Photogrammetry for Air 2s

[jojonono]

Ok thank you ALL for your excellent comments i have through them all (and got confused in the process lol) so allow me to ask a few questions:-

1) No itchi for me then, case closed.
2) why everyone recommends an iOS ?! what about a GOOD Android Tablet, i dont get it ?!...
3) is this really reliable and free of charge forever ?! Map Pilot Pro - Apps on Google Play
4) How about this ? Dronelink. Drone Flight Control for DJI, Autel Drones
5) eventually i need a software to process the data, correct ? is this the way to go or any other alternatives ?
webodm

thanks,

Yes, Drone Link works fine with Air2s. As does Map Pilot Pro. You can't map with Air 3

Be aware though that the Elite plan (which you will need to get both Mapping and the ability to use oblique angles) is a Hobbyist plan only. If you only are doing a handful of jobs, you will probably get away with it but you will be breaking their terms of service. If you use it a lot, they will ban your account and force an upgrade to a professional plan at about $250/year verse $99 one-time.

I've done hundreds of jobs for clients with the Air2s and clients have always been perfectly happy with results so don't let anyone tell you that you need a mechanical shutter or need to stop at every point. If its a sunny day, I can cruise along at 10-12 MPH with good results.

Would an Air2s be the appropriate choice for EVERY mapping need? No, of course not, but for many needs it is a great solution. I use it regularly for:

• Stockpile measurements (quarry managers)
• Cut & Fill reports for construction progress
• Roof inspections for solar installation planning (Distribution centers, large warehouses, etc)
• Parking lot mapping/inspection for restriping and resurfacing planning
• Solar farm planning

I would really try to get an iPad (I use the Air with a bracket) verse Android mobile device. The user experience is just far superior with more screen real estate and tends to be more stable.

Ping me with any questions, happy to help

1) Air 3 wont work with any dron mappying apps ?? too bad i was gonna trade my Air 2s for Air3 !... better get Mavic 3 then in future ??...
2) You seem to be in my same spot, have you done and video tutorial explaining the entire process from shooting to modeling the results using your Air2s ? if not can you recommend something for a complete newbiew like myself ?...
3) and YES SUN is EXTRA toasty here in the UAE !...

thanks,

 

[Meta4]

2) why everyone recommends an iOS ?! what about a GOOD Android Tablet, i dont get it ?!...

I was the only one to mention iOS in this thread.
I'm not an Apple user and use an Android tablet for all my flying.
I was commenting on DroneDeplot because that's the mapping app that I'm most familiar with.
DD supports the Air3S, but only in the iOS version of their app

https://help.dronedeploy.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500004964842-Recommended-and-Supported-Drones

Looking around, it looks like Dronelink and map Pilot Pro do support the Air 2S in Android.

https://support.dronesmadeeasy.com/hc/en-us/articles/205704366-Supported-Hardware

Dronelink | Supported Drones

Find out which drones are supported by Dronelink. DJI Mini Series, Air Series, Mavic Series, Matrice Series, Inspire Series, Autel Evo Series, Parrot Anafi Series.

www.dronelink.com

I'm not familiar with these apps, so do your own research with them.

3) is this really reliable and free of charge forever ?! Map Pilot Pro - Apps on Google Play

The free plan is quite limited in what you can do with it:

Maps Made Easy - Map Pilot Pro

Map Pilot Pro is the best aerial data collection map for drone mapping.

www.mapsmadeeasy.com

5) eventually i need a software to process the data, correct ? is this the way to go or any other alternatives ?
webodm

If you use one of the paid plans for one of the mapping apps, they do the processing for you (but it's not cheap).
Otherwise Agisoft Metashape is the software of choice (also not cheap).

