Drones and UAVs are increasingly being used for surveys and inspections in a variety of industrial applications including mining, energy, and construction. The growing adoption of drones and UAVs in field operations has introduced a valuable new layer of geospatial and environmental data for network and infrastructure planning. With high-resolution elevation data and site-specific imagery now readily available, engineers can enhance model accuracy and improve simulation inputs. But to extract meaningful insights and ensure operational reliability, it’s essential to integrate this data into platforms like EDX SignalPro—while also addressing the unique RF communication challenges that come with airborne systems
Leveraging Survey/Mapping Data For Planning The Communications Network
Drones equipped with LiDAR can provide high-resolution, up-to-date elevation and clutter information to accurately model the rapidly-changing environment on a mining or construction site. Using that data in an RF planning tool can be problematic if the tool restricts you to only particular databases for elevation, clutter, and 3D building data.
EDX SignalPro allows users to leverage drone-based data either on its own, or integrated with our own affordable Cirrus data or customized high-resolution data to represent the larger area around the site.
In the open-pit mine use-case shown below, high-resolution LiDAR elevation data has been imported into SignalPro and loaded along with the EDX Cirrus elevations and clutter for the area surrounding the mine site. SignalPro allows users to specify a list of databases for terrain and clutter so that integrating more than one data set and updating the project with new LiDAR data is easy.
By regularly updating the elevations and clutter in a changing mine environment, engineers can quickly re-evaluate all their wireless systems and adapt their networks to maintain reliable coverage and performance.
Predicting drone communications performance
Another important modeling and mapping challenge when using drones, particularly over long ranges, is to ensure reliable communications with the drone while it’s in flight. One scenario that’s an excellent example is using drones for power-line inspection through a mountainous area; it can prove inefficient and impractical to complete an inspection route if the drone keeps losing connection and returning to its start location. It’s necessary to plan antenna locations and inspection routes ahead of time with reliable RF connectivity and performance predictions. Many RF planning tools simply do not support aviation or lack the features needed to efficiently evaluate these routes.
EDX SignalPro includes route-based studies as part of its core platform. Precise vehicle routes, including both aerial and terrestrial routes, can be plotted along with elevations and then any of SignalPro’s RF predictions can be run for those routes. An additional “right-of-way” on either side of the route can also be included to ensure vehicles won’t enter marginal coverage areas if they stray from the center of the route.
This screenshot shows a drone route going out through the mountains and crossing over the valley at an elevation where it can maintain its connection to one of the 900 MHz LTE sites serving it.
By evaluating where a drone will have good performance, efficient and practical waypoints can be set up even if connectivity can’t be maintained along the entire route. If sites are needed to serve a given set of routes then SignalPro’s automatic site selection features can be used to find an efficient site placement to serve all the necessary inspection routes.
As drones become increasingly integral to industrial operations, the ability to integrate high-resolution survey data and ensure uninterrupted wireless connectivity is no longer optional, it’s essential. EDX SignalPro addresses both challenges head-on, offering advanced capabilities for importing custom drone-based datasets and modeling reliable RF communication across complex, evolving environments. Whether you’re optimizing inspection routes in rugged terrain, adapting to daily changes in a mining operation, or building out Private LTE or Wi-Fi coverage for drone fleets, SignalPro provides the flexibility and precision needed to plan with confidence. As the intersection between airborne data collection and wireless infrastructure deepens, EDX Wireless is committed to equipping engineers with the tools they need to stay ahead.
