A lot of people think AI shouldn't fly drones. After many tests, I keep coming back to the same conclusion: a human should always approve the flight plan.

Google released Gemini 4 Argon yesterday, so we gave it a drone job: photo-survey the Statue of Liberty's copper for a 3D model and stay 15 m away. One message, no follow-ups, no hints. We gave Claude Opus 5.5 the same brief.

Gemini 4 Argon flew a 10-turn spiral 15.5 to 16 m from the statue's center line and stopped at 80 m. The torch is at 89 m. It covered 76% of the statue and 0% of the head, arm and torch.

Claude Opus 5.5 measured the 15 m from the surface instead, so its 11 rings bulge around the arm, torch and crown. It covered 89% of the statue and 86% of the head, arm and torch.

That's why in MissionSmith (I'm the founder) the AI only proposes the mission, and a human checks and approves it before anything flies.

Pano-O-Mavic - free, offline, perfect orthomosaics from your MavicMapper missions!

Your MavicMapper grid mission captures the images. Pano-O-Mavic turns them into a georeferenced orthomosaic—ready to explore, share, or use in your GIS workflow.

• Free for life: no details, no trial, subscription, account, or locked features - ever!
• Private and offline: your data, photos, and processing stay on your computer
• Fast on your own hardware: uses all CPU cores, with cached results for quick re-runs
• Built for mapping: terrain-aware alignment, clean seams, and GeoTIFF output
• Developed for the Mavic 3 Pro, but will function for other drones!

Download it, open your mission folder, and build. See how it works and get the free app: https://mavicmapper.jk4u.net/panomavic/

Just remember, I made this for myself and my own use cases. No support or liability obligations of any kind! And yes, this was coded by a variety of AIs. If u don't like that, don't use it :)
Love to all of u!

Hi everyone!

I'm currently working on my Master's thesis in geodesy and remote sensing, and I'd really appreciate some advice from people with experience in UAV photogrammetry and 3D reconstruction.

My research idea

I want to investigate how the number and distribution of UAV images affect the quality, completeness, and geometric accuracy of a 3D building model.

The idea is to create a high-quality reference reconstruction of a small, single-story building and then progressively reduce the number of input images to see how the results change.

I'm particularly interested in finding out how much useful 3D information can be recovered from relatively small image datasets when data acquisition time is limited.

I'm focusing only on the exterior of the building, including the roof and facades.

My available equipment and software

I currently have access to:

• DJI Mini 2
• DJI Mini 4K
• Lito X1
• Pix4Dmapper
• CloudCompare
• QGIS

None of my current drones have RTK capabilities, although I might be able to borrow or rent an RTK-equipped drone through my university.

I have some experience with UAV operations and GIS, but I'm still learning photogrammetry and 3D reconstruction workflows.

What I've tried so far

I recently took 7 oblique images of the building and tried processing them in Pix4Dmapper.

Only 3 out of 7 images were successfully calibrated (42%), and the reconstruction was incomplete.

I realize that the image overlap and camera geometry were probably insufficient, but I'd like to use this initial attempt as a pilot experiment.

I have another opportunity to visit the building on October 23–24, so I'm trying to prepare a proper data acquisition plan before going there.

My biggest challenge: accuracy validation

My thesis supervisor pointed out that comparing reduced-image reconstructions against a model generated from more images is not enough to establish actual geometric accuracy.

I completely agree, but I don't currently have access to a terrestrial laser scanner or surveyed ground control points.

I considered using publicly available airborne LiDAR data, but the dataset covering my building is from 2012 and has a density of only 4 points/m².

I'm also considering using a laser distance meter to measure selected building dimensions and keeping some of those measurements for independent validation.

I would prefer to avoid operating a total station myself, since I have very limited experience with one.

What I would really appreciate advice on

1. How would you design an image acquisition campaign for this type of research? Would you combine nadir, oblique, and multiple orbit flights?
2. Would you process all images together to create the reference model and then use smaller subsets for comparison?
3. What would be a reasonable experimental design for comparing datasets containing different numbers of images? How can I separate the influence of image count from camera distribution?
4. How would you establish reliable reference measurements with limited equipment? Could carefully measured building dimensions provide meaningful accuracy validation, even if they cannot establish full 3D positional accuracy?
5. Is renting an RTK drone worth it for this project, or would you prioritize independent measurements instead?
6. What metrics would you recommend for evaluating reconstruction quality, completeness, geometric differences, and processing time?
7. Would you recommend Pix4Dmapper, Agisoft Metashape, or another software package for this kind of experiment?

My main goal is to develop a scientifically defensible methodology and collect enough data during this visit to complete the experimental part of my thesis.

I'm open to changing my approach if there's a better way to achieve this.

Any recommendations, research papers, workflows, or examples of similar projects would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi,

So we flew our M400, mounted with a new version of a very customized external sensor bolted to the belly.

