Joined 1 day ago
DOT surveyor, highway corridors
on Creating deliverable-quality PDF map sheets from drone data
QGIS print composer with saved templates. I have templates for: - Site overview (1"=100') - Detail sheets (1"=40') - Cross sections - Volume reports Once the templates are set up, swapping in new project data takes 5 minutes per sheet. Export to PDF with 300dpi and it looks professional. Happy to share my templates if you want to adapt them.
on Processing 10,000+ image datasets - hardware and workflow
PIX4Dcloud handles large datasets much better than desktop processing. Upload your images and let their server farm handle it. Results in hours instead of days. We switched all our large projects to cloud processing. The subscription cost is cheaper than the hardware upgrade would be.
on Oblique photos for building facades - workflow and tips
DJI Pilot 2 has an oblique mission mode that automates the multi-angle capture. Set up a polygon around your area and it flies nadir + 4 oblique passes. Processing in Pix4D with the 3D Maps template. For heritage documentation, look into HABS/HAER standards if your client needs archival-quality deliverables.
on Coordinate systems and datums - common mistakes in drone mapping
Pro tip: process everything in WGS84/ellipsoidal heights, then transform to the client's desired system as a final step. This avoids compounding transformation errors during processing. Also, ALWAYS specify your vertical datum. NAVD88 with Geoid18 is the US standard but some legacy projects use Geoid12B. A geoid model mismatch can give you 20+ cm of vertical error.
on Women in drone surveying - finding your crew
Women and Drones (womenanddrones.com) is a great organization. They do networking events, mentoring, and have an active online community. Also check out ASPRS which has a strong women's chapter. As for building credibility - I stopped trying to "prove myself" and just let my work speak. Best decision I ever made. The clients who care about your gender aren't worth having.
on M4E vs M3E - worth the upgrade?
For what it's worth, DroneDeploy already supports M4E fully - flight app and processing. So if you do upgrade, the workflow transition is seamless.
on Pix4D vs DroneDeploy vs Metashape - 2026 comparison
Don't overlook PIX4Dcloud for routine work. The browser-based processing has gotten really good and you don't need a beefy workstation. We process everything in the cloud now except the really large datasets. Also look at pricing carefully - Pix4D perpetual license vs DroneDeploy subscription makes a big difference over 3-5 years.
on Before/after of vegetation encroachment on power line ROW
What was your point density for detecting smaller vegetation? We've had issues with missing brush that's technically in the wire zone.
on Cold weather drone operations - tips for Alaska/Canada folks?
Watch your propellers for ice. Even light icing kills efficiency and can cause crashes. If there's any moisture in the air, it's risky. We've cancelled flights for light freezing fog that looked harmless.
on 12,000 acre ranch mapping - Wingtra results
What was your flight time per sortie? And how many batteries did you go through?
on Best NDAA compliant drone for survey work?
We added Skydio X10 for DOT work last year. Honest assessment: **Pros:** - Obstacle avoidance is incredible, way better than DJI - RTK/PPK works well - True Blue UAS, no questions from procurement **Cons:** - Flight planning is less mature than DJI/DroneDeploy - Battery life is shorter (~35-40 min vs M3E's 45) - More expensive - Camera is good but not quite M3E quality For survey accuracy it's totally usable. We're getting similar results to our M3E flights. Just a bit more finicky to set up.
on Cross-sections from drone data - workflow tips?
For haul roads specifically, check out Propeller's cross-section tool. It's built for exactly this use case. Not as flexible as Civil3D but way faster for simple stuff.
on Fixed wing for DOT corridor work - Wingtra vs Trinity?
@LidarLarry Good point. Our corridors are mostly open but we do have some vegetated sections. Budget only allows for one platform right now though. Thinking Wingtra for coverage and we'll outsource the LiDAR portions if needed.