That work well to generate contour lines, from Air photos, (Which they generate) with GPS navigation in them?
I know that kind of stuff is becoming available.
What about the post processing software, that stitches the photos, and generates the contours?
I realize that such systems have limitations. But, anything that can generate something better than the 20' or 10' intervals, on usgs quads is of interest. Also, I think this sort of thing need ground control, to make proper contour plats.
So, I sort of think that a flow chart would go like this:
Go set targets, in, on, and around the perimeter of the site of interest. Then, derive XYZ coords on them. Static GPS comes to mind. Then, Fly the site. Stitch the photos together. Then, some equivalent of the ALIGN command comes to mind. This rotates, scales, and translates the aerial Photos to the targets, and the target coordinates. Then, some further software gets the contours. Obstructions become real issues. A bush hogged field, would be done more accurately, than a non mowed area.
Am I getting this at least partially correct?
What is the latest, greatest, and cheapest?
This is something we need to stay abreast of.
Nate
Check this out.
You can use this with ground based photos also.
T.W.
That was cool! Not good in rain, I might say! 🙂
Thanks! I suspect that the software to process the returned data will be a large factor, in this endeavor.
N
Check this rig out.
I am going to be trying it out after the first of the year. I don't know how to process out trees, machines, buildings, etc., but the sales rep says he gets .1' accuracy on hard surfaces when tied to a base station with control points on the ground. You plug in the flight plan, fire it up and let it take off and it does the whole site by itself including landing where it took off from.
I am very skeptical of the promises but am going try it out and compare to a ground run topo for qunatity tracking. I'll post results after the demo.
That software looks really cool, but...
It does not create a 3-d model. You pick a pixel in one image from one vantage and it matches it to the 'same' pixel in every other photo. I saw the demo with intersection striping and I see the problem as it will only work on objects you can see well. If you have a low angle of incidence, your minor vertical error will translate to a massive horizontal error. You really need a high vantage point - drone, cherry picker, parachute, etc.
Had I known about this product a year ago, I would have purchased a seat for a very specific project. Some fellow took a skidsteer and regraded his beach / salt marsh... The Town provided me with a series of aerial photos and expected me to make measurements from them. Then they sent me the data from an iPhone GPS and questioned why my results were substantially different...
Did you look at the eBee?
Mapping the Matterhorn senseFly
Nice little promo video for senseFly.
I have no personal experience with this Pix4d software except that I saw a demo at the OSLS convention last year. Salesman rap was that it is in common use in Europe. Pricing is very attractive, including a free demo. The drone in the video sells for about $1200 on Amazon.
good and cheap ???
Like ordering a survey Nate?
good and cheap ???
Hey, he only asked for two out of three. Good and Cheap but not Fast. 😉
Any good, cheap surveyors out there
Why is it that we always complain about people wanting a cheap survey and then we turn around and want everything cheap?
Just sayin'.
Stereoscope
better software
Any good, cheap surveyors out there
> Why is it that we always complain about people wanting a cheap survey and then we turn around and want everything cheap?
>
> Just sayin'.
We are our own worst enemy. I often have to live by the "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" rule on these boards, especially when it comes to people complaining about their 10-15 year old equipment not being supported by their dealer anymore. These same people complain about lawyers and banks asking them to re-certify surveys from 5 years prior.
Having experience with "DRONES", all I will say about this conversation is this: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. A $50K Trimble UX5 system gives you a better product faster than a $10K eBee.
Any good, cheap surveyors out there
10K ebee?
Thadd:
One article or seminar I went to talked about mounting a Bluetooth controlled camera on a tall rod to get a better view. I am sure an aerial photo would be better but this software still looked very usable if you have the work to pay for it.
T.W.
Any good, cheap surveyors out there
$20K
Sorry for the typo.
Any good, cheap surveyors out there
Ok, what do you expect? I just don't want my Realtor down the road, to get one before I do... Just sayin!
OF course, he might need a cheapo unit, to film and show property, that does not do the contours.
I want to stay abreast.
N