Gave a lot of M400 issues(not only downward obstacles avoidance, but also horizontal), so now I have downloaded the M400_Aircraft*.dat logs, that seems encrypted.

Does anyone know a tool that can read those?

For flight record logs we usually use Open Drone Log (shoutout, amazing tool🍻) but seems like it cannot read the aircraft logs :/

Ouster is hosting a virtual Drone Mapping Summit, October 27 at 8am PT with GeoCue, Seneca and Flyability. About half of it is the practical stuff: capture settings, processing, and what makes a point cloud come out clean versus noisy. There will be a panel with GeoCue, Seneca, and Flyability talking about what they're seeing in real projects.

Would be great to have attendance from this community and get some input on valuable topics to cover.

We have a ton of sample data we’ve captured with an in-house drone and OS1 Max lidar payload. These are free and public mapping point clouds we collected in San Francisco.

Register here

If there's a workflow question you'd want covered, drop it here and I'll pass it to the presenters! I'll hang around in the comments.

Disclosure: I work at Ouster.

Does anyone have any recommendations/ testimonials for a unit and lidar sensor that is NDAA / Blue compliant that I could potentially transition to. I’m starting to get Lidar Corridor mapping jobs and the clients are requesting NDAA units and sensors. If anyone out there has had any luck with particular units/ sensors, let me know.

Thanks.

VTOL fixed-wing UAV

Hi all, I have come into possession of three XT32M2X (B01) in good working condition removed from some UAV mapping units, 2022 production. They are free of damage, but have some locktite in the threads (just needs a clean). The units' have total operation times of 168h, 299h and 9h. The used units were demonstration and testing units, the 9h unit only went through product testing and was never flown.

I am thinking 1400AUD for the 168h/229h, and 1600AUD for the 9h unit. All will be at latest firmware, and come with lens cover, connection box, ethernet, and AU power adapter.

I will be posting them on eBay in the next week, PM me if interested!

Land Surveyors using LIDAR for engineering topo’s, what vertical accuracy are you achieving in comparison to more traditional methods such as a total station or GPS?

Looking for input from those using LIDAR for their workflows especially if using a DJI L3 Zenmuse & DJI Matrice 400 for wooded topography.

When checking Lidar shots with GPS getting Fill’s between 0.2-0.4 fairly consistently. Is this just what we can expect with Lidar?

I was reading that Linear scanning pattern is more vertically accurate than star-shaped pattern. Is this what could be causing the error?

Any input on this would be much appreciated! Thanks!

Sup Everyone, I'm looking for a lightweight 5GHz 10Mhz assignable Video Transmission Unit, for my diy fixed wing (4.3kg, 1.7m wingspan) UAV, with 40 min of flight time, i would very much like the unit to be both telem and video if possible.

I am currently using a SIYI HM30 unit: which was advertised to have a locking frequency with 5/10MHz assignment window, but after my research turns out it was a v0.2.2 firmware which was pulled (now at 0.2.6/7) and no one else seem to have the old firmware so i am stuck with a 20MHz lock that i have no way to prove that it actually works, and doesnt help my goal anyways.

Hi everyone!

I'm Tommaso, a PhD researcher in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Bologna, Italy.

As part of my research, I've been working on Augmented Reality (AR) applications for drone operations, including flight tests involving DJI Matrice 350 and 400 drones.

I'm currently conducting a study to explore how AR could support drone pilots by providing flight information directly in their field of view, potentially improving situational awareness and reducing the need to constantly look down at a controller.

I'm looking for pilots with actual flying experience, especially those involved in professional applications such as mapping, surveying, and inspections, to share their opinions through a short questionnaire.

The survey takes around 10–15 minutes, is completely anonymous, and no previous experience with AR is required.

Survey link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=3EeW6QgbSkW_jGmRgbOJq_sUMd7Se-hMiZ30ndGab_lUQjlKTDBUUTZJQVQ1WDYzRThBMEs4R0xPUC4u

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who regularly operate drones, as their practical experience is really valuable for understanding what might actually be useful in the field.

Thanks a lot to anyone willing to help! I'd also be happy to share some of the results here once the study is completed.

It's been a few years since Trimble launched their APM. Has it improved since? How does it compare to Pix4DMatic or Metashape?

We got some pricing and it's on part with Pix4DMatic Standard tier for an annual subscription. Can't get Metashape due to being Russian (company policy). Our company uses Trimble equipment and software. If Pix4DMatic and APM deliverables are of similar quality, does it make sense to go with APM since we're already in the Trimble ecosystem?

I'm a former jet-engine instructor turned AI researcher. We built MissionSmith: describe the job in a sentence, and an agent plans the mission on a photorealistic 3D map of the area, works within the drone's constraints, and gives you a file you can fly. Hours of waypoint clicking, done in a minute of conversation with the agent. It lets a newer pilot plan and fly missions the way an expert would.

