Collect

Every project starts in the field. Drone, ground, and satellite data collection, run end-to-end by lab staff — or by collaborators we train.

Data Collection

Field data collection from drones, ground instruments, and remote sensing. Lab staff can run a campaign end-to-end, or train collaborators to operate the equipment themselves. Planning, permitting, and logistics get worked out per project. Where the science calls for it, we wire instruments and processing into repeatable monitoring — so a new survey can be checked against the last one right away, and, further out, collection can close the loop and run on its own.

Drone surveys

RGB, multispectral, lidar, and thermal sensors on fixed-wing and multirotor platforms. Orthomosaics at cm-scale accuracy with PPK base correction; lidar point clouds for forest structure, change detection, and 3D site models.

Terrestrial laser scanning

Trimble X9 and SX12 tripod scanners for geodetic-grade scans; GeoSLAM Zeb Horizon handheld for rapid below-canopy and indoor walks.

GNSS surveying

Trimble R980 + RTX, Emlid Reach RS2 / RS2+, and DJI D-RTK 2 for control points, base stations, and PPK workflows; cm-scale relative accuracy in good conditions.

Total station

Trimble C5 robotic for pinpoint feature mapping where GNSS is denied — under dense canopy, against structures, or indoors.

Ground-penetrating radar

Sensors & Software pulseEKKO Pro for buried-feature surveys: utilities, archaeology, soil stratigraphy.

Satellite tasking

Coordinated acquisitions from commercial SAR (e.g. ICEYE), commercial multispectral, and Planet Labs daily mosaics for time-sensitive or large-area campaigns. Tasking support currently available only for WashU clients.

Equipment fleet

Platforms and instruments maintained by the lab. Contact us to check availability for your dates.

Drones

M600

Available

DJI Matrice M600

DJI

Specs

Max Payload: 6 kg
Flight Time: 35 min
max Speed: 65 km/h

P4 Multispectral

Available

DJI Phantom 4 Multispectral

DJI

Specs

Sensor: 6-camera multispectral array
Flight Time: 27 min
Positioning: RTK/PPK GNSS

P4 Pro

Available

DJI Phantom 4 Pro

DJI

Specs

Sensor: 1-inch CMOS, 20 MP
Flight Time: 30 min
Video: 4K 60fps

Tello

Available

DJI Tello

DJI

Specs

Weight: 80 g
Flight Time: 13 min
Camera: 5 MP

Trinity F90+

Available

Quantum Trinity F90+

Quantum-Systems

Specs

Type: Fixed-wing VTOL
Flight Time: 90 min
Payloads: Sony RX1 RII, Altum-PT, Qube 240

Sensors

ZEB Horizon

Available

GeoSLAM ZEB Horizon

GeoSLAM

Specs

Range: 100 m
Scan Rate: 300,000 pts/sec
Weight: 1.3 kg

Altum-PT

Available

MicaSense Altum-PT

MicaSense

Specs

Bands: 5 multispectral + panchromatic + thermal
Resolution: 3.2 MP per band
Mount: Trinity F90+ payload

pulseEKKO Pro

Available

Sensors & Software pulseEKKO Pro

Sensors & Software

Specs

Type: Ground penetrating radar
Frequencies: 25 MHz – 1 GHz
Design: Bistatic
Weight: 3 kg per transceiver

RX1 RII

Available

Sony RX1 RII

Sony

Specs

Sensor: 35 mm full-frame, 42.4 MP
Lens: 35 mm f/2.0 Zeiss
Mount: Trinity F90+ payload

Qube 240

Available

YellowScan Qube 240

YellowScan

Specs

Scan Rate: 240,000 pts/sec
Range: 100 m
Mount: Trinity F90+ payload

Survey & Positioning

D-RTK 2

Available

DJI D-RTK 2 Mobile Station

DJI

Specs

Type: GNSS mobile station
Signals: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou
Accuracy: 1 cm + 1 ppm RTK
Weight: 3.5 kg (with tripod)

RS2 / RS2+

Available

Emlid Reach RS2 / RS2+

Emlid

Specs

Type: RTK/PPK GNSS receiver
Signals: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou
Accuracy: 7 mm + 1 ppm RTK

C5

Available

Trimble C5 (Total Station)

Trimble

Specs

Type: Mechanical total station
Angular Accuracy: 5"

R980

Available

Trimble R980 (GNSS Receiver)

Trimble

Specs

Type: GNSS receiver
Signals: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou
Accuracy: 8 mm + 1 ppm RTK

SX12

Available

Trimble SX12 (Total Station)

Trimble

Specs

Type: Robotic total station
Angular Accuracy: 1"
scanning: 26,600 pts/sec

TSC5

Available

Trimble TSC5 (Controller)

Trimble

Specs

Type: Field controller
software: Trimble Access
Display: 5" touchscreen

X9

Available

Trimble X9 (TLS)

Trimble

Specs

Type: Terrestrial laser scanner
Range: 80 m
Scan Rate: Up to 500,000 pts/sec

Connectivity

Hologram

Available

Hologram IoT Cellular

Hologram

Specs

Type: Cellular IoT SIM
Bands: Global LTE/3G
Design: Multi-carrier SIM

Starlink Mini

Available

SpaceX Starlink Mini

SpaceX

Specs

Type: LEO satellite terminal
Weight: 1.1 kg
Design: Compact flat panel
Bands: Ku-band
Positioning: Built-in GPS

Trimble RTX

Available

Trimble RTX Correction Service

Trimble

Specs

Type: Satellite GNSS corrections
Accuracy: < 2 cm horizontal
Positioning: CenterPoint RTX

Bringing your own data

Collaborators transfer field data to the lab through our upload portal; accepted formats and transfer setup are covered in the lab documentation.

Plan a campaign

Tell us where and what you need captured — lab staff can run the campaign end-to-end, or train your team to. Initial scoping conversations are free — see Access & Rates for how projects are priced.

Contact the Lab