Since we’ve already looked at the top drone demo videos for precision agriculture, it only seemed fitting to take a similar look at other markets. The list below is comprised of a few videos that illustrate the capabilities mapping and surveying drones can provide individuals and organizations. Surveying & mapping professionals are increasingly looking to drones as a way to bolster their bottom line while also gaining access to areas that were previously unavailable. UAVs offer professionals the ability to gather thermal, multispectral and LiDAR info in a powerful manner, and the videos here showcase how that’s possible in numerous environments. With one hour of video being uploaded to YouTube every second, we’ve undoubtedly missed out on some great video resources, so please let us know via Twitter or email which videos can and should be included in Part 2. Photogrammetry With a UAV Tim Lucas Perth – Tim Lucas In a video which provides some “101” basics but also showcases incredible detail that professionals need to know, Tim Lucas demonstrates how UAVs carrying photogrammetry payloads can be used. The video doesn’t show much of the actual capture of the data, but seeing how the info captured from a drone is processed is obviously of critical importance. The video is focused on photogrammetry, and that procedure is both defined and walked through step-by-step throughout the video. Tim loads images directly from the UAV into the software, and uses that data to generate an accurate 3D representation of the area the UAV was flying over. He shows the audience how few variable input options are required by the user and really demonstrates how accurate the estimation is. Elevation variants are also shown as he talks though how the info can be sent to other specialty software for niche extrapolation. Lastly, he touches on simulation-based applications for the data, and we see him experimenting with variables like houses, cars, etc. in the landscape. UAV- / Drone-based civil engineering – surveying of a slope and rock stabilization – AscTecVideos Articles that incessantly talk about the potential drones possess to change the way people capture information and how they go about the process itself are all over the place, but details about what that will actually look like are often sparse. How many people are needed? What sort of hardware are you going to be dealing with? What will the information captured actually look like? Ascending Technologies put together a video which showcases all of those aspects and more. Their survey of a slope and rock stabilization supported by an AscTec Falcon 8 gives the viewer specific insight around how many people are involved in the process, and what it takes logistically to capture the information, while also showing what that captured data looks like. It would have been nice to have a voice-over from one of the participants detail exactly what they’re doing and even share their thought process throughout, but instead the video features a soundtrack that feels like it’s from a Precious Moments campaign. Nonetheless, it provides viewers with an incredible look at what it logistically means to capture survey info via a drone.senseFly's eBee Drone Maps A Swiss Alpine Valley - senseFly The capabilities of what we’ll be able to do once we’re able to move beyond visual line of sight in the United States are showcased in this video from senseFly, which demonstrates the 3D mapping capabilities of its eBee professional mapping drone. This mapping mission took place in the mountains above Zermatt at altitudes of up to 3,000 meters at temperatures below 14°F. A unique feature of the video is that it has little pop-ups throughout which provide clarification around what the viewer is seeing. We get everything from an “Intuitive Planning” pop-up to show the flight path that was created on a computer to “45 minute flight time” to tell the viewer how long the drone was in the air. Some of the pop-ups are rather superfluous, and this feature doesn’t make up for music that belongs in a Las Vegas nightclub, but it’s always nice to have additional info. Short and sweet, the video shows the logistics around how the drone gets into the air, what it does when it’s up there along with a detailed look at the info that’s captured. Companies will often talk about the ease of use regarding the operation of a drone, but this video fully demonstrates what that actually looks like. Surveying and Mapping with the Aibot X6 UAV – Aibotix GmbH This is another video that does a great job of showing the practicalities of flying a drone along with the logistics of working with the software. The video showcases flight planning, flight execution as well as the results of all that work. We get to see the 3D models and point clouds of different objects, generated with the Aibot X6. Not too much time is spent in the real world with the drone, but we see as much in necessary, and the rest of the time we get an incredible look at the 3D models that were created from the captured data, as well as some details around how it was captured. One thing that’s missing here is a voice-over or text explaining exactly what we’re seeing throughout, and it’s something you really miss since the music they use is more of a distraction than anything else. After watching it all the way through you’ll still have a solid idea around what sort of a difference a drone can make. Geological Mapping with UAV & 3D Modelling - Egil Tjaland This video starts off by asking, “how can geological mapping be done in a cheap and effective way?” and spends the rest of the video showing the audience the answer to that question. We get to see the process of 3D modeling using images taken by a UAV from start to finish, and even more impressively, what that looks like in the field and once the data has been captured. Viewers get to watch the drone take off into the air, see the footage the UAV captures, and even get an amazing look at the processing of that captured data. With text that lays out exactly what the viewer is seeing, the biggest question that’s bound to come up is why the music jarringly changes from section to section. The end of the video is a bit of waste with far too much time spent on literally showing the audience that this info can be used in a classroom as well as providing a rundown of their team. Nonetheless, the video is a great look at the entire mapping process logistically and practically.
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