How To:
Drone Mapping Flight
Learn the process to efficiently map your farm with your drone.
Takeoff Location:
Choose a takeoff location which is centrally located within the mapping area. The aim is to have minimal downtime, so you can map your farm efficiently. Ideally start close to the start point on the drones mapping route. This saves time as the drone does not have to fly a long distance before starting the mapping mission. You can then relocate to a more central position.
Moving With The Drone:
As the drone fly's the mapping mission over your farm, it will eventually need a battery change. You do not want to be flying long distances back to the controller to replace a battery. Monitor the battery percentage and predict when it may need to be changed. You can move around the farm with the drone, if the farm is large.
Keeping An Eye On The Drone:
You need to keep the drone in your line of sight at al times. This is a legal requirement. This also allows the controller to remain connected to the drone. For farms with varying terrain, you will need to move around to ensure the drone remains in coverage.
Changing Conditions:
You need to keep an eye on the conditions. Changes in ambient lighting may occur during the mapping mission. For example, if you started in overcast conditions, but the sun comes out half way though. This can skew the consistency of the results. If a major ambient lighting change happens during the mapping mission, you will need to try again at another time.
Measuring Test Plots:
Its vitally important that you only measure test plots after the drone has finished its mapping mission.
Overcast
Full cloud cover or overcast conditions are the perfect time to map your farm. Overcast conditions provide even lighting with no shadows so the drone your data collects is consistent over the whole farm. You can map your farm from 1 hour after sunrise till 1 hour before sunset and still retrieve perfect data. Even light = even results
Full cloud cover or overcast conditions are the perfect time to map your farm. Overcast conditions provide even lighting with no shadows so the drone your data collects is consistent over the whole farm. You can map your farm from 1 hour after sunrise till 1 hour before sunset and still retrieve perfect data. Even light = even results
Scattered Cloud
If the sun is going in and out from behind the clouds, avoid mapping at all costs as this can skew the data, and leave inaccurate results.
Overcast
Notice how the trees cast no shadows, these are perfect mapping conditions
Morning/Evening
Shadows are cast across the paddock. Long grass also has the same effect. Severely affecting results.
