Drones get a wide field

One may soon see drones flying above the busy roads in Mahadevapura, for an entirely new purpose. For the first time, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) plans to use LiDAR technology for preparing land acquisition plan, mapping alignment and understanding ground realities, ahead of widening the 118-km of roads in the City’s IT hub.

These surveys or the detailed project reports — which are pre-requisite for any infrastructure works — are currently being done using the manual total station method with the help of measurement tape, tripod and a dumpy level. Many government entities such as National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Railways have adopted Lidar Technology for conducting surveys a couple of years ago.

“About 118-km of roads in Mahadeva­pura have been identified for widening in the revised master plan of 2015. We will be using LiDAR Technology for conducting revenue survey, preparation of land acquisition plan, alignment register and schedule. We first used this technology for mapping the Koramangala Valley, which will be developed as a citizen-friendly waterway project,” a senior BBMP official said.

Officials said LiDAR technology was also used for conducting land survey for the suburban rail network in the City. “The technology uses pulsed laser to measure distance. The human error is minimal. It also provides a complete picture of the ground reality which could be missed with other survey methods,” BBMP officials said. “Absence of good quality topographic data can create problems including delay in project implementation.”

“We have been using either theodolite method or total survey for the preparation of DPRs. Lidar technology is an advanced form of survey where drones can be used for the comprehensive understanding of ground reality. The technology will be used in Mahadevapura where many roads have been identified for widening. While the road widening will not happen immediately, we will be able understand land acquisition and cost requirements,” BS Prahlad, Chief Engineer, BBMP’s road infrastructure division, said.

Almost all the major roads have been identified for the survey. That includes: Outer Ring Road from Lowry Junction to Agara Junction, Haralur Main Road, Kasavanahalli main road, Panathur Balagere Road, Siddapura – Nallurahalli Road, Bellandur Main Road, HAL Wind Tunnel Road via Kempapura, Road from Sarjapur Road to Doddakannahalli etc.