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General question on mapping

Slade Steele

Active Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2018
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Location
Spring Hill, FL
Website
www.franksphotos.com
I have been flying drones since 2010 and much of my current work is in the SAR area and more complex inspections. I have a M30T that works great for what I do but I have been thinking about expanding into mapping and really don't know much about it. I am looking at the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise E series that has a 20mp camera with a 4/3 sensor and mechanical shutter. I guess my question is probably way too broad, but I am curious about entry points to doing mapping services including barriers to entry and what kind of fees it might generate.

Thanks
 
Morning, I see no one answered your question. I do a fair bit of mapping a month (right now 8 sites that are either monthly or bi-weekly). My suggestion would be to try and get a used Phantom 4 Pro and start with that. A MP3E is a huge investment with no work lined up. As far as entry points my suggestion would be to (and I know I'm going to take flak for this but it is what it is) find an aggregator that pays decently, not the $50-75 type offers but $150-200 per flight at a minimum, and get some experience there. Those flights will help you to understand your deliverables, how to set up missions, how to fix issues in the field, and what is required to fly a site of 10 acres, 50-100 acres, and over 200 acres. Try and get access to one of the processing software (they have free trials). I've used DroneDeploy, Pix4d, WebODM, and Agisoft Metashape to process my maps.

Once you have a bunch of mission experience then you need to figure out what specific construction companies over there on the west coast are looking for. What are their pain points and how can you offer a solution to help them overcome them. You're going to have to invest in either cloud processing or a computer powerful enough (if you don't already have one) to process maps and 3D models. Keep that in mind as you build your budget. Most people think that buying the drone is the only expense associated with mapping and that's why they get discouraged quickly. It costs to play in the space.

I am still trying to work out what fee structure works in Florida, what is competitive but doesn't run away potential clients . Other pilots don't ever seem to want to share info even though the pie is big enough for a bunch of us and so that's what I think contributes to pilots fees being all over the place. Other pilots who I have good relationships with outside of Florida are charging from $650 to $1300 per flight depending on the deliverables and the accuracy required. If you are involving GCP's and centimeter accuracy then that's where that higher fee is derived from. If they want Aeropoints (which are in no way cheap) then costs could go higher but again that's outside Florida. Way too may people here trying to compete and they price at rates that don't seem sustainable for the investment involved.
 
Thank you so much for your response. I have a very powerful computer (Dell 7920 with dual 10-core Xeon processors, 6 x 1 TB solid state drives and 256 gb RAM) and don't have a problem getting the 3E. I think I have a lot of learning to do so if you ever want an intern (old intern), let me know. Would love to check out what you do and how you do it.
 
I am looking at the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise E series that has a 20mp camera with a 4/3 sensor and mechanical shutter.
The craft should be a good mapper, but we just don't know yet. Wait a bit for some actual field tests using an RTK workflow specifically. If the results are good, then by all means, jump in. If results are less than ideal, the P4R would probably be a good (proven) choice.

Good Luck!
 
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Thank you. Standing by. One other question. Wonder if you or anyone has any experience with the drone mapping courses offered by PilotInstitute.com. It looks fairly complete but not knowing much about mapping I don't know if it is adequate to help someone get started. Any thoughts?
 
Phantom 4 pro all the way. Still the best money maker. Pro tip, learn the basics of how light/ apertures work. Overexpose just a bit on the ground because when your looking down your histogram will drop. Don’t use auto aperture ever, just shutter priority. Talk to the guys at FTG drones in Tampa, they’re a great resource.
 
PM your contact, we need extra pilots from time to time We’ll also be offering a course soon in the Central Fl area for Ag drone pilots if interested.
 

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