Agriculture & Forestry Mapping Across Victoria

Spatial data for better land, crop, and forest management decisions.

From plantation inventory and LiDAR tree surveys to farm drainage mapping, crop health assessment, and weed distribution mapping — Storm Spatial provides the spatial data that helps landowners, managers, and specialist consultants understand what’s happening on the ground.

Geelong-based and operating across regional Victoria and beyond, our team combines drone aerial surveys, LiDAR scanning, and multispectral imaging to produce accurate, practical mapping outputs tailored to your property and your project.

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What We Map — and What You Receive

Storm Spatial provides mapping and spatial data services across four areas of agriculture and forestry:

Forestry Mapping

Tree detection, height, crown measurements, plantation inventory, and carbon and biodiversity baseline data.

Crop, Pasture & Vegetation

High-resolution orthophotos, NDVI and multispectral mapping, variability analysis, and vegetation encroachment assessment.

Farm Terrain & Drainage

Bare-earth terrain models, drainage lines, waterlogging risk, catchment mapping, and erosion monitoring.

Weed & Treatment Mapping

Weed distribution mapping, spot-spray maps, variable-rate treatment zones, and spatial files for compatible spraying equipment.
Storm Spatial provides spatial data and mapping outputs to support your decisions and those of your agronomist, forester, ecologist, or consultant. We are not agronomists, foresters, or carbon certifiers — our role is to capture and process precise, reliable spatial data so that the right specialists can act on it with confidence.

Forestry Mapping — LiDAR Tree Survey & Plantation Inventory

LiDAR-based forestry mapping allows individual trees to be detected, measured, and documented across large areas of plantation, native forest, or mixed land — far more efficiently than ground-based methods. Storm Spatial’s forestry mapping service is designed to support plantation management, carbon project baselines, biodiversity assessments, and large-scale tree inventory programmes across Victoria.

LiDAR point cloud scan of plantation trees by Storm Spatial — showing individual tree detection and cross-section profile for forestry inventory mapping Victoria.

What Our Forestry Mapping Captures

Individual tree detection across the mapped area

Tree count and precise location per tree
Tree height — top of crown to ground level
Crown width and canopy measurements
Tree spacing and stand density
Plantation inventory — row counts, gaps, and missing trees
Shelterbelt and paddock-tree mapping
Canopy gaps, storm damage, and dieback identification
Tree attributes exportable to GIS, spreadsheet, or reporting formats
Tree diameter estimates where conditions permit
Baseline data suitable for use in forestry, carbon, and biodiversity assessments
Forestry mapping outputs are provided as spatial files and structured data — they are not a substitute for specialist forestry, ecological, or carbon assessment expertise. Storm Spatial provides the measured data; your qualified consultant or certifier uses it within their assessment framework.
Learn more about our LiDAR & Terrain Modelling capability

Farm Terrain & Drainage Mapping

Understanding how water moves across your land is fundamental to drainage design, irrigation planning, and erosion management. Storm Spatial’s farm terrain mapping uses accurate, drone-captured elevation data to produce detailed terrain models that reveal drainage patterns, low areas, and waterlogging risk — across properties of any size.

Colourised LiDAR terrain model showing elevation, drainage lines, and vegetation cover — Storm Spatial farm terrain mapping output at Werribee, Victoria.

What the Survey Produces

  • Bare-earth terrain models (DTM) with vegetation removed
  • Elevation, slope, and aspect maps
  • Drainage line and surface water flow mapping
  • Depressions, ridges, and low-lying areas
  • Potential waterlogging and ponding locations
  • Catchment and flow-path mapping
  • Erosion risk and gully mapping
  • Terrain change measurement over time
  • GIS-ready outputs for engineering and planning use
  • PDF reports and scalable plans for practical on-farm use
Terrain mapping outputs support drainage design and planning by agronomists, engineers, and land managers. Storm Spatial captures and processes the data — implementation decisions should be made with your relevant consultant or engineer
Learn More About Our LiDAR & Terrain Modelling

Crop, Pasture & Vegetation Mapping

Multispectral aerial mapping captures plant health information that isn’t visible to the naked eye, revealing variability across crops, pastures, and native vegetation at a level of detail that ground observation alone can’t match across large areas.

NDVI multispectral index map showing crop row health variability — Storm Spatial vegetation mapping output showing stressed and healthy zones across an agricultural site in Victoria.

