To set up a drone mapping capability for your organisation it is probably going to cost around $15,000-$20,000 in cash and time, by the time you have purchased the drone, completed some staff training, conducted initial fieldwork to collect data, and then established protocols. So getting the right software to manage and analyse the mapping
Integrating drone technology with cutting-edge software has revolutionized the way industries collect, process, and analyze geospatial data. One of the most versatile tools in this field is the DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral (Mavic 3M), a drone designed for precision agriculture, environmental monitoring, and land management. DJI also provides its own data processing software, DJI Terra,
The coral cays of the Great Barrier Reef are more than just picturesque, sandy islands. They are dynamic, living systems that play a crucial role in the health of the reef and support a wide range of biodiversity, from nesting seabirds to critical turtle habitats. However, their ever-changing nature, shaped by ocean currents, storms, and
Have you ever captured data that looks a little too dark or too bright? Sometimes we mess up the camera settings or the lighting conditions change considerably during capture. Or maybe the features you’re most interested in are underwater or in the shadows, so they’re naturally a little dark. What if you know there are
A standard image processing sequence has driven remote sensing and Earth observation applications for decades. This sequence is a framework of stages through which to progress and applies equally to drones as it does to more traditional satellite mapping. It takes us from defining the problem to communicating results and all the steps in between,
While multispectral imaging may have been developed as a military surveillance technique, these days its benefits are far more wide ranging. From Earth observation sensors on satellites to laboratory based systems, they can be deployed to detect, identify, and measure features invisible to the human eye at a variety of scales. Let’s look at how
Wanting to make decisions using your drone mapping data? If so, understanding your location precision and accuracy is paramount, and ground control points – GCPs – might be your answer. As aerial surveys become increasingly integral to various industries, ensuring accuracy in data processing and location information is essential. Let’s delve into the significance of
Contents There’s no lack of ‘wow’ when viewing aerial drone footage as photos or videos. But the awe in awesome doesn’t stop there! Our flying tripod friends are also incredible data collection and mapping tools. We use drones to capture information about all sorts of different environments, with detail far greater than you’ll see on
Why choose desktop software Drone mapping software comes in two flavours – desktop or cloud-based. One is not ‘better’ that the other, but rather there are pros and cons to them both. It comes down to considerations internally to your organisation, and also at times your access to a reliable internet connection. If you haven’t
People often ask me what inspired me to create GeoNadir. To be honest, first and foremost it was selfish intention to make my life easier. Since 2013 I have amassed a huge amount of drone mapping data, and I’ve always had the problem of how to store, process, and share it in a simple workflow.
Mangrove conservation is a pressing global concern. These habitats are highly productive ecosystems that offer many environmental services. Mangrove forests store nearly 10 times more carbon per hectare compared to terrestrial forests, playing an important role in the fight against climate change! They also safeguard the coastlines of tropical and subtropical regions, home to nearly
Getting an understanding of the size and scope of marine ecosystems has always been a challenge for environmental scientists. Seagrass is no exception. These intertidal and subtidal meadows help support important fisheries species and iconic animals like dugongs. They’re also increasingly under threat from things like poor water quality. But with some meadows being many
Orthomosaic, the Short Answer: The output from a process where a number of overlapping photos (e.g. from a drone or aerial camera) are stitched together with distortions removed to create a complete and continuous image representation or map of a portion of the earth. The orthomosaic below is made up of 283 individual drone photographs.
I’m sure that my certified surveyor friends cringe when they hear about our methods of ‘Marine ground control’ on the reef! But here goes… What is ‘ground control’? No, we’re not calling Major Tom… Ground control points (GCPs) are points or features on the surface of the earth (or even underwater) with a known location.
Mother Earth’s Paparazzi is a term used to describe drone enthusiasts who capture images of mother earth to help protect at-risk ecosystems. Over the past seven years, I have captured tens of thousands of beautiful drone images. But I don’t consider myself a skilled photographer – I’m simply lucky that my subject is stunning! And
How to map with a drone: I know that lots of people love flying drones, but I’m not one of them! Yet what I do love is the #earthobservation data that I can capture with my drone. I’ve been working with remote sensing data since the late 1990’s and know full well that not all data
Earth observation data reveals valuable information that you should know. In the wake of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (#COP26) there’s even more than usual climate related information hitting the headlines. And this just landed from Professor Peter Macreadie and team from Deakin University (and others), reminding us to consider the role of blue carbon ecosystems (e.g. mangroves,
We’ve been talking about artificial intelligence (AI), drones and machine learning for a while now. However, do you feel that sometimes it’s just a bunch of fancy words flying around? In this article, I would like to introduce three basic machine learning concepts for those who love drones. No matter why you love flying drones, or
By combining AI with drone image processing, we can pinpoint the exact geographical location on earth in an efficient and consistent manner. If you search “AI”, there are more than four trillion results in Google. If you search for “AI” in news, there is a piece released almost every hour about this topic. Artificial
Using drone images of clam reef, we estimate the amount of live tissue & model their contribution to the calcium carbonate of the reef. I have to confess that I absolutely LOVE clam chowder. I remember when I was first introduced to it at Phil’s Fish Market and Eatery in Moss Landing, California >20 years