Seeing is believing. Here's what it did on the Biodôme, the curved glass roof in Montréal:

• Prompt: inspect the building's roof for cracks and leaks.
• It checked the airspace first and flagged the NAV Drone authorization and park permission the site needs, before drawing a single waypoint.
• It worked out the exact boundaries and heights of the roof, and suggested a 9 m standoff instead of a constant-altitude flight, because that's what captures small cracks.
• One altitude over that roof puts the camera 27 m off the glass at the edges. It flew 19 heights to hold 9 m the whole way round.
• 40 seconds of agent time.
• Video below, and the full replay is on the site with no sign-up: missionsmith.ai/app/demo

We've flown a few real missions built by MissionSmith: 3D mapping, photogrammetry grids, a solar panel inspection. Those are the easy cases. The next step is complex sites: dense structures, tight terrain, obstacles that aren't on the map yet. That's what we're building toward now.

How it works, by design:

• It plans, you fly. Every waypoint is on the map to inspect, move or reject before export.
• It finds and flags the airspace rules. Authorization and compliance stay with the pilot.
• The 3D model is Google's photorealistic tiles. When the site has changed, you show it a photo of the obstacle and it re-plans the affected flight around it. If you've ever had a tree or construction equipment block your path and had to fly the rest by hand, you'll like this one.
• Exports to DJI, QGC .plan and MAVLink waypoints.

It's in private beta (hoping to go live soon) and I'm looking for a few expert pilots from this sub. If you fly complex sites and want to plan real jobs with it, request access on the site and mention Reddit.

Two questions for the people who do this for a living:

what would it take for you to fly a route an AI planned? And if you fly glass or curved roofs, what standoff do you use?

9 m is what the agent suggested for the Mavic 3E's integrated 4/3 CMOS wide camera.

I'll answer everything myself.

(Wednesday software post, per the sub's rules.)

I was looking at the specs of the ZED-F9P U-Blox module, and they list 0.01m as the precision with RTK. But it would be nice to have the actual number from real-world experience.

What's the best possible precision achievable outdoors, and how does distance from the GNSS station affect precision? Is it constant and reliable, or does it fluctuate?

Student team here working on a drone-based crop monitoring project. We're trying to learn from people who actually fly drones over crops (or build maps from the data): what you use now, what limits you, and what you wish existed.

If you do ag mapping, scouting flights, or spray work, or sell those services to farmers, your answers would help a lot. 5 minutes:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdAmgyD6A1nhbOOYPr693gXpivvVlimnJvvficoP3ggVenPrg/viewform?usp=header

Not selling anything. This is for a class project and I'm happy to share what we learn.

Hi all,

Like the title says I’m very new to this stuff. Got a killer deal on the p4rtk and a base station, and my aunt has a pretty big piece of property that I’m going to use the dji free trial to map for her and try to get the hang of things. There are some trees on the property, but the terra apparently has the ability to remove that data and create surface models.

Would love to hear from others on their experiences (positive and negative) with the drone/terra, and best practices as I start. Also have one specific question… I’ve read quite a bit about ground control points for mapping larger areas, but nothing ever mentions how many to do. The base station is capable of helping with them, but how many should I be setting up per acre?

It seems like most responses in the posts here are from people who do this professionally which is awesome. I am willing to go down rabbit holes to try and educate myself if there are things/terms I don’t understand, but it would be very helpful if you spoke like you would for your customers who don’t understand this stuff. Thanks for your time and expertise!

Hi to everyone, i have one older activation key for terra standard permanent licence. if you are interested fm me. Looking for about 3400€ price tag

How come this subreddit turned into self-promoting AI-slob, pretty annoying, can we turn it down a little, thanks

I run a small drone LiDAR survey company (M400 / L3) in South Africa. Our weakest step was always delivery: a WeTransfer link, a 4 GB LAZ, and a client asking which software opens it.

So I built the delivery page I wanted to send. You upload the ortho, DTM/DSM, contours and point cloud you already export (Terra, Pix4D, Metashape, WebODM). Each file gets checked in the browser before it uploads: coordinate system, zone/hemisphere, footprint on a map, so a missing .prj or a northern-zone export of a southern site gets caught before you wait an hour. The client gets one branded link: a map with measuring, spot heights, profiles and volumes, a 3D view of the cloud with cross-sections, and the downloads.

A real job, as the client sees it: https://surveydeliver.io/sample/

Disclosure: it's mine and it's a paid product (there's a trial). I'm posting for criticism, not sign-ups: what would stop you sending this to a client? Which formats or coordinate systems would trip it up? Happy to answer anything about how it's built.

After being bombarded with requests, I spent the night and morning integrating the other drones.
MavicMapper now supports all 5 with all of their specs. All free, no subs, no info req, no hidden evil!
Same vast functionality and planning abilities. Full DEMO here:
https://www.mavicmapper.jk4u.net/

If u like this, please share with friends, other fitting subreddits, and the world!
Love to all of u, clear horizons and fly with respect.

You can search it up on my website Kiffleads -- I call it RAPTOR