Drone Survey & Geophysical Mapping Services

BlueCap provides drone survey services across Australia and worldwide for mineral exploration and mining. We plan and fly drone (UAV) aerial survey and mapping acquisition, then process and deliver the data. Our core services are drone LiDAR surveys, producing DTM/DSM/DEM terrain models and classified point clouds, and drone magnetic surveys, delivering high-resolution processed magnetic data for geophysical interpretation and drill targeting.

We operate through mineral exploration partners and mobilise crews, aircraft and field equipment for drone mapping and survey projects across:

• Australia (including Tasmania)
• New Zealand
• Asia, including Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines

BlueCap can also mobilise for worldwide drone (UAV) aerial survey and mapping projects at sites with little or no supporting infrastructure, in high-altitude and rugged mountain terrain, and in cold or polar environments, including Antarctic regions. Our aircraft, ground systems and field procedures are designed for reliable survey acquisition in difficult operating conditions.

For international UAV operations, BlueCap works through the required in-country approval process using its CASA authorisations and operating procedures (ReOC/RePL, as applicable). Previous approvals have involved CAAV in Vietnam, CAAM in Malaysia, CAAP in the Philippines and CAA in New Zealand. Each project remains subject to the applicable local aviation requirements.

Since 2018, BlueCap has delivered projects for major Australian miners and explorers, including PLS Group (Pilbara Minerals), Mineral Resources, Liontown, Lynas, Iluka, Arafura, Boss Energy, Paladin Energy, Deep Yellow, Northern Star and Evolution Mining.

Drone survey cost depends on the survey area, line spacing or point density, terrain, mobilisation, aviation approvals, sensor and required deliverables. Use the BlueCap drone survey cost calculator for an indicative estimate, or open the method-specific drone LiDAR survey calculator and drone magnetic survey calculator. A formal quotation follows review of the project polygon and scope.

BlueCap is a survey company with its own aircraft, payload and software capability. As a vertically integrated airborne geophysics and drone survey service provider and in-house technology operator, the same team handles system integration, mission planning, flight operations, QC, processing and data delivery.

We do not sell or lease our survey systems. They are built for BlueCap crews to deliver LiDAR mapping products and airborne magnetic survey data in remote terrain. Our remote pilots, geophysics-processing specialists and aircraft engineers keep the workflow inside one accountable operating team. Production and R&D are based on the Gold Coast (Australia) and in Da Lat (Vietnam), with equipment and spares staged in Perth (Western Australia) for rapid mobilisation.

We support mineral exploration and mining teams with drone (UAV) aerial surveys and mapping, including LiDAR terrain models and airborne magnetic surveys.

Typical project commodities include lithium, rare earths, uranium, graphite, gold, copper, nickel, cobalt, platinum, iron, bauxite, chrome and phosphate.

Typical LiDAR survey deliverables include classified LAS/LAZ point clouds, DTM/DEM terrain models, DSM, contours and other agreed terrain products. The Drone LiDAR survey and mapping page sets out the available outputs in detail.

Standard airborne magnetic survey deliverables include processed line data and gridded magnetic maps for geophysical interpretation and drill targeting. Where agreed, optional processing can add RTP, Analytic Signal, 1VD/2VD and other project-specific products to the scope.

Yes. BlueCap drone radiometric survey and mapping services integrate a Medusa MS-1000 gamma-ray spectrometer with mission design, acquisition, processing and quality control. Agreed products can include potassium, equivalent uranium, equivalent thorium and total-count data for near-surface geological mapping.

BlueCap is set up to bridge the operating gap between crewed aviation and battery drones: aircraft-scale daily acquisition with drone-level terrain following and data resolution. Greater daily production can reduce deployed field days and the mobilisation cost carried by each delivered line-kilometre or square kilometre.

On comparable LiDAR mapping and high-resolution magnetic survey scopes, BlueCap’s indicative estimates can be around one-tenth to one-twentieth of comparable manned-aircraft survey pricing (10–20×), and around 30–50% below comparable conventional-drone survey pricing. The commercial result still depends on survey geometry, terrain, mobilisation, aviation approvals and the required deliverables.

Drone and UAV are common terms for an unmanned aircraft. In Australian aviation usage, the aircraft may also be called an RPA, while the complete remotely piloted aircraft system is an RPAS. Aerial survey describes the work: acquiring geospatial or geophysical data from the air.

In project scopes, these terms often overlap. A drone/UAV aerial survey can produce DTM/DSM terrain models and point clouds from LiDAR acquisition or magnetic maps for interpretation from airborne magnetics.

Those figures refer to productive flight-line acquisition on a flying day. BlueCapHeli® long-endurance petrol UAV helicopters are built for sustained drone mapping missions. A typical battery-powered mapping drone may fly for about 15–20 minutes per battery pack; BlueCapHeli® uses interchangeable 3-hour (3.2 L) and 8-hour (10 L) fuel-tank configurations, with the operating configuration selected for the survey and approvals.

At a typical survey speed of about 100 km/h (27 m/s), within an operating range of approximately 80–140 km/h (22–40 m/s), field planning uses approximately 600–700 line-km per helicopter per flying day. The equipment envelope reaches up to 800 line-km on suitable projects, while three helicopters planned at about 700 line-km each provide up to 2,100 line-km per day in parallel.