How to Choose a Drone for Mapping?
Even high-tech drones aimed at digital photogrammetry may not be the best equipment for technical inspections or aerial surveys carried out in areas with dense vegetation cover.
Drones are not very cheap equipment and being aware of why you are buying a drone is of fundamental importance to avoid technical, commercial and financial losses.
If you are a beginner and don't really know where to start, a good tip is to carry out a good market research to assess what are the main mapping demands in your region and define some applications of interest to guide your investment.
In addition to knowing what your main application will be, you should also be aware of how much you are willing to invest and what the economic return that this equipment will be able to provide you.
While drones are the main equipment required to perform aerial mapping, you will also need good hardware and software support for data processing.
What are the important characteristics to consider when buying a Drone for Mapping.
Drone Sensors for Mapping
Drone sensors are the most important technological resource for aerial mapping and it is strictly necessary that you choose a drone model that has sensors that suit the desired application.
To help you, below we will present everything you should keep in mind when choosing the best sensor for different aerial mapping purposes.
1 - RGB Sensors
RGB sensors operate in the visible spectrum and for this reason are the main tools used by drones in aerial surveys aimed at Digital Photogrammetry.
Models like the DJI Phantom 4 are sufficient to carry out aerial photogrammetric surveys and you will hardly need to invest in a more robust drone model to start with.
The DJI Phantom 4 features 1-inch CMOS sensors capable of capturing 20-megapixel images, with each pixel in the image having a size of 2.4 um.
In addition, this drone model is capable of recording 4K videos at 60 fps, which is already enough for most filmography applications involving drones.
Now, if you are looking for cutting-edge equipment and are willing to invest a much higher amount, a good drone option with excellent cost-effectiveness is the DJI Matrice 300 RTK embedded with the new DJI Zenmuse P1 sensors.
These sensors have a size of 35.9 x 24 mm and are capable of capturing 45 MP images with a pixel size of 4.4 um and are far superior to DJI's most commercial line sensors.
However, before investing in a drone model like the DJI Matrice 300 RTK, do a good market research and assess whether your investment will really be worth it or if a model like the DJI Phantom 4 Pro would no longer be enough to meet the needs your goals.
2 - LiDAR sensors
Drones that have support for LiDAR sensors are significantly more expensive than traditional drones aimed at Digital Photogrammetry and if you intend to work with this equipment, you must be willing to invest a slightly higher amount to start.
In general, LiDAR sensors are recommended for very specific aerial mapping, in which Digital Photogrammetry does not provide the best results.
If you want to know a little more about this subject, we recommend thatstop the blog post Photogrammetry vs LiDAR: Which is the Best Option for Aerial Mapping With Drones?.
When evaluating whether it is worth investing in a LiDAR Drone, also do a good market research and be aware of job possibilities in your region before making an investment.
If that's the case, one of the best drone options on the market is the DJI Matrice 300 RTK embedded with the new DJI Zenmuse L1 sensors.
With an ideal cost-benefit ratio, these devices have a high-tech LiDAR sensor that can be integrated with 1-inch RGB CMOS sensors, capable of capturing images at up to 20 MP and that have support for a Mechanical Shutter.
3 - Infrared Sensors
Also known as Thermal Cameras or Heat Sensors, these sensors are capable of capturing radiation in the infrared spectrum and have a number of applications for drone users.
In general, these sensors are significantly more expensive than traditional RGB sensors and not all drone models support this technology.
Like LiDAR, infrared sensors are used in very specific aerial mapping, as is the case of phytosanitary analyzes of forestry and agronomic crops, inspections of electrical networks, solar panels and monitoring of fauna in natural environments.
If you want to deepen your knowledge, we recommend that you access our blog post Thermal Cameras for Drones: What They Are and What Are the Main Applications of This Technology.
4 - Multispectral Sensors
Multispectral sensors are essential for anyone who intends to work professionally with aerial mapping for precision agriculture and forestry.
These sensors are capable of capturing radiation in different electromagnetic spectrums and are recurrently used to conduct phytosanitary, nutritional and water studies in crops and forest cultures.
