Why Mobile Mapping Is Becoming the Gold Standard for Road and Infrastructure Surveys

In the fast-paced world of infrastructure development, accuracy, speed, and safety are non-negotiable. Surveyors and engineers alike are under constant pressure to deliver detailed, high-quality data without holding up the wider project. That’s where mobile mapping comes in — and why it’s quickly becoming the gold standard for road and infrastructure surveys.

What Is Mobile Mapping?

Mobile mapping is the process of collecting geospatial data from a moving vehicle equipped with a combination of GNSS, LiDAR, cameras, and IMU sensors. It allows survey-grade data to be captured quickly and efficiently, often with minimal disruption to the environment being surveyed — particularly useful for busy roads, motorways, and large-scale urban areas.

Why It's a Game-Changer

✅ Speed Without Sacrificing Accuracy

Traditional survey methods, while reliable, can be time-consuming and disruptive — especially on active roads. Mobile mapping enables large areas to be captured at driving speed, dramatically reducing time spent in the field and speeding up project delivery timelines.

✅ Minimising Disruption and Risk

When surveying roads and highways, safety is paramount. Mobile mapping allows data to be collected from a moving vehicle, removing the need for lane closures, traffic management, or surveyors working close to live lanes. It’s safer for everyone — our team and the public.

✅ Incredible Detail, High-Quality Deliverables

Today’s systems, like the CHCNAV AU10, produce highly detailed point clouds, imagery, and georeferenced data sets — perfect for engineering design, asset management, and BIM workflows. The level of detail rivals traditional survey results, but with vastly improved efficiency.

What We’ve Been Testing

At PQS, we recently field-tested the CHCNAV AU10 system, rigging it up to one of our fleet vehicles. We put it through its paces: measuring setup time, calibration accuracy, and output quality. The results were exactly what we’d hoped for — quick deployment, clean datasets, and easy integration into our existing workflows.

This technology now allows us to offer an even faster, safer, and more cost-effective solution to clients working on road and infrastructure projects — without compromising on quality.

Who Can Benefit?

• Local authorities mapping road networks

• Contractors needing detailed as-built surveys

• Engineers managing large infrastructure projects

• Utility companies locating and assessing assets

  
  

Whether you need to capture kilometres of road or map a complex junction, mobile mapping provides a smart, modern solution.

Want to Learn More?

We’ll be sharing a behind-the-scenes video of our CHCNAV AU10 field test soon, showing exactly how the system works in action.

In the meantime, if you’re planning an upcoming infrastructure or road project and want to explore how mobile mapping can support it, we’d love to chat.

📩 Get in touch at: enquiries@pqstech.co.uk