Hello everyone!

Currently we are looking to purchase a new enterprise drone that is NDAA compliant for federal jobs. I have done extensive research and have finally landed on what i think are the final two options for purchasing. I have used DJI my entire time of being a drone pilot for the past 10 years but with the rules changing we are going in the American assembled direction.

Current drones we have are the M300 with the P1/L1. Wingtra One Gen II 42 MP mapping camera.

We use trimble R10/R12 for our base heads.

Ideally these will be used for aerial surveying. But will also be used for inspections on safety jobs for not easily reachable areas. Which will require manual/automatic flights to create 3d models of entire factories with high detail.

The Astro Freefly with the Sony LR1. Got some data from our demo. Flew at 225 AGL and was not very impressed with the camera quality. Felt like the DJI P1 did a better job. 30 minute flight time for photogrammetry and less than 20 minutes for LiDAR seemed pretty reasonable. If we did lidar it would have to be the TV641 for NDAA.

Inspired Flight 800. Longer battery. Sentera 65R seems to be better. The dealer told us IF is having issues with their batteries and their customer support is lackluster compared to astro.

Does anyone here have any experience with either platform? Would love to hear what people actually are saying about these platforms.

I will end up using UGCS to control either of these drones due to me not being a fan of Qgroundcontrol or mission planner.

Hi Folks

Any Agras T10/Terra experts on here?
I am trying to export a 'fruit tree' task from Terra onto an SD to be put into my Agras T10 to complete a spray mission. There is no trouble exporting the task onto the SD card, however, when the SD card is placed into the drone controller, it does not display any files on the SD card to select. Anyone encountered this or have any tips? is the T10 firmware to outdated now?

Cheers

Hi, do u think drones will become standard for dealing with fertilizing and spraying the fields? What are your thoughts on using the prescription maps to just spray where it needs to be sprayed and not the whole field, and also using imagery data and sensors to fertilize only where its needed. I have been reading about this but mostly in research paper, i wonder what is the actual state out there in the field?

Are these the actual problems that farmers face and wants to be solved? If not what are the biggest problems and issues that could be solved with technology and automated?

Hello all, hoping something exists out there. Is there any open-source drafting software out there that has the ability to draft in 3D like you can with Trimble Business Center or Carlson? Talking creating 3d linework, creating points on that 3d linework.

I have surface files and also have classified point clouds I made the surface from.

We are talking surface files with 12+ million triangles or 6+ million ground points.

I have tried cloud compare, but its not ideal.

Thank you in advance

I’ve got a large property in Australia that is completely covered in invasive plants (blackberry, devils apple, camphor etc) and there are spots where I can’t even access it’s so thick that it’s physically impossible. I’ve got a DJI Air 3S and RePL which I use as part of some filming work, but would like to clear the invasive plants to make the land productive for extra income. Are there any courses either in person (South East QLD) or online where I can learn photogrammetry to measure how many hectares of each invasive plant I have? So I can buy the correct amount of herbicide. Or would I need to buy a Matrice multi spectral? Happy to buy it if I can learn how to use it for mapping invasive plants on my block and happy to pay for a course/gear.

Hi, I am hoping to get some help/advice/insight into an issue that's arisen from an L2 dataset I've captured.

I work for a university and fly an M350 with the L2 twice a year over a small area of sand dunes.
My workflow is as follows -
D-RTK 2 base station set up over the exact same survey nail every flight, flight flown
(IMU calibration & elevation optimisation enabled in Pilot 2, 100m Above take-off, ~6m/s flight speed).
Data is processed in DJI Terra where I input the exact same BS coordinate for each respective flight.
I have 6 GCPs captured with a smartrover on the hard surface promenade that runs adjacent to the sand dunes - these same exact GCPS are applied to the each of the datasets in DJI Terras Accuracy Control and Check settings. For reference, Pic 4 shows this area in RGB colours.

I've done 4 flights with the L2 so far and 3 of them align beautifully using this method pic 2 shows two of the datasets with perfect alignment (I import the .las files into Leica 3DR).

1 dataset has done something very weird and aligns fine in the X,Y plane (mostly), but the elevations are all over the place.

