Combine your drone and ground surveys in Propeller
If you’ve ever found yourself waiting (im)patiently for volume reports, or trying to piece together…
Earthworks progress tracking that compares any two surveys
Compare survey captures to measure changes across your site, review remaining work against design, and share progress reports. Give field and office teams a measured starting point for deciding what comes next.
A clearer record of progress. A better starting point for decisions.
Keep a dated record of the work
Bring surveys, measurements, and site documentation together to support progress reviews and resolve questions about what changed.
Measure changes between captures
Compare surveyed surfaces to quantify material movement and remaining cut and fill. Check the capture dates to understand the period being measured.
Give everyone the same site context
Connect surveys, designs, measurements, and field observations on one shared map, so office and field teams can review the same information.
Free guide
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Download the guide to learn how continuous site data is changing earthwork progress tracking, from daily production visibility to cleaner reporting and faster decisions.
10x
faster site capture than base and rover surveys
24hr
from flight to fully processed 3D model
3–5%
margin lift teams see from pre-bid topo data
Progress tracking tools for every stage of your earthworks project
Keep survey captures organized by date, find the datasets you need, and bring measurements and field observations into the same site context.
- Timeline: Every survey, automatically organized, nothing to set up.
- Survey Explorer: Combine captures to plan your next move.
- Field annotations and photos: Pin observations and photos to the exact spot on the map.
See where the surface changed
Compare two survey captures to locate elevation changes and calculate cut/fill within a selected area. Compare the surveyed surface with design to understand remaining earthwork.
- Survey-to-survey comparisons: Measure surface differences between capture dates.
- Survey-to-design comparisons: Review elevation differences and remaining cut/fill.
- Cut/fill heatmaps: Visualize where selected surfaces differ.
Build the view your project needs
Bring relevant survey captures together into a composite surface for measurement and review. Check capture dates, coverage, and alignment so the team understands the data behind the comparison.
- Composite Builder: Merge multiple captures into one measurable map.
- Crop and cleanups: Trim maps and clear obstructions to compare exactly what matters.
Share the measurements behind your progress update
Export measurements and maps to show what changed between surveys and what remains against design. Give reviewers the quantities, locations, and capture dates behind the update.
- Cut/fill heatmaps: Visualize elevation differences between selected survey and design surfaces.
- Measurement Report: Exportable PDF or CSV of your site data, on demand.
- Dashboards: Milestones and movement at a glance, no manual assembly.
- Mass haul analysis: See how much material moves and where, across the whole project.
Capture conditions. Measure progress. Plan what’s next.
Bring survey datasets together to measure change, check specific locations in the field, and explore preliminary designs for upcoming work.
Bring your survey data together
Process your drone data in Propeller or upload pre-processed data from other sources, including GPS rovers, handheld scanners, and total stations.
Check conditions with DirtMate RTK
Connect DirtMate RTK with Propeller Mobile to capture precise points, check grade, and stake out design points. Use field measurements alongside your survey comparisons when reviewing the next stage of work.
Explore your next move with Propeller CAD
Create preliminary road, ramp, or pad concepts on your survey terrain. Refine the idea and share it for qualified review before detailed engineering or field use.
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Understand what changed. Plan what comes next.
Compare survey captures, review remaining work against design, and share measured results with your team. Bring field checks and preliminary design concepts into the next planning discussion.
Not ready to talk yet? Start with the guide: earthwork progress tracking with continuous site data.
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FAQs
Set the capture frequency with your project and survey teams based on work stages, reporting needs, and risk. Survey comparisons show changes between the selected capture dates; new survey data is needed to measure subsequent surface changes.
Yes. Elevation differences, cut/fill quantities, and cross-sections can help teams locate changes and identify questions for further review. Surface data alone does not establish the cause of a change or whether ground is safe.
Comparing survey captures helps teams review completed work and remaining quantities. Use those results alongside schedule information, field observations, and resource planning to decide what needs attention.
Use Propeller CAD to explore preliminary earthworks concepts on surveyed terrain when planning upcoming work. CAD supports concept development; survey comparisons remain the workflow for measuring surface changes. Draft designs require qualified review before field use.
DirtMate RTK connects with Propeller Mobile for precise point capture, grade checks, and design-point stakeout. These field checks complement survey comparisons; they do not continuously measure earthworks production across the site.