 

[TrabSeyn]

You can use the pay as you go option with Maps Made Easy processing (fly with Map Pilot Pro or Dronelink) in conjunction with WebODM until you absolutely need (and you can determine) what plan suits you and your client's requirements. The convenience of MME for processing is you can embed an iframe link in your website for delivery whereas this is a process to accomplish with WebODM. If your clients are good with output from WebODM you may not need MME at all, but it is good to have as a backup delivery method and their pay as you go is relatively (vs. Drone Deploy) inexpensive as long as you aren't mapping 100s of acres. You can use the 1/2 resolution option using the 20MP of the A2S to save points, especially if you are flying under 50m.

If you're in UAE then Android will be the choice as iPads/iPhones screen will dim to black when they reach a certain temperature. Requires remaining inside vehicle with AC full blast blowing on naked iPad during this past summer in Texas - just to keep the screen from going black.

Litchi is a good app to have as an alternate to DJI Fly but flying maps is not the first choice. A couple of developers have put together grid flight planning for Litchi, but I have not tested them for multi-battery missions since MPP works at this time. Overall a great app to have but with the latency of virtual stick getting consistent waypoints or smooth POI shots is not likely with Air2S. The issue is the SDK and virtual stick implementation - see the other threads here for that discussion.

If I were to repeat 2022 learning mapping this is how I would go about it:

If you need to watch a video Dylan Gorman - Pilotbyte did a demo of Map Pilot Pro/Maps Made Easy with a Mini 2 if you want to search for it on YouTube. That should have you mapping in less than an hour. Fly a couple test maps using Map Pilot Pro and processing Maps Made Easy method. Once you have the workflow under your belt download the WebODM installer for $60 (worth every penny in time saved) and familiarize yourself with WebODM. Learn to integrate ground control points into the WebODM workflow. If you find MPP is mapping too slowly for your needs, and you can justify the expense, add Dronelink pro subscription to fly missions. Then go for a trial of Drone Deploy once you can take full advantage of the software. If you can have your 14 day trial active to make a pitch to a client that would help you massively when you quote them (more expense = higher price).

Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[jojonono]

You can use the pay as you go option with Maps Made Easy processing (fly with Map Pilot Pro or Dronelink) in conjunction with WebODM until you absolutely need (and you can determine) what plan suits you and your client's requirements. The convenience of MME for processing is you can embed an iframe link in your website for delivery whereas this is a process to accomplish with WebODM. If your clients are good with output from WebODM you may not need MME at all, but it is good to have as a backup delivery method and their pay as you go is relatively (vs. Drone Deploy) inexpensive as long as you aren't mapping 100s of acres. You can use the 1/2 resolution option using the 20MP of the A2S to save points, especially if you are flying under 50m.

If you're in UAE then Android will be the choice as iPads/iPhones screen will dim to black when they reach a certain temperature. Requires remaining inside vehicle with AC full blast blowing on naked iPad during this past summer in Texas - just to keep the screen from going black.

Litchi is a good app to have as an alternate to DJI Fly but flying maps is not the first choice. A couple of developers have put together grid flight planning for Litchi, but I have not tested them for multi-battery missions since MPP works at this time. Overall a great app to have but with the latency of virtual stick getting consistent waypoints or smooth POI shots is not likely with Air2S. The issue is the SDK and virtual stick implementation - see the other threads here for that discussion.

If I were to repeat 2022 learning mapping this is how I would go about it:

If you need to watch a video Dylan Gorman - Pilotbyte did a demo of Map Pilot Pro/Maps Made Easy with a Mini 2 if you want to search for it on YouTube. That should have you mapping in less than an hour. Fly a couple test maps using Map Pilot Pro and processing Maps Made Easy method. Once you have the workflow under your belt download the WebODM installer for $60 (worth every penny in time saved) and familiarize yourself with WebODM. Learn to integrate ground control points into the WebODM workflow. If you find MPP is mapping too slowly for your needs, and you can justify the expense, add Dronelink pro subscription to fly missions. Then go for a trial of Drone Deploy once you can take full advantage of the software. If you can have your 14 day trial active to make a pitch to a client that would help you massively when you quote them (more expense = higher price).

