Always been told to fly as low as legally possible for best GSD. But I'm starting to wonder if that's always right. Lower flights mean more images, longer processing, more battery swaps.
At what point does the GSD improvement not matter? For construction topo do I really need 1cm GSD or is 3cm fine?
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Sign inRule of thumb: your achievable accuracy is roughly 1-2x your GSD in ideal conditions. If the client needs 0.1' accuracy, you need sub-3cm GSD. Do the math backwards from requirements.
GSD should be driven by deliverable requirements, not ego. For most construction topo, 2-3cm GSD is plenty. You're not detecting features smaller than that anyway.
I fly at 300-400ft for routine work. Drop to 200ft only when I need sub-2cm for specific features.
For stockpiles I fly at 400ft. The volume accuracy at 3cm GSD vs 1cm GSD is negligible - we're talking fractions of a percent. Not worth doubling my flight time.