01 · DESKTOP SCREEN
Shortlist the land
Use public LiDAR, parcel records, mapped wetlands, streams, and slope to identify terrain constraints and decide which properties deserve deeper work.
A focused first offer
Start broad. Fly only when the decision needs it.
The service is designed as a sequence. Public data can eliminate weak sites cheaply; fresh acquisition is reserved for the parcels that survive the first screen.
02 · FRESH FLIGHT
Measure current conditions
Where public elevation data is too old, collect current LiDAR and mapping imagery through an FAA-compliant flight plan with appropriate site access and control.
03 · DECISION REPORT
Turn terrain into choices
Compare pad locations, earthwork sensitivity, access grades, drainage paths, clearing, and sightlines in one planning-level report.
One project, complementary skills
Flight operations plus GIS analysis
Aerial imagery tells the visual story above the ground. LiDAR measures the terrain beneath vegetation. GIS turns both into a defensible early decision.
Flight partner
FAA Part 107 operations, site safety, mission planning, LiDAR acquisition, and high-resolution imagery or video.
Max Howe · GIS
Data processing, quality checks, terrain modeling, constraint screening, comparisons, and the client-facing decision report.
Licensed partners
Professional survey control, authoritative boundary or topographic products, civil design, and stamped deliverables when the project requires them.
How it works
From parcel question to next decision
01
Define the decision
Parcel, likely use, target pad size, timeline, and the question that could change the deal.
02
Screen existing data
Check data age and coverage, terrain, mapped constraints, likely access, and whether a fresh flight is warranted.
03
Analyze or acquire
Run the public-data study or scope a current LiDAR and imagery mission with the required control and professional oversight.
04
Deliver the decision brief
Maps, assumptions, screening estimates, limitations, and a short list of field, survey, geotechnical, or engineering follow-ups.
Four real Massachusetts studies
What the same workflow found
These are planning-level demonstrations from public data. They show the decisions the workflow can support—not bids, surveys, wetland delineations, or final designs.
PROJECT 01 · DEVENS, MA
The pad under the forest
Public LiDAR captured the parcel shortly before construction, allowing a comparison with the building that followed.
Canopy error in a camera-style surface: 282,158 yd³ ≈ $5.6M
VIEW PROJECT →
PROJECT 02 · MIDDLEBOROUGH, MA
The warehouse that wasn't
A proposed warehouse site where terrain screening finds manageable dirt work but significant mapped and terrain-based wetness questions.
Terrain screen: 175 of 441 acres pass slope and mapped-buffer tests
VIEW PROJECT →
PROJECT 03 · HOPKINTON–MILFORD LINE
Three pads, three price tags
The same conceptual warehouse footprint produces very different screening-level earthwork costs depending on where it sits.
Same pad concept: $3.96M, $6.34M, or $6.50M of earthwork
VIEW PROJECT →
PROJECT 04 · I-495 CORRIDOR
Fifty-four parcels. Fourteen pass.
A corridor-wide first pass that narrows a long list before detailed studies or fresh flights are commissioned.
14 of 54 parcels fit a conceptual pad under the stated terrain screens
VIEW PROJECT →
Comparable screening assumptions
Three deep studies, one workflow
Using the same conceptual grading approach makes terrain risk comparable across sites. These subtotals include modeled earthwork and midpoint clearing only; they are not total sitework budgets.
| Site | Conceptual pad | Earthwork @ $20/yd³ | Clearing midpoint | Access flag | Terrain subtotal / pad SF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Devens | 5.3 ac / 232,600 SF | $0.49M ± $57k data sensitivity | $16k | 21% bank requires redesign | $2.2 |
| 02 Middleborough | 16.3 ac / 710,000 SF | $1.69M ± $173k data sensitivity | $50k | screened route peaks at 5.1% | $2.5 |
| 03 Hopkinton | 16.3 ac / 710,000 SF | $6.34M ± $173k data sensitivity | $68k | 11% route requires redesign | $9.0 |
Not included: final grading design, topsoil stripping, shrink/swell, unsuitable soils, rock excavation, haul/disposal, retaining walls, utilities, stormwater construction, erosion control, mobilization, permitting, survey, or engineering.
Clear professional boundaries
Useful early—not a substitute for final design
This work is for
Planning, comparison, due diligence, scoping, and deciding where field and professional work should focus next.
This work is not
A boundary survey, wetland delineation, geotechnical investigation, construction quantity, bid, drainage design, or stamped engineering product.
Studies, not surveys
These are public-data terrain studies. They have not been field-surveyed or certified.