TOPOGRAPHIC FEATURE AND LEVEL SURVEY
A feature & level or detail & contour survey gathers topographic data on all land features and details. To conduct a topographic survey, our team utilizes drones for high resolution aerial surveys, 3D scanners to provide high quality point clouds, or traditional total stations and methods to measure and locate all natural and man-made features and levels on a site.
Topographic surveys for property owners, architects and engineers
A piece of land can be mapped with accuracy and great detail during the design phase of your building project with a topographical survey, ensuring your project gets off to the best start.
Showing the contours of the land, valleys, slopes and depressions, these surveys also define physical features in detail, both natural and man-made, such as vegetation, buildings, and roads within (and around) your boundaries.
Topographical surveying services can be combined with other types of surveys including a cadastral boundary survey by a licensed surveyor, to provide a full site analysis of the subject property.
Why do I need a topographical feature and level survey?
- Accurately locate and measure all land/building features
- Obtain council approval for a new construction or building extension
- Determine existing conditions of a site, and discover any issues before commencing a development project
- Provide architects and engineers with precise information for design purposes
- Assess where new structures could be located and what kind of structures will fit
- Undertake a property valuation
Our experienced Land Surveyors will work directly with you through the process from end to end to ensure your development project is a success.

Process of conducting a topographic survey
We utilise the latest surveying technology to capture our data then produce our topographical survey plans. Using the latest CAD software programs the data is analysed and processed accurately to produce drawings. The equipment we use is state of the art, ranging from traditional total stations to 3D laser scanning or RPA (drone surveys) to provide high resolution 3D point cloud data.
Once our plans are drafted, they go through an intensive QA process via an independent audit to ensure that what we have captured is delivered to the highest levels of accuracy possible.
In summary;
- Initial consultation to ensure we can meet your needs
- Agree on a scope of work – this may include a full site analysis, including boundary locations and the surrounding street scape.
- A site visit is organised with one of our qualified technicians with the necessary data collection equipment to conduct a topographic survey
- All post processing of data is undertaken via our teams located in one of our offices around the Country
- All plans or drawings are then independently reviewed via our QA process
- All deliverables are then created for viewing and use in a file type suitable to your workflows. Typically a topographic survey plan is delivered as a 2D drawing overlaid on top of aerial photography to assist users in visualising the site. Topographic surveys are also often delivered as 3D dwg files or ready for importing into your 3D Revit models
- Realserve can also provide detailed as built building documentation in 2D or 3D, capturing the existing conditions of the site and accompany topographic data.
Topographical survey samples
See some of our case studies

3D Building Scanning to upgrade supermarket loading docks
A national supermarket brand needed to upgrade their loading docks with multiple sites around Australia. See how we used 3D building scanning to help achieve this

Point cloud created by a surveyor for a national hotel refurbishment program
In today’s modern era, the practice of relying on paper-based drawings and floor plans for a hotel refurbishment has become obsolete, with architects increasingly turning to modern workflows to maximise on the benefits that 3D scanning and modelling can offer

3D scanning of shopping centre amenities in Noarlunga, SA
To assist with the planning of a refurbishment program aimed at enhancing visitors’ experience at a shopping centre, Realserve survey technicians provided 3D building scanning services in Adelaide’s south.

3D scanning of a free standing restaurant building in Adelaide
Realserve routinely engages in the practice of 3D scanning buildings that are used for retail tenancies. Our surveyors in Adelaide were engaged to produce a Revit Model and Point Cloud for a free standing restaurant in a shopping centre car park

Using 3D scanning to create a new retail tenancy plan in Sydney
The Realserve surveyors in Sydney were engaged by Lendlease to create new retail tenancy documentation in their shopping centre at Erina Fair. Instead of using traditional survey methods we used a Leica BLK to create a 3D scan of the 130 square metre area.

3D Revit Model of a heritage building in Launceston
Realserve sent a team of surveyors to Launceston to create a 3D Revit Model for a heritage building in the city to help facilitate a refurbishment program.