Hi everyone,
I am completely new to this world of surveying and drone mapping. I am a biologist in the United States interested in things like animal movement and habitat mapping for ecology-related research projects. I am about to buy a drone so that I can do LiDAR and photogrammetry. I taught myself how to do GIS, mostly in QGIS, and now I am going to try self-teaching myself how to do drone mapping projects.
I will likely first be asking some questions in the forum about the right equipment to buy (read, cheapest). The cheapest LiDAR solution I??ve been able to deduce is the DJI Matrice 300 RTK drone frame with DJI Zenmuse L1 sensor, but I thought I??d start with trying photogrammetry, and I??m not sure which is the best/relatively cheap camera/sensor for photogrammetry that I can put on the M300RTK.
I wish I had a mentor for this to bounce dumb questions off??
Welcome! I think you'll find SurveyorConnect to be a great source of help and information. We can be your collective online mentor. 🙂
Welcome, friend. ?ÿMany mentors should be along the way soon. ?ÿIf not, try again later. ?ÿSometimes your timing has to line up with our superstars.
It's a little slow today due to it being Labor Day. Tomorrow should be back to normal. 🙂
Or, maybe Wednesday.?ÿ Sometimes the first day of the week is loaded up with those aggravating chores we all put off last week.
Why Lidar?
What are you trying to map terrain, vegetation or animals?
Lidar and photogrametry will map terrain. Infrared camera will be best for animals. Multispectrum camera or Infrared maybe better for vegetation.?ÿ
@leegreen Well that??s what I??m trying to experiment with, what kind of projects I can do with drones. LiDAR is the new technology and I want to be ahead of the curve. I suppose I want to do all of those things. The tech for tracking moving objects is still quite rugged right now, so I think my main focus will be mapping vegetation/habitat and terrain features like pathways and trails that animals make through forests, wetlands, etc
@ecology-mapper I had the same question as @leegreen. Lidar will give you too much of a representation of the terrain, and these pathways or trails can easily be mistaken for natural swales or any other thing. This is why we always have to go to the field to collect specific data about certain features that are not easily recognized even when using Lidar. If you do Lidar anyway, it will be better accompanied by another map such as infrared for animal tracking PLUS photogrammetry for a general info of the area of study.
The other technology attached to these drones such as RTK (which is pricier) are for survey-grade positioning purposes and generally this won't be necessary unless your project requires it to be.
@surv3251 I want to get LiDAR, but the cheapest option for a drone LiDAR sensor seems to be the Matrice 300 RTK with the L1, which is RTK by design, nothing I can do about it. The L1 is also equipped with an RGB camera.
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What would be a cheaper standalone photogrammetry sensor that can be mounted on the M300RTK? I??d like to get a plain photogrammetry sensor before I buy the L1
The Matrice 300 RTK works with multiple removable cameras/sensors.
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What region of the world are you working in? Your signature suggest NY.
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Lidar and photogramtery will not be able to accurately identify game trails, unless they are buffalo or elephant trails.?ÿ The mulispectrum and infrared cameras may show change in vegation which maybe more useful.
Search Geocue for videos, white papers and articles. The president of that firm is someone I recommend for educational material given in a down to earth no BS way. I have no connection and nothing to gain by giving a recommendation. They promote their products but they also give some valuable information along the way.?ÿ
A broad spec is?ÿ
Dual 20 MP cameras. They set them at oblique angles for several reasons.?ÿ
Mechanical shutter
microsecond synchronized timing with the camera shutter for best post processing results.?ÿ
Just a few considerations. There are also some good studies they have done comparing LiDAR sensors and comparing Lidar with photogrammetry on under cover surfaces.?ÿ
@leegreen Yes I am aware the M300RTK supports many removable camera sensor attachments.?ÿ
I am in New York, yes.?ÿ
I am actually interested in people who map elephant trails in Africa as researchers for grad school. But like I said, I??m also interested in vegetation mapping, not just elevational below-canopy ground
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Can you suggest/recommend an infrared camera sensor payload? Infrared doesn??t mean thermal right? The H20T is a thermal
