GCP Rubber target

Jullie · Sep 21, 2018

Hello I am looking to buy some rubber target for my surveys do you have any idea of where I can buy this ?
Thanks

Ian Titchener · Sep 22, 2018

Jullie said:
Hello I am looking to buy some rubber target for my surveys do you have any idea of where I can buy this ?
ThanksView attachment 823

I have some templates you can have printed on the same plastic as roll up banners with brass eyelets in each corner. Send me your email address and ill send them over!

R Martin · Sep 24, 2018

Jullie said:
Hello I am looking to buy some rubber target for my surveys do you have any idea of where I can buy this ? Thanks

I thought about using something like that and ordered samples. The rubber tiles were 10-12" square. At 90 feet AGL with a 12mp camera they work....just. High angle off produces glare and makes the target useless. Increasing the target size does not solve the problem. If you are looking for a cheap solution to GCPs, print them on a large format printer and stake them down. For low wind conditions they will server you well. For higher wind conditions you might want to have a set made of plastic or canvas that will withstand the abuse.
My solution was to invest the money in a set of Aeropoints (10 GPS GCPs) that have proven to be one of the best investments in the business I have made to date. You will still be a slave to your camera. I am currently running a 12 megapixel X3 on my Inspire and that is going to be replaced in the near future with a 42 megapixel Sony RX1R II.

Jullie · Sep 24, 2018

R Martin said:
I thought about using something like that and ordered samples. The rubber tiles were 10-12" square. At 90 feet AGL with a 12mp camera they work....just. High angle off produces glare and makes the target useless. Increasing the target size does not solve the problem. If you are looking for a cheap solution to GCPs, print them on a large format printer and stake them down. For low wind conditions they will server you well. For higher wind conditions you might want to have a set made of plastic or canvas that will withstand the abuse.
My solution was to invest the money in a set of Aeropoints (10 GPS GCPs) that have proven to be one of the best investments in the business I have made to date. You will still be a slave to your camera. I am currently running a 12 megapixel X3 on my Inspire and that is going to be replaced in the near future with a 42 megapixel Sony RX1R II.

Thanks for this usefull info, the fact is when I check on the Aeropoints Web site they proposed me the software solution at 6000 S with the target but I cannot find how to buy ONLY the target!
I was also thinking about painting my target on the ground, because I cover large area about 500 ha in the toundra (North Canada) and I dont want to spread the target in the middle of my area because after that I will have to find them and pick up after the end of the mission.
So maybe I was thinking about painting some big cross in the middle of the toundra, but I still interested by buying Aeropoints for my next contrat.
Thank you so much for your input Martin

Jullie · Sep 24, 2018

Ian Titchener said:
I have some templates you can have printed on the same plastic as roll up banners with brass eyelets in each corner. Send me your email address and ill send them over!

Thanks fir the reply Ian but I really looking for something stronger.

R Martin · Sep 25, 2018

Jullie said:
Thanks for this usefull info, the fact is when I check on the Aeropoints Web site they proposed me the software solution at 6000 S with the target but I cannot find how to buy ONLY the target!
I was also thinking about painting my target on the ground, because I cover large area about 500 ha in the toundra (North Canada) and I dont want to spread the target in the middle of my area because after that I will have to find them and pick up after the end of the mission.
So maybe I was thinking about painting some big cross in the middle of the toundra, but I still interested by buying Aeropoints for my next contrat.
Thank you so much for your input Martin

I tried the paint approach as well. It works very well on a hard impervious surface but grass, dirt and other soft surfaces (a) will absorb more paint than they hold and (b) are subject to mother nature and disappear quickly. So, a more viable solution for you that is semi-permanent is to buy some cheap plastic tarps and paint a registration mark on them. You can stake those down around your job site and they will hold up at least through the first strong wind if you stake them down securely.
If you are using GCPS you need to be sure and distribute them evenly around the perimeter (especially the corners) and also a few in the middle to properly anchor your imagery when you process it. Without anything in the center your ortho still has the ability to distort and float throwing your accuracy out the window.
Lastly, Aeropoints do not need the software in order to be used. We pay the $600.00 US maintenance a year and just use the Propeller network to post-process against (which turns out in my case to be the same CORS station that I process my GPS data against). The set is expensive BUT the manpower savings for me more than paid for them in my first year of operation. I don't need a survey crew in the field staking out my control any more and the equipment to do that type of work is retasked and actually makes money for us instead of being tied up as a support asset.

Jullie · Sep 25, 2018

R Martin said:
I tried the paint approach as well. It works very well on a hard impervious surface but grass, dirt and other soft surfaces (a) will absorb more paint than they hold and (b) are subject to mother nature and disappear quickly. So, a more viable solution for you that is semi-permanent is to buy some cheap plastic tarps and paint a registration mark on them. You can stake those down around your job site and they will hold up at least through the first strong wind if you stake them down securely.
If you are using GCPS you need to be sure and distribute them evenly around the perimeter (especially the corners) and also a few in the middle to properly anchor your imagery when you process it. Without anything in the center your ortho still has the ability to distort and float throwing your accuracy out the window.
Lastly, Aeropoints do not need the software in order to be used. We pay the $600.00 US maintenance a year and just use the Propeller network to post-process against (which turns out in my case to be the same CORS station that I process my GPS data against). The set is expensive BUT the manpower savings for me more than paid for them in my first year of operation. I don't need a survey crew in the field staking out my control any more and the equipment to do that type of work is retasked and actually makes money for us instead of being tied up as a support asset.

Thanks a lot for sharing your good and less good experience with all type of target

So I will seriously think about buying Aeropoints for my next survey campaign.
Again thanks for sharing your experience Martin, is highly appreciate.

JustinR · Oct 3, 2018

Our sign department made these for me. Basically a sign plate with sign decals in a checker pattern. A 2" hole in the middle to center on a hub and a handle to carry. We currently have 12 total and that gives us good coverage on a site. At 175 feet AGL these are highly visible and easy to center the marker on when correcting.

Jullie · Oct 5, 2018

JustinR said:
Our sign department made these for me. Basically a sign plate with sign decals in a checker pattern. A 2" hole in the middle to center on a hub and a handle to carry. We currently have 12 total and that gives us good coverage on a site. At 175 feet AGL these are highly visible and easy to center the marker on when correcting.

Thanks for your input Justin, unfortunately I don't have a sign department

I continue to search a way to made my own target but I will let you know when I found a way.

53 63 6f 74 74 · Oct 28, 2018

Hardboard wall panel is only about 12 bucks for a 4x8 sheet. That's what we're using for starters and it has been working just fine. A roll of black Duct tape can make any pattern you want. Our targets look exactly like those pictured above, and they cost next to nothing. Most of our topo surveys don't require more than 6 GCPs and a 10 minute flight at 180 ft. We use the 6 targets we made from the wall board and some spray-painted X's for control checks if necessary.