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
DJI Matrice M600
DJI Specs
- Max Payload
- 6 kg
- Flight Time
- 35 min
- max Speed
- 65 km/h
P4 Multispectral
DJI Phantom 4 Multispectral
DJI Specs
- Sensor
- 6-camera multispectral array
- Flight Time
- 27 min
- Positioning
- RTK/PPK GNSS
P4 Pro
DJI Phantom 4 Pro
DJI Specs
- Sensor
- 1-inch CMOS, 20 MP
- Flight Time
- 30 min
- Video
- 4K 60fps
Tello
DJI Tello
DJI Specs
- Weight
- 80 g
- Flight Time
- 13 min
- Camera
- 5 MP
Trinity F90+
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
GeoSLAM ZEB Horizon
GeoSLAM Specs
- Range
- 100 m
- Scan Rate
- 300,000 pts/sec
- Weight
- 1.3 kg
Altum-PT
MicaSense Altum-PT
MicaSense Specs
- Bands
- 5 multispectral + panchromatic + thermal
- Resolution
- 3.2 MP per band
- Mount
- Trinity F90+ payload
pulseEKKO Pro
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
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
YellowScan Qube 240
YellowScan Specs
- Scan Rate
- 240,000 pts/sec
- Range
- 100 m
- Mount
- Trinity F90+ payload
Survey & Positioning
D-RTK 2
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+
Emlid Reach RS2 / RS2+
Emlid Specs
- Type
- RTK/PPK GNSS receiver
- Signals
- GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou
- Accuracy
- 7 mm + 1 ppm RTK
C5
Trimble C5 (Total Station)
Trimble Specs
- Type
- Mechanical total station
- Angular Accuracy
- 5"
R980
Trimble R980 (GNSS Receiver)
Trimble Specs
- Type
- GNSS receiver
- Signals
- GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou
- Accuracy
- 8 mm + 1 ppm RTK
SX12
Trimble SX12 (Total Station)
Trimble Specs
- Type
- Robotic total station
- Angular Accuracy
- 1"
- scanning
- 26,600 pts/sec
TSC5
Trimble TSC5 (Controller)
Trimble Specs
- Type
- Field controller
- software
- Trimble Access
- Display
- 5" touchscreen
X9
Trimble X9 (TLS)
Trimble Specs
- Type
- Terrestrial laser scanner
- Range
- 80 m
- Scan Rate
- Up to 500,000 pts/sec
Connectivity
Hologram
Hologram IoT Cellular
Hologram Specs
- Type
- Cellular IoT SIM
- Bands
- Global LTE/3G
- Design
- Multi-carrier SIM
Starlink Mini
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
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