Drone Survey Equipment: Software Terms

Drones have revolutionised surveying by providing efficient, safe methods to determine the positions of, and distances between, points in 2-and 3-dimensional spaces. In the past, heavy equipment and excessive manpower were necessary to complete tasks like land surveys, photogrammetry, 3D mapping, topographic surveying, and more. Now, drones and drone software for surveying has eliminated the need for bulky machinery and teams of labour.

Survey drone software is what assists the user to download, view, and analyse the data collected by the drone. There are many terms that are used when working with drone software that may seem unfamiliar, so here’s a recap!

Common Drone Software Terminology Explained

Absolute Accuracy: refers to the accuracy of a point related to the coordinates in the real world – so a point on a map is accurate to its GPS coordinates.

Relative Accuracy: refers to how accurate a point on a map is to other points on the same map. This means that if two points on a map are so many centimetres apart on the map, it’s estimated that they should be approximately X metres apart.

Photogrammetry: The science of taking measurements from (typically aerial) photographs.

Orthomosaic: An aerial image corrected to ensure topographical scale accuracy.

GCP (Ground Control Point): A physical marker on the ground that is used to keep your map geographically accurate. It ensures that one point of the image is aligned with the precise GPS coordinate on the earth.

Point Cloud: A point cloud is the collection of points or coordinates on an object’s surface. This collection of points can be used to create a 3-dimensional model of an area.

Infrared: Electromagnetic radiation or light with a lower frequency that can also detect heat.

Thermography: uses infrared imagery to show areas of heat in an area.

Resolution: Resolution is the level of detail on a map. This is often measured in CM/Pixel.

Afgen is a proud supplier of commercial drone surveying equipment and software. For more information on these and our other offerings, contact our team.