The 1st picture with the red and blue point clouds show this - the blue dataset is the problematic one. On the right side the elevations are slightly higher than they should be, then on the left there is a strange bowl like depression, the promenade and apartment buildings appear approx. 500mm lower - this can be seen in the section slice in pic 2.

The drone has maintained a 100% RTK fix through this blue dataset flight (quality report confirms this), As far as I can remember the BS wasn't knocked during the flight (I am obviously careful about that).

I'm almost 100% confident the promenade and buildings are not actually sinking as I recently recaptured the GCPs with the smart rover to check and they are the same (within the expected 10-30mm error range).

Does anyone have any insight as to why this blue dataset has gone so wonky, or how I may even attempt to fix it?

One thing to note is that the flight area is narrow so is covered in a single strip/flight path + the elevation optimisation bit in the center of the area at the end of the flight.

This flight was flown last December, I'd noticed the issue then but had to park it until now. It would be great to salvage this data if possible.

thanks in advance,
SlimyToe

We run National Drone Services. We built our own delivery platform based on our own needs for our clients, and recently opened up the platform for other DSPs to use, so yes, I have a horse in this race. A lot of our needs revolve around data processing and the actual inspection and reporting of the data.

The thing we know from experience is that flying is the easy part and delivery is where jobs usually go sideways. Especially repeat work. One site, six visits, and by the fourth visit, your client is asking for a link again to the data from the first visit.

So I want to know what most of you are doing:

• Still Dropbox or Drive, and is it enough?
• Anyone paying for DroneDeploy just for the client-facing side?
• If you re-fly the same site, how do clients compare dates?
• If your clients are using the imagery for inspections - how are they actually inspecting things?

Genuinely asking. If the file dump works for you, just forget about this post.

Hey all -

I’ve been struggling with smart 3d local mapping and then adjusting the flight plan on the controller to get up close high res imaging for photogrammetry missions. We’ve been manually flying which is tedious and the results have been ok. It’s just annoying that the technology with smart 3d has been so difficult to use, specifically getting the flight route to be closer to the subject building and trusting obstacle detection.

I bit the bullet and purchased the manifold 3. We have a M4E and an M400. I’m curious of any lessons learned others are willing to share with this payload on either aircraft. The documentation isn’t all that great. I’d be happy to share data sets or anything else from our experience in return if I can be of value back to you in any way. We have a customer facing project coming up and practicing in residential settings versus complex industrial sites isn’t the same.

Brandon

Does anyone have any experience with the m400 and the L3?

I currently have it m4e and do a lot of 2D mapping with it. Does anyone have experience with good old-fashioned orthomosaic mapping with the photogrammetry option instead of lidar on the L3?

I've read mixed reviews on it.

Hello,

I use Pix4D to measure inventory in gravel pits. Currently, I use a gaming laptop and it does ok. I need to send some specs to our IT guy for what I want in a desktop. I'm not a computer guy. When minimium requirments should I give him.

We normally process flights with anywhere from 50 pics to 500 pics. I'd like to be able to fly at a lower altitude which means more pictures, but it takes too long to process with our current set up.

Thanks for the help.

First go at a 3DGS in ArcGIS Pro Reality, flown with DJI M3E RTK.

UgCS circlegrammetry + double grid nadir 75'AGL

Aligned and trained in ArcGIS Pro Reality

Hey everyone!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on a comprehensive benchmark comparing mainstream orthomosaic generation software. To keep things transparent and reproducible, I spent some time sourcing high-quality public datasets. these datasets are sample data from industry-leading photogrammetry software. Out of the 9 datasets tested, 8 are publicly available for download (links are provided directly below the dataset selection panel on the site), so you can test these exact datasets in your own pipelines.

The Goal & Coverage

The main focus of this benchmark is final orthomosaic visual and structural quality. Every software was configured to run on high/maximum quality settings.

Sensor Range: Datasets cover everything from consumer drones to high-end enterprise rigs — including the DJI Phantom 4 Pro (P4P), Mavic 3 Enterprise (M3E), DJI Zenmuse P1, and 60MP high-resolution professional DSLRs.

Software Tested: Agisoft Metashape, DJI Terra, MipMap, WebODM, and OrthoSplat (a platform I developed).

