ZenaTech has expanded its ZenaWorx drone-based construction monitoring software with digital terrain modeling capabiliti
ZenaTech, Inc. announced the expansion of ZenaWorx, its LiDAR-based construction progress monitoring software, to include digital terrain modeling functionality currently in beta. The company has also signed its first paying customer for a building project in the AI data center construction market.
The new digital terrain modeling capability extends ZenaWorx beyond structural 3D progress tracking to include precise measurement of cut-and-fill volumes, grading accuracy, and drainage monitoring. These features are central to the earthworks phase of large-scale AI data center campuses and other public works projects that often span months or years.
Shaun Passley, Ph.D., CEO of ZenaTech, stated that the AI data center construction market represents one of the largest infrastructure buildouts in a generation, where speed and data quality translate directly into cost and schedule savings. He emphasized that by expanding ZenaWorx into digital terrain modeling, the company can serve AI data center developers as well as public works customers such as landfill operators and municipalities managing drainage and grading projects. Passley highlighted that this represents a recurring revenue opportunity, as ZenaTech intends to partner with customers across the full life of a project from initial earthworks through ongoing monitoring, building a subscription-based relationship with each customer.
The software combines ZenaTech's enterprise SaaS expertise with Drone as a Service processing, transforming drone and LiDAR-captured data into visual, analytics-driven construction progress insights. Originally introduced as a virtual design and construction 3D progress monitoring tool, it now allows project teams to track cut-and-fill volumes, grading, and elevation changes alongside structural and site-progress monitoring.
Drone-based digital terrain modeling uses drone-mounted LiDAR or photogrammetric sensors to generate highly accurate digital representations of ground surfaces, capturing elevation, slope, and grading data that can be compared against engineering plans throughout construction projects. According to MarkWide Research, the global digital elevation model market is projected to grow from approximately 3.8 billion dollars in 2026 to 10.04 billion dollars by 2035, representing a compounded annual growth rate of approximately 11.4 percent, driven by survey needs in public works and government sectors.
ZenaTech's Drone as a Service division provides on-demand turnkey drone piloting, data capture, and data processing services to commercial, government, and infrastructure customers, allowing them to access aerial data and automation without owning or operating their own drone fleets. The division is being built through an acquisition-led strategy that combines local service providers into a global network, creating a scalable platform for delivering recurring revenue aerial and data services such as surveying, inspections, power washing, and construction progress monitoring.