What Multispectral Mapping Produces

  • High-resolution farm orthophotos
  • RGB and multispectral imagery across the surveyed area
  • NDVI, NDRE, GNDVI, and SAVI vegetation index maps
  • Crop and pasture variability maps
  • Vegetation stress pattern identification
  • Uneven crop establishment mapping
  • Priority areas flagged for field inspection
  • Crop and pasture height estimates where survey conditions permit
  • Vegetation encroachment along fences, tracks, drains, and waterways
  • GIS layers, georeferenced imagery, and PDF maps
  • Repeat surveys for seasonal comparison and trend monitoring

Important — What Multispectral Mapping Can and Can’t Tell You

Multispectral mapping identifies patterns in vegetation — areas of variability, stress, or inconsistency that may warrant closer investigation. It does not diagnose the specific cause of those patterns. Stress visible in a vegetation index map may relate to moisture, drainage, soil nutrients, weeds, pests, disease, or seasonal conditions — or a combination of these factors. Ground verification and specialist assessment by your agronomist or consultant are required to determine the cause and the appropriate response. Storm Spatial provides the spatial data. Your specialist determines what it means for your farm.

Using Satellite Imagery for Larger Areas

For initial assessment of large properties or broad landscape areas, freely available satellite multispectral imagery can provide a rapid overview of vegetation condition and variability at low cost. Where greater detail, higher resolution, or targeted investigation is required — over specific paddocks, problem areas, or selected zones — drone mapping provides substantially better data quality. Storm Spatial can advise on the most appropriate approach for your project scale and objectives.

Weed & Treatment Mapping

Knowing where weeds are — and how they’re distributed across a property — is the starting point for effective, targeted control. Storm Spatial’s weed and vegetation mapping service produces spatial data that supports treatment planning, spot-spray operations, and variable-rate herbicide applications.

Weed & Treatment Mapping Outputs

  • Weed distribution maps showing locations and extent of detected vegetation
  • Potential weed hotspot identification for priority treatment
  • Spot-spray maps for targeted ground or aerial application
  • Variable-rate treatment zones for compatible spraying equipment
  • Field boundaries, obstacles, and exclusion areas clearly mapped
  • Spatial files suitable for compatible spraying systems where applicable
Storm Spatial licensed drone pilot operating DJI AGRAS spray drone over Victorian farmland — agricultural weed mapping and treatment drone operations.

Important — Weed Mapping Results Depend on Conditions

The accuracy and usefulness of weed mapping outputs depends on a range of factors — including weed species, canopy cover, image quality, seasonal conditions, and site characteristics. Not all weed species or growth stages are reliably detectable from aerial imagery. Field verification is always recommended before treatment decisions are made. Storm Spatial provides the mapping data; treatment planning and agronomic decisions should involve your agronomist or weed management specialist.

What You Receive

All agriculture and forestry mapping projects include documented, practical deliverables in formats you can use. Typical outputs include:
  • Georeferenced aerial imagery (GeoTiff)
  • High-resolution RGB orthophotos
  • Vegetation index maps (NDVI, NDRE, GNDVI, SAVI)
  • Digital Terrain Models (DTM) and bare-earth elevation data
  • Tree inventory tables and attribute data
  • Weed distribution and treatment maps
  • GIS layers (Shapefile, GeoPackage) for use in your GIS platform
  • PDF maps and plans in standard paper sizes
  • Drainage and waterflow analysis maps
  • Data accessible via cloud-based viewing platform (no specialist software needed)
  • Format delivered to suit your workflow — ask us if you have specific requirements

How It Works

1. Project Brief

Tell us about your site, your project requirements, and how you intend to use the data. We’ll advise on the most appropriate combination of aerial LiDAR, ground scanning, and GPS survey methods — and provide a clear, transparent quote. If your site requires flight approvals or airspace coordination, we handle that too.

2. Data Capture

Our team mobilises to site and captures aerial data across the surveyed area. Flight planning, airspace management, and data capture are all handled by Storm Spatial. Depending on your project, this may involve LiDAR scanning, multispectral imaging, or standard high-resolution photography — often in combination.

3. Processing & Delivery

Raw aerial data is processed into your required outputs — vegetation index maps, tree inventory data, terrain models, drainage analyses, or treatment maps. All deliverables are provided in your preferred formats, with access to our cloud-based viewing platform so your team and your consultants can explore the data directly.