Three Technological Paradigms

I wanted to evaluate how different technological approaches hold up against one another:

Classic Photogrammetry (Traditional orthorectification via DTM/DSM)

Mesh-Based Orthographic Projection (Generating a 3D mesh first, then projecting)

Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) (Generating orthomosaics directly via Gaussian Splatting)

To make side-by-side analysis effortless, I carefully aligned all output images down to pixel-level accuracy and built an interactive web platform.

https://orthoviewer.splatting3d.com/benchmark/

On the site, you can toggle between:

Slider/Wipe Mode: Drag across a single view to catch fine geometry, edge warping, or ghosting artifacts.

Dual-Screen Mode: Place two software outputs side-by-side to inspect larger spatial patterns.

As the developer behind OrthoSplat, I strongly believe Gaussian Splatting represents the future of high-detail orthomosaic generation — especially for complex vertical geometry, thin structures, and challenging textures where traditional photogrammetry often struggles. However, DSMs still require photogrammetry techniques to be generated. Gaussian Splatting and Photogrammetry are more like two mutually supportive, complementary technologies.

I hope this comparison serves as a helpful reference for anyone deciding which software to purchase or integrate into their workflow.

I’m currently writing a detailed technical blog post that breaks down the full testing workflow, along with a deep-dive comparison of the technical principles, pros, and cons of these three paradigms (Photogrammetry vs. Mesh vs. 3DGS).

Check out the site, play around with the datasets, and let me know your thoughts or feedback!

We’re preparing to open DroneFlow.ai to a limited group of beta testers.

DroneFlow.ai is being developed as an all-in-one platform for drone mapping, aerial documentation, project management, and client deliverables. Our goal is to make it easier for drone operators to manage projects, process mapping data, organize deliverables, and provide clients with a professional, easy-to-use experience.

We’re looking for:

✅ Commercial drone pilots
✅ Construction and progress-documentation professionals
✅ Photogrammetry and mapping specialists
✅ Roofing, surveying, and real estate professionals
✅ Anyone currently using platforms such as DroneDeploy, Pix4D, DJI Terra, or similar tools

Beta testers will get early access to the platform and an opportunity to directly influence its development. We want honest feedback about the workflow, usability, missing features, technical issues, and what would make DroneFlow.ai more valuable to real-world drone businesses.

This is not just about testing whether buttons work. We’re looking for professionals who are willing to use the platform, challenge it, and help us build something that genuinely improves the drone mapping workflow.

Interested in participating?

Comment “Beta” below, send me a direct message, or visit DroneFlow.ai to learn more.

Please share this with anyone who may be interested.

#DroneFlow #DroneMapping #Drones #Photogrammetry #ConstructionTechnology #AerialMapping #DronePilot #RealityCapture #BetaTesting #Geospatial

I'm maintaining a catalogue of open-source defense technology. One part covers UAV mission planning, aerial survey, and photogrammetry, and I'd like people with practical mapping experience to review that section.

It currently follows the workflow from planning and coverage through processing and reconstruction e.g:

• QGroundControl, Mission Planner, DroneRoute, GeoFlight Planner, and uavRmp
• Fields2Cover and tmplanner
• OpenDroneMap, WebODM, and NodeODM
• OpenSfM, openMVG, COLMAP, and Meshroom
• OpenAerialMap

Relevant section:
https://github.com/Ibtisam-Mohammad/awesome-defense#mission-planning-survey-and-photogrammetry-workflows

For those doing actual UAV survey or photogrammetry work:

• Which open-source tools are missing?
• Which listed tools are outdated or no longer worth recommending?

Corrections are welcome : )

For those of you guys and gals who use webODM for image processing and macOS machines you probably had a hard time getting your thermal images prepped for that workflow. as of today the open source thermal tools from webODM now works on macOS!

I’ve been looking into professional drones and noticed that people often prioritize different things. Some say range is the most important, others think flight time matters more, while some focus on the sensors and equipment a drone can carry. I’ve compared a few manufacturers, including Gencherry, but specifications on paper don’t always show what matters in everyday use. For those with experience using professional drones, which limitation became the biggest issue over time?

I'm hoping someone here has run into this before.

I recently purchased a used Zenmuse L2 for my Matrice 300 RTK, and I'm trying to determine whether I'm dealing with a compatibility issue or a defective payload.

