How JBUAS and SPH Engineering Are Transforming UAV‑Based Geophysics in the UK

Over the past decade, drone‑based sensing has moved from experimental curiosity to a proven, commercially viable toolset for surveyors, engineers, and environmental specialists.

At the centre of this shift in the UK is the close partnership between JBUAS and SPH Engineering, a collaboration that has accelerated the adoption of advanced UAV geophysical technologies across multiple industries.

Today, JBUAS stands as SPH Engineering’s official UK reseller, integration partner, and demonstration centre, delivering fully configured drone surveying systems built around SPH’s UgCS core system, SkyHub onboard computer, and a growing suite of specialised sensors.

A Partnership Built on Technical Depth

The relationship between JBUAS and SPH Engineering is not a simple reseller arrangement. It is a daily, collaborative technical exchange that spans:

• sensor integration and testing
• flight‑planning optimisation
• terrain‑following and obstacle‑avoidance workflows
• magnetometry, GPR, echo sounding, methane detection, and other specialised payloads
• hands-on project support for clients adopting UAV‑based geophysical survey methods

The relationship between JBUAS and SPH ensures that UK customers receive not only the hardware but also the expertise needed to deploy it effectively in demanding environments.

The UK’s Dedicated UAV Geophysical Test & Training Centre

In 2024, JBUAS launched a 7,500 m² geophysical drone test and training centre — the first facility of its kind in the UK. Purpose‑built around SPH Engineering’s technologies, the site allows clients to experience:

• True Terrain Following missions
• multi‑sensor workflows
• buried‑target simulation
• magnetometer and GPR calibration
• echo‑sounder deployment in controlled conditions

This centre has rapidly become a national hub for organisations seeking hands‑on training, system trials, and proof‑of‑concept demonstrations.

Delivering Integrated Systems for Real‑World Problems

JBUAS specialises in building complete, ready‑to‑deploy UAV platforms that combine:

• DJI M300 RTK, DJI M350 RTK, and DJI M400 aircraft
• SPH Engineering’s SkyHub onboard computer
• TTF radar
• interchangeable geophysical sensors
• custom mounting solutions
• workflow training and operational support

This modular approach allows surveyors and engineers to switch between sensors quickly, adapting a single aircraft to multiple project types — from utility mapping and archaeology to environmental monitoring and infrastructure inspection.

Driving Industry Adoption Across the UK and Beyond

The partnership has already supported projects across construction, energy, utilities, environmental remediation, and heritage sectors. As demand grows for faster, safer, and more cost‑effective subsurface and environmental data collection, UAV‑based sensing is becoming a mainstream tool — and JBUAS is at the forefront of that transition.

Increasingly, JBUAS is also being invited to support international deployments, reflecting SPH Engineering’s confidence in the company’s technical capability and training expertise.

A Shared Vision

JBUAS and SPH Engineering are committed to pushing the boundaries of what UAVs can achieve. With new sensors, improved autonomy, and expanding software capabilities on the horizon, the partnership is positioned to lead the next wave of innovation in drone geophysics.

For UK organisations seeking to modernise their survey workflows, reduce field risk, and unlock new data‑collection capabilities, JBUAS provides not just equipment — but gives organisations the skills to maximise their drone‑based survey services.

In January 2023, JBUAS supported testing in Scotland of a new Low Frequency (LF) Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) that SPH Engineering designed for integration with the DJI M300 RTK. Our customer invested in the LF GPR system and requested help with initial configuration and testing. After a full day of flying different configurations, the team gained a clear understanding of the technology.

The GPR Technology

The LF Drone GPR is a single-channel ground-penetrating radar system with an unshielded dipole antenna. The system utilises several frequencies depending on the length of poles used for the application. The system also utilises a newly developed approach based on real-time sampling (RTS), with hardware stacking. This enables the system to provide clean profiles for evaluation and interpretation. The GPR comes with three different centre frequency options, including 100 MHz, 150 MHz, and 300 MHz.

SkyHub & TTF Feature

As part of this GPR system, all the data is recorded within the UgCS SkyHub for effortless download of SEG-Y files into Prism 2 via WIFI or Ethernet cable. Furthermore, the UgCS True Terrain Following Feature (TTF) enables the drone to fly safely at the low levels required for good data capture.

Soil Conditions

The trial was conducted on an active project site where the developers required an understanding of the soil depth to rock. On the day of the trial, the air temperature was zero degrees centigrade, resulting in the ground being frozen. There was some light vegetation, and the soil type was loam.

Results

As can be seen from the 150 MHz profile, we were able to identify the different layers quite well and certainly enough for direct export to a GIS for planning requirements. Overall, the drone LF GPR demonstrated that for defining sediment layers, it was more than up to the task.

Further Trials

There will be further trials of this system in the coming weeks, including UXO, peat depth measurements, and further sediment work. If you would like to learn more about the system or indeed would like to trial the system, please get in touch.

JBUAS has delivered the UgCS Pergam Falcon TDLAS system to a UK client for use on methane surveys in 2022. Industry forecasts suggest the volume of work in 2022 will triple. Further systems will be ordered to meet these expectations via a framework arrangement.

The Integrated System

JBUAS, in partnership with SPH Engineering (UgCS), can provide a methane detection & survey solution to support ISO16064 today. Operators will utilise the same technology for future quantification requirements. Therefore, investing in this technology today will enable drone survey companies to meet future EA requirements.

Make an enquiry to find out more.

