For a commercial-quality drone, the DJI Matrice 300 RTK is the best choice. The DJI Mavic 2 Pro is an economical option, and the WingtraOne is the best choice for topographic studies because of its precision and precision. The Mavic 3 Entreprise is a long-awaited replacement for the DJI Phantom 4, which has long been the workhorse of drone mappers around the world. The reason this drone is great for mapping is because it's one of the few drones that has a mechanical shutter.
A mechanical shutter will dramatically improve your drone models, since you won't have problems with the rotating shutter that cause blur in your images when you fly. If you want the best configuration, the DJI Matrice 300 with a Zenmuse P1 is unbeatable. The Zenmuse P1 is a full-frame camera that has a 3-axis gimbal. It has a global mechanical shutter and can produce models with a level accuracy of up to 3 cm without control points on the floor.
The only real drawbacks are the size of the drone and the extremely high cost. For a long time, DJI's Phantom 4 drone was considered the standard for professional-level drones. When the RTK version of the Phantom 4 was released several years ago, it changed the rules of the game instantly when it came to cartographic professionals. It's a drone that comes with the industry-defining features of the Phantom 4 and that was further expanded with RTK technology.
The Phantom 4 RTK also includes an improved remote control with a hot-swappable battery, a slot for a microSD card to store survey data, and a 4G connectivity option for cloud-based backups. The special GS RTK application was developed specifically for this drone, allowing intuitive flight planning and easy execution in the field. The biggest limitation of the Phantom 4 RTK is the fact that it was not designed to be compatible with a kinematic post-processing (PPK) workflow. Nor does it have an exchangeable payload, which prevents it from mapping using photogrammetry.
The H520 RTK marks Yuneec's entry into the cartographic drone market. With Yuneec's characteristic hexacopter construction, the H520 RTK offers a wide range of solutions for cartography professionals. As the name suggests, the drone comes with a built-in RTK module and a Network RTK base station. There are a couple of things about the H520 RTK that make it stand out.
First of all is the fact that it does not have a fixed payload. Yuneec offers a range of high-end accessories for the H520 RTK, including the CGOET thermal camera and the E90 20 MP high-speed camera. They are sold separately, but they can undoubtedly expand the possibilities of the drone. The H520 RTK was also designed to be compatible with a PPK process.
The PPK is useful when carrying out cartographic studies in areas where communication between the drone and the ground station is not assured. Instead of making real-time corrections to spatial data, the PPK allows for the coordinated collection of data so that it can be corrected during post-processing. The eBee X is an extremely versatile drone. It can be adapted to PPK and RTK workflows and is compatible with a wide range of payload options from both SenseFly and external companies.
These include the SODA 3D mapping camera and the Parrot Sequoia multispectral sensor, among others. The key to data quality in photogrammetry is the resolution of the camera. You should use a camera that can capture as much fine detail on the floor as possible, allowing the software to recreate these features during 3D modeling. Cameras that can capture 4K videos and 12 MP photos are standard today, but you can opt for as high a resolution as available.
All drones that are currently commercially available come with a built-in GPS receiver to allow location tracking. This GPS function provides flight stabilization, as well as the tracking that the drone needs for an autonomous flight. When carrying out cartographic studies, the GPS receiver also automatically geotags the photos. By embedding the photos with spatial data, the mapping software can recreate a complete 3D model by “joining” the photos.
The DJI Phantom 4 RTK is still the best general topography drone on the market right now. The camera is of high quality, the RTK capability leads to very high accuracy and is highly reliable and easy to use. Since DJI launched the Phantom 4 RTK, advances in RTK and PPK processing have further improved the overall value of this system by allowing larger projects with greater precision and less ground control than ever before. The main advantage of the Phantom 4 RTK, compared to the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0, is that you'll need to shoot far fewer control points on the ground to achieve a vertical accuracy of 0.1".
Fewer ground control points translate into significant time savings in the field. As before, where the Phantom 4 RTK outperforms the competition is in its reliability and ease of use. While it is considerably more expensive than drones that are not compatible with RTK, its cost is a fraction of what you could spend on other RTK topography drones. The fantastic overall balance of precision, reliability and value wins our first choice as the best drone for land surveying.
The RTK version released two years ago completely altered the game for surveying professionals. The DJI PHANTOM 4 PRO V2.0 is the best drone for field studies. Drone solutions quickly collect accurate and geotagged data, while photogrammetry software processes this data to provide standardized results. The website, a cloud-based data processing software for drone photogrammetry, may not look as polished as its competitors, but the software does what it says and allows you to turn your drone images into valuable digital assets for your project.
Not only do drones facilitate topography work, but they can also produce more accurate data and models. This is not an exhaustive list and they are in no particular order. I have listed multi-rotor drones first because they are the cheapest, while fixed-wing drones such as the WingtraOne and the eBee X are significantly more expensive. If you're surveying an area that's only a few acres wide, then a multi-rotor drone may be the practical option.
Pix4D, one of the main software developers for drone photogrammetry solutions, is one of the strongest mapping and topography applications on the market. PrecisionHawk also offers a consulting service for your drone business and you can even hire your own team for your drone projects. Drones provide a cheaper and more efficient method for topography without compromising quality and accuracy. Aerial cartography and topography are some of the most lucrative fields in the era of commercial drone flights.
This is a drone that is suitable for large scale topography and mapping needs, has a robust construction and can fly in windy conditions. These qualities prioritize both the quality of the data that drones can collect and the ease with which it can be used for large scale aerial surveys. In conclusion, the use of drones for surveys offers numerous benefits, including greater efficiency, accuracy and cost-effectiveness. .
