How to Review Grading Progress with Aerial Surface Data
Repeat aerial capture can help teams review visible grading progress, compare documented surfaces, and identify areas that need closer field review. It supplements project controls; it does not certify grade or replace required professional verification.
The Challenge of Reviewing Grading Across a Large Site
On a busy construction site, teams need a consistent way to review visible earthwork progress between formal field checks. Common challenges include:
- Conditions change between scheduled field checks
- Large sites are difficult to review from one ground position
- Teams need a shared visual reference for coordination meetings
- Potential high or low areas need to be identified for qualified field review
- No objective record of what the site looked like before grading started
A dated aerial record gives the team another source of information for planning and directs attention to areas that may need field confirmation.
How Aerial Data Supports Grading Progress Review
When the site, visible surfaces, and selected capture workflow are suitable, Skyline can produce a Digital Surface Model (DSM) for planning-oriented review. Combined with dated imagery and a 3D model, it can help teams examine visible progress and identify follow-up areas:
Digital Surface Model (DSM)
Represents visible surface elevations across the captured area and can help highlight relative patterns that warrant closer review.
Planning-Oriented Viewer Tools
Review relative elevations, slopes, distances, and areas within the documented limits of the selected capture and processing method.
Repeat Surface Comparison
Where repeatability is sufficient, compare dated surfaces to review apparent material movement and direct qualified field checks.
The Measurement Tools in Your Portal
Open the 3D viewer in your client portal and you have immediate access to:
Case Study
Chehalis: Documenting Existing Conditions Before Grading
Before heavy construction began on a full-scale neighborhood development in Chehalis, WA, we flew the site to document existing conditions. The team needed a baseline — particularly for the roadways surrounding the development, which would bear the brunt of 20+ heavy machinery vehicles entering and leaving the site daily.
That existing-conditions flight gave the project team a dated visual record of the visible site before grading began. When earthwork started, the same aerial data provided a reference layer for reviewing apparent progress and identifying areas for closer field confirmation.
The site spans approximately one mile from end to end, with many active areas. Aerial data in the portal provided a consistent remote reference while required field measurements and professional decisions remained part of the project workflow.
When Qualified Field Verification Is Still Required
Aerial surface data is a planning and documentation aid. It does not establish construction layout, certify grade, create record drawings, determine legal boundaries, or replace work that must be performed or sealed by a licensed professional.
Use the qualified professional and field method required by the plans, contract, regulation, and decision for:
- Final grade certification and record drawings
- Legal property boundary determination
- Recorded plat maps and easements
- Permitting submissions requiring a surveyor's seal
Between formal checks, aerial data can help teams document visible conditions, review trends, and identify specific areas that need field confirmation. Measurement usefulness depends on capture, control, processing, surface visibility, and site conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Add Aerial Context to Grading Progress Review
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