The system kit utilises the UGC-SkyHub and TTF system, proven reliable with the DJI M210, M600 Pro, and DJI M300 RTK.

The drone methane detection & survey system from JBUAS is an integrated solution that includes an eye-safe class 2 laser from Pergam-Suisse. Consequently, this system enables Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS), which records methane gas in Parts Per Million x Metres (PPMxM). This approach provides a more accurate assessment of gas release than simple handheld measurement methods.

Make an enquiry to find out more.

About Methane

The production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil emit methane gas. Additionally, livestock, agricultural practices, land use and landfill waste all contribute to methane emissions. To compare these gases, scientists use a metric called Global Warming Potential (GWP). GWP compares a gas’s warming effect against an equivalent mass of carbon dioxide (CO₂). The following data comes from an IPCC support paper authored in 2018. Overall, the research gives a good indication of the effects of the gases over time. Over a 20-year period, methane gas is 84x more effective at warming our climate.

Methane can be characterised as a “super-pollutant”. Methane remains in the atmosphere for only 12 years. However, it is up to 86 times more powerful in warming the climate in the short term than the most discussed greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. Moreover, methane is also a major precursor for tropospheric ozone, which harms both human health and plant growth. While some 40% of methane is natural, about 60% of it originates from anthropogenic sources, mostly in the energy, agriculture, and waste sectors.

Make an enquiry to find out more about drone methane surveys

SPH Engineering have released their UgCS LIDAR Software for UAV-based mapping – UgCS EXPERT. The UgCS LIDAR toolset unlocks the full potential of LIDAR making.
Remote sensing is most effective with no human errors. This toolset builds on the UgCS Pro software and gives you everything you would expect from that package and more.

UgCS EXPERT licences are available only through SPH Engineering official resellers like JBUAS. Currently supported drones include the DJI M300 RTK, the DJI M600 with integrated cameras, and the DJI Matrice 200/210 series. So get the features of UgCS Pro Plus:

LIDAR flight planning

Save time on mission planning with flight patterns and turns designed specifically for LIDAR surveys. Acquire high-quality laser data with preset IMU initialisation patterns and anti-shake LIDAR turns, and benefit from post-flight highly accurate acquired data, ensuring the desired results with only one trip to the field.

Key Features

• Precise calibration: Increase the accuracy of laser data with automated IMU calibration commands. UgCS supports the two most popular IMU calibration patterns: eight-figure and U-figure.
• Flight patterns for route planning: Based on the area of your interest, set up LIDAR area scanning for areas like construction sites, open-pit mines, and forests, or employ LIDAR corridor scanning for linear objects like power lines or pipelines.
• Anti-shake turns: Reduce sensor shaking while at the same time accurately following the trajectory, with bank or loop turns applied automatically.
• Constant line spacing and buffer: Automatically calculate the required line spacing and overlap to ensure the desired point cloud density and improve coverage on area borders.

UgCS LIDAR Software supports

• DJI
• YellowScan
• Riegl
• PhoenixLIDAR
• LIDAR USA
• GeoCue
• Rock Robotics
• GeoSun LIDAR
• Topodrone

About UgCS Pro

UgCS Pro is the commercial drone pilot’s choice when it comes to ground control software. This universal ground control software for UAV professionals provides unprecedented levels of control and accuracy. UgCS Pro works in complete harmony with UgCS Mapper, which enables pilots to stitch an orthomosaic and import it to UgCS Pro, UgCS Expert, or UgCS Enterprise.

Key Features

• Waypoints, Linear, Circle, Perimeter, and Area Scan tools
• Automatic photogrammetry, vertical (facade) scan, corridor mapping, KML/CSV data import
• DEM import
• Elevation profile & terrain-following mode
• Geo-referenced image import
• Custom map overlays
• ADS-B Receiver

UgCS Pro supports UAV platforms like DJI M300 RTK, M600, M2X0, Inspire, Phantom, Mavic series, Parrot, and Mavlink-compatible drones (Pixhawk with ArduPilot/PX4).

JBUAS is launching the new forward-facing UgCS Obstacle Detection Radar (ODR) for the DJI M300 RTK. The ODR from SPH Engineering works with the existing UgCS radar altimeter on the M300 RTK to provide users with extra peace of mind when flying geophysical sensor missions.

Obstacle Detection

The UgCS Obstacle Detection Radar (ODR) is a new addition to UgCS SkyHub’s list of supported sensors. Like the radar altimeter, it has an easy, quick connection. Operators can use this system with True Terrain-Following, or TTF, mode (when the radar altimeter is used to ensure a constant elevation over the ground). It can also be used in normal autopilot missions. UgCS Obstacle Detection Radar (ODR) is also extremely useful for magnetic surveys when digital elevation models (DEM) are used for mission planning. This helps reduce the risk of a drone catching the edges of tree branches or other protruding features.

Magnetic Surveys

Survey teams use the magnetometer for magnetic surveys; it’s a passive sensor that measures the magnetic field at its mounting point. The sensor measures the magnetic field at the point where it is located. To detect small objects effectively, pilots must fly as close to the surface as possible. The true terrain-following system with a precise laser altimeter allows flying as low as 1 m AGL. Drone‑mounted magnetometers allow operators to scan the area and detect metals several times faster compared with handheld devices. Furthermore, georeferenced mapping of the area is also enabled. SPH Engineering flight‑planning software supports efficient mission design, providing tools for rapid path creation, calculation, and data interpretation.

For more information, get in touch.