How Eco-Friendly Aerial Targets Can Reduce Survey Crew Time and Field Costs
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The Hidden Cost of Setting Aerial Targets: Why Target Removal May Be Costing Your Survey Crew More Than You Think
Aerial targets are a critical part of accurate drone mapping, photogrammetry, LiDAR, and aerial surveying workflows. Whether you are collecting ground control for a construction site, roadway project, utility corridor, subdivision, or large-scale mapping job, clearly visible and accurately observed targets help tie aerial data to real-world coordinates.
But while most surveyors understand the importance of setting targets correctly, one part of the workflow is often overlooked:
The cost of going back to remove them.
Every aerial target takes time to place, observe, document, and — unless a more sustainable option is used — remove. That final return trip can add labor, vehicle time, scheduling headaches, and unnecessary environmental impact to a project.
At Surveying-Guru.com, we believe field crews should spend less time retrieving temporary materials and more time collecting quality data.
The Standard Workflow for Setting an Aerial Target
Setting an aerial target may seem simple, but when done correctly, there are several important steps involved.
1. Find a Good Location
The first step is selecting a location that is safe, visible, and useful for the aerial mapping mission.
A good aerial target location should have:
- Clear visibility from the air
- Safe access for field crews
- Minimal obstruction from trees, vehicles, buildings, or equipment
- Limited shadowing during the flight window
- A stable surface for placement or painting
- A location that can be accurately observed by GNSS or conventional survey methods
Poor target placement can reduce the quality of aerial data, create processing issues, or require additional field work later. Choosing the right location up front saves time during both collection and processing.
2. Clear the Ground or Sweep the Pavement
Once a location is selected, the surface needs to be prepared.
On pavement, this may mean sweeping away dirt, gravel, leaves, or loose debris. On bare ground, crews may need to clear vegetation, flatten the surface, or expose soil so the target has enough contrast to be visible in aerial imagery.
This step matters because aerial targets work best when they are:
- High contrast
- Clearly defined
- Flat and stable
- Free of debris
- Easy to identify in photos or point clouds
A target placed on a messy or inconsistent surface can be harder to see, harder to mark, and less reliable during data processing.
3. Set or Paint the Target
After the surface is prepared, the target is installed or painted.
Many crews use painted marks, vinyl panels, plastic targets, plywood, cloth, or other temporary materials. The target needs to be large enough for the flight altitude, properly secured, and positioned so it will remain visible throughout the mission.
This step often includes:
- Laying out the target
- Securing the material
- Checking orientation
- Confirming visibility
- Making sure the target will not move during the flight
If a target shifts, folds, blows away, or becomes obscured, the accuracy and usefulness of that control point can be compromised.
4. Observe the Target
Once the target is set, the survey crew must observe it.
This may include GNSS observations, total station measurements, control network checks, photos, field notes, and metadata collection. The observed coordinate becomes part of the control used to process aerial mapping data.
This step is where the aerial target becomes valuable. Without accurate survey observations, the target is just a visible mark on the ground.
Good documentation should include:
- Target ID
- Coordinate values
- Datum and projection information
- Observation method
- Field notes
- Site photos
- Any conditions that could affect visibility or accuracy
This is the professional survey work that makes aerial mapping data reliable.
5. The Often-Forgotten Step: Returning to Remove the Target
Here is where the hidden cost comes in.
If a crew uses traditional target materials that must be recovered, someone usually has to return to the site after the flight. That means another trip, another schedule item, and more labor charged to the project.
Target removal may include:
- Driving back to the site
- Coordinating access a second time
- Locating each target
- Picking up panels, stakes, tape, weights, or other materials
- Removing painted or temporary markings
- Disposing of damaged materials
- Documenting cleanup
That return trip may not seem like much on a small project. But across multiple targets, multiple job sites, and multiple crews, the time adds up quickly.
What Is the Real Cost of Removing Targets?
Target removal is not free.
Even a short return trip can involve:
- Crew labor
- Truck time
- Fuel
- Vehicle wear
- Travel time
- Traffic delays
- Site access coordination
- Safety exposure
- Administrative time
For a busy survey crew, the most expensive part may not be the material itself. The most expensive part may be sending trained field staff back to retrieve it.
That raises an important question:
What percentage of your aerial control budget is spent simply removing targets?
If a project includes several sites or a large number of targets, removal can become a meaningful cost. It may also pull crews away from other billable work or delay the start of the next project.
An hour spent retrieving target material is an hour not spent collecting data, staking a job, performing control surveys, or completing higher-value field work.
What Is Your Crew’s Time Worth?
Survey crews are highly trained professionals. Their time is valuable.
When a crew has to make a separate trip just to remove temporary aerial target materials, the project absorbs costs that may not improve accuracy, deliverables, or client value.
Ask yourself:
- How long does it take to return to a site and remove targets?
- How many people are required?
- How much does the vehicle cost per hour or mile?
- How often does site access need to be coordinated twice?
- How much productive survey time is lost?
- Could that time be better used elsewhere?
For many firms, the answer is clear: reducing unnecessary return trips can improve efficiency and profitability.
A Better Option: Eco Targets from Surveying Guru
Eco Targets from Surveying-Guru.com are designed to help reduce one of the most inefficient parts of the aerial control workflow: the removal trip.
Instead of using plastic, vinyl, or other materials that require recovery, Eco Targets are made with environmentally friendly biodegradable material that naturally breaks down over time.
That means crews can often eliminate the need for a separate trip to retrieve target material.
The benefits are simple:
- Less driving
- Less labor
- Less waste
- Fewer return trips
- Lower cleanup costs
- Reduced environmental impact
- More efficient field operations
Eco Targets allow surveyors to focus on what matters most: collecting accurate, reliable field data.
Better for Crews. Better for Projects. Better for the Environment.
Modern surveying is about accuracy, efficiency, and responsibility. As drone mapping and aerial data collection continue to grow, survey companies have an opportunity to improve the way aerial control is planned and executed.
Using biodegradable Eco Targets can help reduce unnecessary waste and support more sustainable field practices.
For firms that care about productivity and environmental responsibility, this is a practical improvement that makes sense.
You still get a visible aerial target.
You still observe it accurately.
You still complete the control workflow.
But in many cases, you avoid the extra return trip.
Final Thought
Every aerial target has a cost.
Some costs are obvious: materials, labor, equipment, and observation time.
Other costs are hidden: return trips, cleanup, lost productivity, and environmental impact.
So before your next aerial mapping project, ask:
What percentage of your aerial control budget is spent simply removing targets?
What is your crew’s time worth?
And how much could you save by using an Eco Target from Surveying Guru?
Eco Targets from Surveying-Guru.com help crews save time, reduce waste, and work more efficiently — one aerial target at a time.