Sicher 3D carries out topographic surveys in Dubai — also called topographical surveys — with RTK GNSS, robotic total stations and handheld LiDAR. You get accurate spot levels, contours and site features as DWG drawings, LandXML and 3D surface models your designers can build on.
A topographic survey is a measured map of a site's ground levels and physical features — spot levels, contours, buildings, walls, roads, trees and visible utilities — drawn in their exact positions on a coordinate grid. It is the base drawing every designer, engineer and contractor works from.
Get it wrong and every later decision inherits the error: finished floor levels that flood, drainage that runs the wrong way, earthworks quantities that blow the budget. In a city as flat as Dubai, a few centimetres of level decide where water goes.
This page explains what our topographic surveys capture, which method we use for each part of your site, the accuracy behind it and the files you receive — so you can brief the survey correctly the first time.
Our topographic surveys record the features that affect design — not just a handful of levels — so your consultant does not have to send someone back to site.
A basic topo gives designers a scatter of levels and asks them to guess what happens in between. We combine RTK and total station levels with handheld LiDAR, then build a surface model (TIN) from the full dataset. Contours, cross-sections and cut-and-fill volumes all come from that one surface, so the drainage engineer, the architect and the earthworks contractor are working from the same ground.
Levels on a regular grid and at every change of slope, with contours at an interval agreed for your site and use.
Outlines, finished floor levels, boundary walls, fences, gates and any structure that affects design.
Road edges, kerbs, footpaths and the levels just outside your plot — essential for access and gate-level design.
Manholes, chambers, valves, poles, lighting columns and service boxes, located and labelled on the drawing.
Trees with approximate canopy spread, planters, paving and hardscape that constrain the new layout.
Control points fixed on the DLTM grid and shown on the drawing, so future surveys tie in to the same system.
Existing plot pegs and walls compared with your affection-plan coordinates — a design check, not a cadastral survey.
Every topographic survey we deliver is drawn on organised CAD layers, so your team can switch features on and off, design over the top and export straight into Civil 3D or Revit.
Every option is surveyed on the DLTM grid by the same crew. Pick the one that matches what your designers will do with the data.
For most villa and building plots that need a design base.
For grading, drainage, roads and cut-and-fill work.
For sites with buildings, facades or dense detail.
Most projects need a topographic survey before anyone draws a line. Here is what it does at each stage.
| Project need | Why a topo survey matters | Typical scope |
|---|---|---|
| Plot purchase or feasibility | Know levels, slopes and obstructions before you commit | Levels, features and existing structures |
| Architectural design | Set finished floor levels and access from real ground levels, not assumptions | Full topo plus adjacent road levels |
| Drainage and grading | Water must fall away from buildings to an approved discharge point | Dense spot levels, contours and surface model |
| Permit drawings | Consultants base the site plan on surveyed levels and features | Topo in the authority's coordinate system and format |
| Earthworks | Cut and fill quantities come from comparing existing and design surfaces | 3D surface model and LandXML |
| Roads and infrastructure | Alignments and levels need continuous corridor data | Corridor topo with cross-sections |
| Landscape design | Trees, levels and hardscape decide what can go where | Trees, hardscape and levels |
| Site with existing buildings | Ground levels alone miss walls, facades and structure | Topo combined with a 3D laser scan |
Not sure how much detail you need?Send your plot number and what you are designing — we will recommend the scope.
WhatsApp your plot number →One instrument rarely suits a whole Dubai plot. We switch methods across the site and tie everything to the same control. Figures below are published manufacturer specifications; achieved accuracy also depends on control and site conditions.
| Method | Published accuracy | Used in a topo survey for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTK GNSSHi-Target iRTK5 | 8 mm + 1 ppm horizontal · 15 mm + 1 ppm vertical (RMS) | Fast levels across open plots and large sites | Weak beside towers, under canopies and shade structures |
| Robotic total stationHi-Target HTS-820 | Angle 2″ · 2 mm + 2 ppm with prism · 3 mm + 2 ppm reflectorless | Levels near buildings, under cover and on precise hard surfaces | Needs line of sight between instrument and target |
| Laser RTKHi-Target V600L | Non-contact points up to 2 cm accuracy | Points you cannot safely reach: across ditches, live roads or fenced areas | Supplements primary levels; not used for control |
| SLAM LiDARGeoSLAM SLAM2000 / Hi-Target V700S | < 1 cm relative (post-processed) · < 5 cm absolute | Dense 3D surface, existing structures and facades | Tied to control points for absolute coordinates |
ppm = parts per million of the measured distance. RMS figures as published on Hi-Target and GeoSLAM specification sheets.
We survey with the same Hi-Target, FJD and GeoSLAM instruments we distribute across the UAE. Each one is also available to buy from Sicher 3D.
A topographic survey is only useful if the next survey, the design and the authority all read it the same way. The Dubai grid is published as EPSG:3997 (WGS 84 / Dubai Local TM).
Dubai mapping uses the Dubai Local Transverse Mercator projection on WGS 84 (EPSG:3997), maintained by Dubai Municipality's geodesy section. We survey in DLTM unless your authority, master developer or client asks for another system.
Dubai Municipality geodesy ↗Every drawing states the coordinate system, the height datum and the control points used. Anyone who surveys the site later can tie in to the same levels instead of starting from scratch.
Stated on every drawingLayer, title-block and coordinate requirements differ between Dubai Municipality, DDA, Trakhees and other bodies. We agree the format before fieldwork. Drawings submitted to an authority must be stamped by a surveyor registered with it.
Dubai Municipality building permits ↗Send the plot number, affection plan and intended use. We agree detail, contour interval, grid and files.
Control points are fixed on the DLTM grid with static or RTK GNSS before detail capture.
RTK on open ground, total station near structures, LiDAR where detail is dense.
Points are checked, a surface model is built and contours are drafted in Civil 3D.
Levels are checked against control, then DWG, PDF, CSV and LandXML are delivered.
Layers, title block, contour interval, grid and height datum are agreed before fieldwork — so the drawing drops straight into your template.
Accurate site base for concept, design and permit drawings
Levels and features before you build, extend or landscape
Feasibility, master planning and design-stage surveys
Trees, hardscape and levels for planting and irrigation layouts
Surface models, corridors and cross-sections
Pre-construction levels and cut-and-fill quantities
Share your plot number, affection plan and what you are designing. A surveyor will confirm the scope, contour interval, coordinate system and a clear, fixed quote.
Send your plot number and what you are designing. We'll confirm the level of detail, contour interval and coordinate system, with a clear, fixed quote within 24 hours.
Prefer to talk? Call +971 50 108 0764 or WhatsApp us.
