Drone Surveying Capabilities

Here at Stratum Consultants Ltd we are always looking for ways to use the latest in technological advances to improve the deliverables to our clients and contractors.

The latest surveying tool we are using is drone technology. The drone is an accurate and fast way to obtain data. In some cases, this can be faster and provide more detail than traditional survey methods.

Drone Set-Up

The drone provides us with:

• High resolution, up to date aerial photography

• High resolution oblique images

• High resolution video flyover

• Digital terrain model (DTM)

• Colourised point clouds

• Surface contours

The main parts of our business that we use the drone for are:

• Topographic surveys (down to centimetre accuracy, as required)

• Volumes and/or earthworks

• Site progression

• Site photography

The drone is accurate, and can provide:

• Centimetre accuracy

• 1 point for every 3 centimetres

• 10 million points in around 30 minutes

• Overall, it can cover 100 hectares in around 30 minutes

We have also found there are many other positive features for undertaking a drone survey.  This includes being:

• Great for hard to access locations (e.g. buildings, roofs, swamp, water, cliffs/slips).

• Safer in dangerous areas (e.g. machinery working, hazardous sites - electricity, chemicals).

• Good for orthomosaic photos (e.g. relative, accurate, and measurable full site photos).

• Great for capturing all required data in one survey.

3DPoint Cloud with Raw Photos Positions Over-Layed

We have been using the drone on many of our larger projects recently and will continue to use it more often moving forward.  

The drone provides a more efficient use, and in many cases a safer working environment, for our staff, while also providing cost and time efficiencies for our valued clients.

For more detail on the use of drone survey technology for your project, then please contact one of our experienced Surveyors.

A brief Colourised Point Cloud video captured by our drone can be viewed below:

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Pacific Lakes Village Development

The Tauranga office of Stratum Consultants Ltd are proud to have been involved in many significant projects in Papamoa over the years.  We can now add another exciting project to that list!

Our staff have been involved with and provided professional services to the Pacific Lakes Village at 242 Grenada Street, Papamoa.  This retirement village development is a sister village to the highly acclaimed Pacific Coast Village, on Maranui Street, Papamoa.

We obtained resource consent to develop a retirement village containing 346 townhouses and 40 serviced apartments.  This included input from our highly capable and experienced Resource Management Planners, Civil Engineers, and Land Surveyors.  Ongoing works include civil engineering design and construction supervision and structural design and supervision for the new buildings. 

Stratum Consultants Ltd looks forward to continuing to work on this project and congratulate Pacific Lakes Village on this exciting high quality and socially, culturally and environmentally responsible development.

For more detail on this project please see the following the NZ Herald article link:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=12095214

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Can I Subdivide My Property?

This is a question that we are commonly asked.

There are a number of variables in providing an answer.  Here, at Stratum Consultants, we have a number of Planning and Surveying experts that can assist with navigating you through these variables to provide you with an answer that works.

The three main factors in determining whether you are able to subdivide your property are:

1. The size and shape of your property,

2. The zone that your property is in, and

3. The subdivision rules of the Council’s District Plan.

What is a Subdivision?  

Subdivision is the process of dividing a single piece of land into multiple pieces of land.  It can come in many forms; from a boundary adjustment where you sell, purchase or swap land with a neighbour; infill residential subdivision, multi-lot residential subdivision, rural subdivision, and commercial/industrial subdivision.

Subdivisions can also vary in complexity, from a simple boundary adjustment or 2-lot subdivision just requiring a Surveyor and your lawyer, through to more complex and/or large multi-lot subdivisions that can require input from a wide range of professionals including planners, engineers, contractors, urban designers, environmental scientists, landscape architects, lawyers, valuers and cultural experts.  These factors will all have a bearing on the time taken and the cost to complete the subdivision process.

All subdivisions generally follow the same process. 

This process can briefly be described as follows:

1. Feasibility to determine whether your property is able to be subdivided and an estimate of the costs/timeframe.

2. Decide on the subdivision design and servicing requirements.

3. Prepare and submit a subdivision application and scheme plan to Council.

4. Obtain formal Council subdivision approval.

5. Engage contractors to undertake physical works, if required (i.e. the installation of services, Right of Ways, roads, etc) and complete all conditions of consent.

6. Undertake the Land Transfer Surveys of the new boundaries and easements, including the placement of boundary pegs and the preparation of formal Land Transfer Plans.

7. Prepare and submit a Section 223 & 224 application to Council.  This is the final Council sign off confirming that all of the conditions of consent have been met.

8. Complete any legal work required by the subdivision.

9. Lodgement of the Land Transfer Plan to Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) for their issuing of the legal titles.

Although the subdivision process can be complicated and seem daunting, we specialise in making this process as easy and stress free as possible for you. 

To find out more on whether you are able to subdivide your property, please contact one of Stratum Consultants Planning or Surveying experts.

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