Combining RGB and Infrared sensors in just one sensor, the field of applications for drone models embedded with multispectral sensors is very extensive.
Being slightly more expensive than traditional RGB Sensors or Thermal Cameras, anyone looking to purchase a Multispectral Sensor must be willing to invest a very high amount to get started.
So, if applicable, always do a good market research and study whether there really is a possibility of work in your region before making an investment.
Other Mapping Drone Features
Evaluating only the sensors of a drone is not a good parameter for deciding on the purchase of a model that will suit your expectations and professional goals.
To help you, below you will find a brief description of other necessary resources for those who intend to work with Aerial Mapping With Drones.
1 - Flight autonomy
Although drones are high-tech equipment, the battery system of these equipment is still not very satisfactory. In commercial drone models, you will find an average flight range in the order of 30 minutes.
This means that if you want to work professionally with aerial surveys and if you intend to use your drone to cover large areas, you will need to buy some extra batteries.
In general, three extra batteries are enough to get you up and running satisfactorily with Aerial Mapping With Drones.
If you intend to buy a DJI drone, a good tip is to look for Fly More packages, which already have extra batteries included, among other accessories of interest to drone users.
2 – Security
Drones are safe equipment, however, they are not failsafe entities. Before investing in a drone model for mapping, it is always good to be aware of the aircraft's security systems, these are fundamental for anyone who intends to work professionally with drones.
For greater safety, always look for equipment that has Obstacle Prevention and Detection systems, Return to Home and advanced communication systems between the aircraft and the remote control.
For those who intend to work with aerial mapping of large areas, these features become even more relevant and you will not want to operate a drone without them.
3 - Mechanical Shutter
While we think that drones like the DJI Mavic 2 Pro are suitable for aerial mapping, they are not the best models when compared to drones like the DJI Phantom 4.
Featuring similar functionality and sensors, the main difference between these models is the presence of a mechanism called Mechanical Shutter, responsible for opening and closing the sensor quickly during aerial image capture.
DJI Mavic 2 drones feature an Electronic Shutter and these are not very efficient for aerial mapping and can present distorted images, especially if operated capturing a large number of photos in short spaces of time.
When using an ObtuIn surveys aimed at Digital Photogrammetry, you will need to correct these distortions after the flight, increasing the data processing time and significantly decreasing the quality of the final products.
The Mechanical Shutter is much more efficient in capturing a large number of aerial images in sequence and for this reason, drones like the DJI Phantom 4 are more suitable for aerial photogrammetric surveys.
When using a Mechanical Shutter, you will not need to correct the aerial images and the quality of the generated 3D Models is significantly higher. So, if you intend to invest in a drone model for Aerial Mapping, always look for models that have a Mechanical Shutter.
While this feature may go unnoticed when evaluating different drone models for purchase, it is essential for capturing sequential aerial images for Digital Photogrammetry.
Certainly, you will not want to make a high investment in a drone model with Electronic Shutter if you intend to work professionally with Aerial Mapping With Drones.
4 – Embedded RTK/PPK
For those who intend to acquire an aircraft for aerial mapping, it may be a good idea to invest in a drone that supports RTK/PPK on board.
Although these equipments are much more expensive than traditional models, they are very useful for those who will constantly carry out mapping in large areas and want to speed up the data acquisition and processing process.
If you don't know very well how RTK and PPK work, we recommend that you access our blog post RTK or PPK: What is the Best Option for Aerial Mapping With Drones?.
For those just starting out and looking to purchase a drone with RTK/PPK on board, an ideal cost-effective model that will suffice for most commercial drone applications is the DJI Phantom 4 Pro RTK.
With this model, you will enjoy all the features of the Phantom 4 together with an RTK/PPK system, guaranteeing millimeter geographic accuracy in products and by-products of aerial mapping.
Also Read: Discover the Best Aerial Mapping Software With Drones in 2023. Read Here
Read Also: Best Professional Drones for Agriculture. Read Here
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