Why You Shouldn’t DIY Aerial Mapping
Surveying with drones offers enormous benefits to surveyors and mappers to collect unlimited aerial data and precise measurements while saving time, money, and manpower. With drone technology, you can excel at rapidly acquiring data from vantage points inaccessible to humans compared to traditional surveying methods that require meticulous measurement, preparation, and planning.
However, capturing quality aerial imagery requires more than just owning a drone. You may want to learn more about the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) processes along with essential rules and regulations. Flying a drone requires professional skills and, most importantly, figuring out exactly what kind of pilot license you need. Yes, drones are aircraft, which makes you a pilot!
To show you precisely what we mean, Excel Drone Services Inc. has listed five reasons why you shouldn’t DIY aerial mapping.
1. Risk safety hazards
First of all, you have to see whether the airspace you want to fly in is restricted. If so, you will have to get approval from the appropriate authorities. Second, check to see if there are any cell towers, structures, or power lines that could cause a lost link to the drone, and a “fly away” occurs. And who to call if a fly away occurs. Another safety hazard is flying over or around people; they should be kept out of the area being mapped.
2. Expensive equipment and fines to bear
The cost of a drone big enough to carry the heavy and expensive sensors used in mapping is substantial, and acquiring a pilot’s license can be time-consuming and expensive. Also, if any drone regulations are broken, the fines are very expensive.
3. Need a pilot’s license
As we mentioned before, you need a pilot’s license to fly the drone and capture the data. Moreover, you need to either buy or rent the software to process the data into a map or 3D model.
4. Lose control of the drone and maneuver over hazardous areas
You could lose your drone due to a signal loss or connection (Fly away) or inclement weather. You could crash your drone if you don’t figure out the correct minimum obstacle avoidance height to capture the data at, usually lower the altitude, the better resolution of the map. You could inadvertently hurt someone, put manned aircraft at risk, or damage property by not following safe flying rules. And the fines associated with not following the correct flight procedures are expensive. The corrective measures can be as easy as recovering the drone after a collision with a tree or structure to the costly court costs and compensation should your drone hurt someone or cause property damage.
5. Struggle with the drone operating software
Along with a pilot’s license, you should be able to maneuver the drone safely and smoothly around the air space you will be flying in, and you will need to know how to program the correct flight path to collect the data required for an accurate map. Also, processing the data requires special software and the knowledge on how to manipulate it to get the most accurate results, and there is a steep learning curve to this step.
Do the right thing - Hire a professional
When you try to DIY aerial mapping without being familiar with how a drone works and everything else about it, there are obvious chances of you facing the situations mentioned earlier. With that being said, it’s best to let a professional take charge of aerial mapping.
However, you need to hire a professional with a suitable drone and camera or sensor for the job. For example, a Perimeter 8 drone and Routescene Lidar pod would be more appropriate for large areas to be mapped with dense vegetation than a Matrice 300 with an L1 or even V70 Lidar sensor. Make sure the professional understands what you want as far as mapping goes and that they will be able to deliver it to you over the internet.
Generally, the drones and sensors or cameras used for aerial mapping are expensive and range in price from $50,000 up to $150,000 or more. Then there is the skill needed to safely set the drone up to fly the flight path required to capture the data and the knowledge and software that goes along with processing it into a useful map or deliverable. Costs range from $200 per hour and up, depending on the drone used and the complexity of the job, and a four-hour minimum. This may sound expensive, but a good drone or sensor can map an area much more accurately and cheaper than traditional mapping or surveying methods.
At Excel Drone Services Inc., we are Vancouver Island’s most trusted aerial drone mapping and videography services. We have over thirty years of combined experience in the sectors we serve.
We help clients by listening to their wants and needs are, plan the mission accordingly from determining when is the best time to fly and capturing the data all the way through to processing the data into the deliverable (That is, a contour map) and then sharing the large file online with our client(s).
Our services include mapping, volumetric surveying, inspections, 3D modeling and printing, and construction. We provide aerial drone mapping and videography services to clients across Victoria, Sooke, Duncan, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Tofino, Courtenay, Campbell River, Port Mcneill, Port Hardy, Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Metro Vancouver, and beyond.
To learn more about us and how we can help you with your next aerial mapping project, reach out to us at Excel Drone Services Inc.