Drones are transforming the way businesses conduct surveys. Drones allow you to collect data that would have been difficult and expensive to access using traditional methods.
The best way to do this is to convert your data into a geospatial file format like GeoTIFF. This will make the data easy to manipulate and display, and it will also allow you to do things like measure distances between points and create 3D models of your terrain.
But before you can get started, there’s some work involved in processing your drone survey data. If you want to learn how to process drone survey data, this guide will walk you through all of the steps needed.
Choose A Drone And Software
After you’ve decided whether you want to process drone survey data manually or automatically, it’s time to choose the right drone and software.
It’s a good idea to select a drone that can carry more than one camera because it will allow you to capture high-quality images from various angles.
Conduct Your Survey
Once you’ve selected your drone, it’s time to plan and execute your survey area. “Make sure that the location is safe and free of obstacles.
You’ll want to do the survey in an area without wires or power lines overhead; otherwise, they may interfere with the operation of your drone.”
You should also check the weather forecast before taking off. If there are thunderstorms or high winds in your area, wait until conditions improve before flying again.
Import Your Data
You’ve done the hard work of collecting the data and now you need to process it. The most important thing to remember when importing your drone survey data into software is to make sure you are using the right file type. If you don’t, processing will be slow and cumbersome or even impossible.
Here’s how to make sure that doesn’t happen:
- Make sure that all files are saved in JPG format (or JPEG for older versions).
- If you’re working with an old version of AutoCAD, then ensure that any DWG files are saved as DXF instead.
Process The Data
To process the data, you’ll need to create a point cloud. A point cloud is an object where each point has x, y and z coordinates that define its position in space.
You can use a tool to manipulate your 3D model files into 2D point clouds from which you will create digital elevation models (DEMs), ground control points (GCPs), rasters, etc..
Establish Ground Control Points
Establishing ground control points is an essential part of any drone survey project. Ground control points are the markers that allow your software to register and correct your survey data.
They help you make sure that the software can find its position in relation to the world around it, allowing for accurate measurements to be made.
Ground control points can be anything from trees and buildings to other areas where you know there will always be something in a specific place (like power lines).
If possible, try using natural features like trees or buildings as ground control points; this way if something happens during flight, such as windy conditions or bad weather moving through, it won’t affect your mission too much since those objects stay stationary relative to each other over time.
When setting up ground control points during a flight:
- Make sure they’re bright enough so they show up on camera footage; otherwise they’ll just look like blurry dots on screen instead of helpful references!
- Place them far enough away so they don’t block any important views (e.g., keep one tree branch off camera).
If there isn’t enough natural or manmade structure nearby for proper positioning purposes then we recommend using GPS instead–but only if necessary!”
Process The Data again
- Import Your Data into an ArcGIS project.
- Use the drone survey tools to process the data and create a mosaic.
- You will be prompted to select a location for your new mosaic (or you can use an existing one).
Analyze The Results
Now that you have your data and have processed it, the next step is to analyze the results and make decisions based on them.
This can be as simple as comparing the current survey results with previous surveys or other datasets, or it could be more complicated and involve using statistical analysis software like R or Python for more advanced data analyses.
As an example of a simple analysis, let’s say we wanted to compare our drone survey from last year with this year’s survey.
We might want to know if there were any changes in land cover over time (e.g., how many acres of forest did we lose?) or whether there were any changes in vegetation distribution (e.g., which species are thriving and which are dying off?).
To do this comparison manually would take hours of effort; however, there are tools available online that allow us to easily generate maps showing changes in land cover over time across large areas such as counties or countries.
We’ll go into detail about how these tools work later on in this section—for now let’s focus on how they’re used!
Conclusion
Drone survey data is processed by a drone and involves taking photos of the site and converting them into a 3D image. This allows you to see the project in its entirety, as well as provide a detailed analysis of the site’s physical characteristics.
We hope this article has helped you understand the process of processing drone survey data. Drones can be used for many different purposes, but most importantly, they’re a great way to gather data from hard-to-reach places.
This technology is still new, so there are many unknowns about what we can do with it. However, by keeping up with current trends in aerial mapping and computer vision algorithms (which will surely improve), you’ll be able to keep up with whatever comes next!
Frequently Asked Questions (how To Process Drone Survey Data)
What Is The Process For Processing Data From A Drone?
Once you’ve collected your data, you need to process it. There are several steps to this process:
- First, you’ll have to use an application like Pix4Dmapper or DroneDeploy to convert your raw drone survey data into a usable format.
- Second, you’ll want to check for errors and make sure there aren’t any issues with the file before loading it into another program. If there are problems with the file, this is where they will likely show up first.
- Once everything checks out OK, move on to step three: importing your new point cloud into Agisoft PhotoScan or RealityCapture software so that it can be processed further (more on how these programs work later).
At this point in the workflow cycle, depending on what kind of analysis needs to be done next—whether it’s grading fields or analyzing soil types—you might also want some additional tools available at hand such as Google Earth Pro or ArcGIS Desktop 10+.
How Do You Know If Your Data Is Accurate?
It’s important to check your data for accuracy before using it. It is also important to have a way of checking that the data you’ve collected is accurate.
There are many different tools available for checking drone survey data, but some common ones include:
- Check for an even distribution of points over the area being surveyed. If any areas are missing or have too many points, this indicates an error in the flight path or sensor calibration process.
- Look for anomalies in vegetation coverage compared with historical satellite imagery and/or previous mapping efforts by other organizations (e.g., land management agencies).
- Check for errors in terrain classification due to poor GPS signal quality in certain areas or lack of ground control points (GCP), which may cause misclassification between categories such as “urban” vs “low-density residential.”
How Long Does It Take To Process All The Data?
The amount of time it takes to process all the data depends on a variety of factors, including the size and complexity of the area being surveyed.
The number of images taken during flight will also affect processing times.
The type and complexity of software used also play a role in how long it takes to process drone survey data.
Who Is Allowed To Access The Information Gathered By The Drones?
Only people who have been authorized by the FAA can access the data. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulates drone use in the US and maintains a list of approved drone operators and software providers on its website.
Do I Need To Be Certified In Order To Use Drone Survey Data Processing Software?
There is no certification requirement for drone survey data processing software. However, if you are interested in becoming a certified drone surveyor and want to use the software to make money, then certification is definitely the right track for you.
Where Can I Learn More About Drone Survey Data And How To Interpret It?
There are many resources online that can help you learn about drone survey data, from books to videos and more. You can also contact a drone survey data processing expert for personalized advice.
