A drone survey is the use of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with RGB cameras, multispectral cameras, or LiDAR payloads to collect data. And then this data is transmitted to special equipment on the ground near the UAV operator. The end result of drone land surveying is a finished map of detail at a given scale, presented in digital format.

Surveying drones can fly at much lower altitudes than traditional techniques like manned aircraft or satellites, providing high-resolution, high-precision images faster and cheaper, and independent of weather conditions such as cloud cover.