How DJI Dock 3 transforms construction surveying for DGS

• Dynamic Ground Solutions (DGS) has installed DJI Dock 3 across its UK sites, enabling daily surveys instead of infrequent flights;

• Teams now receive up-to-date site data, improving communication, decision-making, and safety;

• The Dock automates battery charging and data uploads, reducing workloads;

• Remote mission planning via FlightHub 2 ensures efficient, precise, accurate, and repeatable data capture;

• DGS is conducting Dock flights in a VLOS capacity - allowing the company to prove the concept, test workflows, build pilot competency, and establish a safety record - as it prepares for BVLOS operations;

• heliguy™ has provided full operational, technical, and regulatory support, helping DGS adopt and scale with the DJI Dock ecosystem.

On busy construction and engineering sites, conditions can change by the day — sometimes by the hour.

Progress shifts quickly, safety considerations evolve, and teams require the latest information to make confident decisions.

In these fast-moving environments, waiting days or weeks between drone surveys is no longer good enough.

That’s why soil engineering specialist, Dynamic Ground Solutions (DGS), has integrated DJI Dock 3 - with full support from heliguy™.

DGS has installed a Dock at each of its eight sites across the UK.

This has transformed data pipelines, enabling daily topographic surveys and rapid, up-to-date insights.

It’s a fundamental shift in operations.

Before, Essex-based DGS relied on manual drone flights using the company’s DJI M300 RTK drone and P1 photogrammetry camera - requiring a pilot to travel to each site and resulting in limited survey frequency and data gaps.

“With DJI Dock 3, we now have daily data instead of waiting days or weeks between surveys. Our sites are very dynamic, so daily drone flights give us a clear picture of every site — exactly when we need it. This has streamlined operations, bringing a new level of efficiency, accuracy, and safety.” — Jacob Armstrong, DGS Technical Development Manager.

Transforming communication with DJI Dock 3

Daily flights from a strategically-positioned drone-in-a-box allow DGS to:

• Track progress in real time with up-to-date surveys.

• Strengthen health and safety management using current site-specific data.

• Improve team communication, with the latest information, including live drone visuals available during meetings.

• Direct the ready-to-fly on-site drone to capture specific areas in real time, for dynamic decision-making during team briefings.

The data can be stored and viewed remotely in the cloud.

“The biggest benefit is communication,” said Jacob.

“Having a daily picture of a site is unbelievably powerful. Utilising accurate, live visuals in team discussions ensures everyone is aligned and decisions are based on the most reliable information.

“And having this information available remotely is a huge advantage, as a lot of our senior management team are not on-site.”

Smarter workflows through automation

DGS uses the DJI Matrice 4D drone, which has a maximum flight time of 54 minutes and is engineered for precision surveying.

Flights are currently conducted VLOS (visual line of sight), with a pilot on-site acting as a visual observer, with the ability to take over should anything go wrong.

DGS is working towards BVLOS operations.

Flying VLOS is an important step in this process - proving the concept, testing workflows, establishing a safety case, and building pilot competency.

Despite having an observer in the loop at this stage, the automated nature of the Dock is still bringing numerous advantages.

Pilots no longer need to manually charge the drones or offload data — each return to the dock handles this automatically, powering the battery in 30 minutes, and uploading surveys to the cloud for instant access.

“Our engineers are busy, so the Dock means that they don’t have to worry about charging the drone or handling data,” said Jacob.

For further efficiency, the team plans flights remotely through DJI FlightHub 2.

Remote flight planning adds another layer of efficiency, allowing missions to be created off-site and executed locally.

“This is really useful,” said Jacob.

“If a particular flight is required, we can create missions off-site and execute locally.

“This ensures we get the data we need, when we need it, and removes any ambiguity about what we require from any given mission.”

DGS uses the Propeller platform as a companion software to DJI FlightHub 2.

Building towards BVLOS drone-in-a-box operations

For DGS, the benefits of DJI Dock 3 are already clear: Fresher and more timely insights, safer workflows, and stronger communication.

But the team is determined to evolve to achieve even greater benefits: Unlocking BVLOS for fully remote and automated operations at scale.

DGS is in discussions with heliguy™’s regulatory specialists to build a UK SORA application for BVLOS operations in AAE (Atypical Air Environment).

heliguy™ was the first in the UK to receive BVLOS approval from the UK CAA for operations in an AAE - and uses this experience to help clients.

heliguy™ support

As well as regulatory support, heliguy™ has helped DGS start its Dock operations through a multi-faceted approach.

This includes initial consultation, official DJI FlightHub 2 and DJI Dock operational training, DJI-accredited Dock maintenance tuition, equipment supply, and ongoing assistance.

This support network is powered by heliguy™’s 35+ team of in-house enterprise staff, including accredited DJI Dock technicians, regulatory specialists, drone surveyors, solution engineers, and dedicated project managers.

“heliguy™’s help has been extremely useful, enabling a smooth integration of the Dock to streamline our workflows,” said Jacob.

DGS will also be using the heliguy™ instructors to train additional pilots, expanding its team of drone operators to 14.

Ready to transform your DJI Dock workflows?

Contact heliguy™ today to explore how we can help you start and scale your operations with DJI Dock 3.