMU, flying height and ground control. Survey projects check accuracy against surveyed points on the ground.
What is a LiDAR payload?
The scanner unit fitted to the drone, usually combining the laser scanner, the GNSS/IMU and a camera in one housing.
Do I need permission for a LiDAR drone survey?
The drone needs a UIN on Digital Sky and the pilot a Remote Pilot Certificate. Green zones need no flight permission; yellow and red zones need permission first.
Which industries use LiDAR drones in India?
Land survey, mining, power transmission, roads and rail, forestry, urban planning, flood studies, construction and heritage documentation.
Is Dhritra made in India?
Yes. Dhritra is being developed by NVX in New Delhi.
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