#Soil stockpile calculator area software
#Soil stockpile calculator area free

PS: Besides the workspace file uploaded, there are two files on my Dropbox (too large to attach): The description claims that small values are more accurate - why are there no differnces at all?

To my big surprise without any effect, not even a Q3) Looking for differences in the two volume calculation methods, I changed GM's 'sample spacing',įrom the default 0.019m / 0.019m to 1m / 1m. I would expect fill_vol to be subtracted from cut_vol, like in pix4Dmapper. Q2) Why does Global Mapper add cut_vol and fill_vol in order to determine the total volume of a stockpile? Pix4D claims to use linear triangulation methods, to determine the base of the stockpile. Q1) Do you have any explanation for the big difference between the two calculation approaches? However, the difference in terms of volumes, 100 m^3 (about 20%) seems to be very large.

#Soil stockpile calculator area software

I'm aware of the fact that the two software packages don't necessarily apply the exact same algorithms. Notice that while the volumes are pretty different, the enclosed area is exactly the same. However, applying the very same stockpile calculation in pix4DMapper, an aerial photometry software package used for DEM and ortho generation, leads to substantially different results: Not surprisingly, all 3 methods deliver the same results: I then calulate the volume with one of the following methods:Ī) Analysis/Measurement > Pile Volume (extended GEM function)ī) Analysis/Measurement > Volume, Use Heights from Terrain Surface at Boundary (.)Ĭ) Analysis/Measurement > Volume, Specify the Base height to use at each vertex, 0m 'above ground' (for any vertex) In order to determine the stockpile volume, I define an area feature (polygon) with 6 vertices. In the field expression enter 'm ²' * 'sum' and then click OK.Ī new field will now be visible in the table that represents the volume of each zone.I'm still struggling with volume calculations on uneven terrain, hence I performed a pretty simple test with a stockpile on relatively flat ground. Create a new field with the Output field name as volume the Output field type as Decimal number (double) ***this value may be different if your table was saved in a different format. To find a volume for each zone we will need to multiply the sum field and the m 2 field using the Field Calculator to create a new field with a volume calculated for each zone.Ĭlick on the Abacus icon at the top of the table or use the control-i command to open the field calculator. m 2 is the area of the zone and sum is the total elevation difference for all the cells/pixels in that specific zone. The zone field is the difference in elevation value that was calculated using the raster calculator.

We are mainly interested in the zone, m 2, sum and count. Take a moment to view some of the values in the table and look at the field names to see what zonal statistics have automatically been calculated. The table might take a minute to open depending on the size of your volume area and the resolution of the DEM. Right click on the zonal statistics table in the Layers Panel an select Open Attributes Table. group of raster cells with the same value).

The resulting layer from the Raster Zonal Statistics was a new table with statistics and summaries for each raster zone (i.e. By following these 10 steps, you will be able to create a volume estimate from a LiDAR/UAV point cloud or a DEM. The following is an advanced method tutorial that takes a step by step approach to answering these questions by using QGIS tools and elevation data from LiDAR and from UAVs/Drones to calculate volumes with centimeter precision. Some applications for these volume calculations are finding how much material is needed to fill a hole, how much volume will be extracted by mining an area to a certain depth, how much volume is in a pile of aggregate or finding how much material has been removed from an area.

All that is required is elevation data from LiDAR or UAV photogrammetry in the form of point clouds which can then be converted into a Digital Elevation Model (DEM)/Digital Surface Model (DSM) as per this tutorial.

#Soil stockpile calculator area free

It is a relatively simple process that can be performed with free and open source software in a few simple steps. Calculating volumes of earth, aggregate or holes over varying terrain is a challenging mathematical task that can have a huge impact on project budgets or predicted revenue.