How Rigid Targets Are Solving One of Drone Surveying’s Biggest Accuracy Problems
Ground control is the make-or-break factor in your drone survey. But what if the very targets you’re using are quietly sabotaging your deliverable accuracy?
For years, survey crews have relied on makeshift 2x2 vinyl or tarp-style GCPs — materials that were never designed to maintain vertical stability under real-world conditions. These soft, pliable targets introduce two major sources of error:
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Rod Deflection Error (RDE): When a survey rod compresses a flexible target during observation, the survey coordinate you record is lower than the actual surface height at the time of aerial data collection. That error carries through to your dataset.
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Dynamic Surface Error (DSE): Even when pinned down, traditional targets can flap, sag, or distort under wind, moisture, or heat, subtly shifting their elevation in the time between field survey and aerial data collection.
These Z-axis distortions might seem minor in isolation — but when compounded across multiple targets on a site, they can blow past project tolerances and require costly rework.
Enter DronePoints.
Engineered from durable molded fiber, DronePoints are rigid, aerial targets purposefully designed to maintain consistent surface elevation throughout the survey lifecycle. No more deflection under rod pressure. No more sag from heat or rain. Just drive a single nail, shoot your coordinate, and get on with your day with confidence.
Whether you’re mapping massive filings, calculating stockpile volumes, generating contours, or building a tight digital terrain model, DronePoints are designed to give you the accuracy your data demands — without the setup headaches of tarp targets or oversized PVC panels.