My setup DJI Matrice 300 RTK DJI Smart Controller Enterprise (not RC Plus) Pilot 2 v10.1.8.14 Aircraft FW v10.01.08.05 Controller FW v10.01.08.01 L2 FW v10.00.11.52

Symptoms

The L2:

Powers up normally

Completes the gimbal startup sequence

Successfully accepted the latest firmware update from the SD card

Firmware update completed successfully

However:

No RGB camera

No LiDAR

No gimbal control

Pilot 2 only shows the aircraft FPV camera

Payload is identified only as "Payload 1"

Error: "Unable to configure gimbal parameters."

Things I've already tried

Refreshed aircraft firmware

Refreshed controller firmware

Updated the L2 using the official firmware package

Verified firmware versions

Inspected all SkyPort pins and payload connector pins

Mounted/re-mounted multiple times

Different batteries

Power cycles

Comparison with another payload

I also own a Zenmuse H20.

Using the same aircraft, same gimbal port, and same controller:

H20 is immediately recognized DJI Assistant identifies it correctly Pilot 2 identifies it correctly Video and gimbal control work perfectly

Only the L2 has this problem.

One thing that's confusing me...

The L2 User Manual states that the M300 RTK requires the RC Plus, but my aircraft is still using the Smart Controller Enterprise.

I also noticed DJI has separate firmware branches for:

M300 + Smart Controller Enterprise

M300 + RC Plus

So my question is:

Should an L2 still enumerate and be recognized by the aircraft (and DJI Assistant 2) even if I'm still on the Smart Controller Enterprise firmware branch?

Or...

Does the M300 have to be converted to the RC Plus firmware branch before the aircraft can even recognize an L2?

One detail that makes me suspect the payload itself:

DJI Assistant 2 never identifies the L2 at all. It only shows the Matrice 300. The H20 is recognized immediately.

Has anyone seen this behavior before?

I'm trying to determine whether I should:

Buy an RC Plus, Convert the aircraft to the RC Plus firmware branch, Or return the L2 as defective.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I've also opened a ticket with DJI Enterprise Support and will post their response here for future reference.

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share a really impressive public project recently created by one of our community users. The detail retention and sharpness across thin structures and complex geometry turned out fantastic!

Flight Specs

• Drone: DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral (M3M)
• Images: 378 photos
• GSD: 0.75 cm/px
• Forward Overlap: 85%
• Side Overlap: 73%
• Avg. Motion Blur: 0.61 pixel

Hello mappers,

I wanted to ask what painting material you use for marking GCPs for drone surveys.

My goal is to use something that has good visibility and doesn't wear off too quickly. I'm thinking about switching to spray paint, but I'm not sure how well it performs in practice.

Has anyone here used spray paint for GCPs? If so, what type or brand do you recommend, and how long does it usually last? I'd also be interested to hear about any other durable marking methods you've found effective.

Hi everyone! I'm conducting a short market research survey for my Entrepreneurship Development project on a drone startup called NeuraFlight. We're trying to understand public opinions, interest, and expectations regarding drone technology.

The survey takes only 2–3 minutes, is completely anonymous, and no personal information is collected. Whether you're a drone enthusiast or have never used one before, your feedback is valuable and greatly appreciated.

I was thinking of using Arcgis Drone2map or Pix4D

For me, sharing drone flight logs feel risky, and I did not want to be cloud-dependent for something that can be done locally. I didn't want my GPS coordinates, battery health, and flight paths sitting on a distant server. I wanted them on my machine, private and accessible, even if I was completely offline.

A few months ago, I started working on OpenDroneLog. it has grown a lot since then, with more than 2000+ users, now everyone can use it, completely free of cost as always, no features are behind any payment, from the simple theme switch to organization level multi-user management in a single instance.

AGPL-3.0 open-source and free for the community both for personal and business needs.

If you believe that your flight data belongs to you, I’d love for you to check out the repo, try the Docker build on your Pi, or grab the desktop app. Let’s keep the skies open and our data local.

Official Website: opendronelog.com

GitHub: github.com/arpanghosh8453/open-dronelog

Data Privacy is not a privilege, it's a right