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Why Landowners & Consultants Choose Storm Spatial

Survey-Grade Accuracy

LiDAR and multispectral data captured to survey-grade accuracy standards — suitable for engineering design, carbon baseline programmes, and detailed forestry inventory work.

Aerial and Ground Combined

Where drone data alone can’t cover the full picture — particularly in dense canopy or terrain with complex shadows — our team combines aerial surveys with ground observations to ensure complete, reliable coverage.

Practical, Usable Outputs

We don’t deliver a hard drive of raw data and leave you to figure it out. Outputs are formatted for your workflow — GIS layers, PDF plans, cloud viewing, or structured reports — so your team and your consultants can use the data immediately.

Geelong-Based, Victoria-Wide

Based in Geelong, Storm Spatial works across regional Victoria, greater Melbourne, and beyond. We’re accustomed to travelling to remote properties, agricultural corridors, and plantation sites across the state.

Frequently Asked Questions

What properties and land types is this mapping suitable for?

Agriculture and forestry mapping is suitable for most rural and semi-rural properties — from cropping and grazing farms to commercial plantations, shelterbelts, environmental reserves, and mixed land use properties. Storm Spatial works across property types of all sizes, from a few hundred hectares to large station or plantation scale. Contact us to discuss your property and we’ll advise on the most appropriate approach.

Can you map my whole property in one flight?

In most cases, yes — drone surveys are designed to cover the full area of interest in a single survey session, though very large properties or complex terrain may require multiple flights or a combination of satellite and drone data. Storm Spatial will advise on the most efficient and cost-effective approach for your property size at the quoting stage.

Can LiDAR see through dense tree canopy to map the ground?

LiDAR is highly effective at penetrating gaps in tree canopy and returning accurate ground measurements beneath plantation and native forest cover — this is one of its key advantages over photography-based methods. In very dense canopy with minimal gaps, some areas may return limited ground hits. Storm Spatial assesses canopy characteristics at the quoting stage and advises on expected ground coverage based on your specific vegetation type.

Will NDVI mapping tell me why my crop is stressed?

Multispectral mapping — including NDVI and related indices — identifies patterns of variability and areas of vegetation stress across your crop or pasture. It does not identify the specific cause of that stress. The cause may be moisture, drainage, nutrients, weeds, pests, disease, or seasonal conditions — and often a combination. Ground verification by your agronomist is required to determine what is causing the pattern and what action to take. Storm Spatial provides the spatial data; your agronomist provides the interpretation and prescription.

How accurate is the tree data from a forestry LiDAR survey?

LiDAR-based tree detection and measurement is highly accurate in open plantation conditions with clear row structure and minimal understorey. Accuracy can vary in mixed or native forest with dense understorey, overlapping crowns, or complex species composition. Storm Spatial provides accuracy assessments and will advise on expected performance for your specific forest type and project requirements. Tree diameter estimates, where provided, are derived from height and crown measurements and should be treated as indicative rather than direct caliper measurements.

Can the weed mapping results be used directly in a sprayer?

Weed and treatment maps can be formatted as spatial files compatible with variable-rate and section-control spraying equipment where applicable. The suitability of the output for direct use in spraying equipment depends on your equipment’s software and input requirements. Storm Spatial can advise on output formats at the quoting stage. Treatment decisions — including herbicide selection, rates, and timing — remain the responsibility of your agronomist or weed management consultant.

What areas of Victoria do you service?

Storm Spatial is based in Geelong and works across Victoria, including the Surf Coast and Bellarine Peninsula, the Western Districts, Gippsland, the Wimmera, and regional Victoria more broadly. We also travel to properties in interstate areas for suitable project scales. Contact us to discuss your property location and we’ll confirm availability and mobilisation.

How do I get started?

Tell us about your property — location, approximate size, land type, and what you’re trying to achieve. We’ll come back to you with a recommended approach and a clear, no-obligation quote. We’re happy to have a preliminary conversation by phone before you commit to anything.

Ready to Map Your Property?

Whether you need a forestry inventory, a farm drainage assessment, crop health mapping, or weed distribution data — Storm Spatial’s team can advise on the right approach for your property and your objectives. Get in touch for a fast, no-obligation quote.
info@stormspatial.com.au | Geelong, Victoria | Servicing Victoria-Wide
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📞 0455 666 550