Keep us posted on your progress.

thanks a lot for your reply, just wondering is it the responsibility of mine to provide the final module or the client ?

i did work recently with a company they just asked for shooting their machine generated artificial waves and at the end of day they just asked for the footage to be provided to them and they definitely had the software to do all the calculations at their end,

thanks i will have to give dronelink and/or map pilot pro a try along with "Maps Made Easy - Home" at some point although if i can find a trial freeware software to do the processing for now would be great,

thanks,

 

[jojonono]

I was the only one to mention iOS in this thread.
I'm not an Apple user and use an Android tablet for all my flying.
I was commenting on DroneDeplot because that's the mapping app that I'm most familiar with.
DD supports the Air3S, but only in the iOS version of their app

https://help.dronedeploy.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500004964842-Recommended-and-Supported-Drones

Looking around, it looks like Dronelink and map Pilot Pro do support the Air 2S in Android.

https://support.dronesmadeeasy.com/hc/en-us/articles/205704366-Supported-Hardware

Dronelink | Supported Drones

Find out which drones are supported by Dronelink. DJI Mini Series, Air Series, Mavic Series, Matrice Series, Inspire Series, Autel Evo Series, Parrot Anafi Series.

www.dronelink.com

I'm not familiar with these apps, so do your own research with them.



The free plan is quite limited in what you can do with it:

Maps Made Easy - Map Pilot Pro

Map Pilot Pro is the best aerial data collection map for drone mapping.

www.mapsmadeeasy.com

If you use one of the paid plans for one of the mapping apps, they do the processing for you (but it's not cheap).
Otherwise Agisoft Metashape is the software of choice (also not cheap).

many thanks indeed for everything you said !...

 

[TrabSeyn]

WebODM is the freebie that will process but it generates enormous deliverables. You would need a web server to run WebODM for delivering full datasets to clients. Barry Houldsworth has some YouTube available to cover this process here: https://www.youtube.com/@aviosmedia. Otherwise you could further process your 3D output decimating meshes, lowering texture resolution, and posting your models to Sketchfab (Maps Made Easy automates this process).

 

[jojonono]

WebODM is the freebie that will process but it generates enormous deliverables. You would need a web server to run WebODM for delivering full datasets to clients. Barry Houldsworth has some YouTube available to cover this process here: https://www.youtube.com/@aviosmedia. Otherwise you could further process your 3D output decimating meshes, lowering texture resolution, and posting your models to Sketchfab (Maps Made Easy automates this process).

i checked drone deploy and it was so **** costly and i dont think any time soon or in future i will ever go with them,
my other option is drone link, however they use WebODM to process data, should i go with their webodm solution ?

 

[TrabSeyn]

Drone Deploy's Flight app is free to fly with if you have a drone that does on-board waypoints. I do agree their subscription is out of reach for many project budgets. Recently purchased a used Mavic 2 Pro for a number of reasons, avoiding another monthly subscription to DroneLink being one of them (mapping a few hundred acres every week). Map Pilot Pro began having issues with my devices and their June 2, 2023 update and I've been itching to return to the DD app for some time. Still using both MME and WebODM to process imagery so I have no input with using DL and any of their processing options.

 

[BigAl07]

Drone Deploy's Flight app is free to fly with if you have a drone that does on-board waypoints. I do agree their subscription is out of reach for many project budgets. Recently purchased a used Mavic 2 Pro for a number of reasons, avoiding another monthly subscription to DroneLink being one of them (mapping a few hundred acres every week). Map Pilot Pro began having issues with my devices and their June 2, 2023 update and I've been itching to return to the DD app for some time. Still using both MME and WebODM to process imagery so I have no input with using DL and any of their processing options.

I do weekly progress documenting with my M2P as well. I used DD for Flight aspects and MetaShape for processing the data.