As I explained in my last post on DroneDeploy... not everyone is going to somehow be a professional mapping expert just because they learned how to stitch together images in Drone Deploy or Pix4d. It simply isn't going to happen.
The funniest part to me is that most of these supposed "experts" don't even know the name of the actual service they are selling. It's called Photogrammetry you nobs!
Photogrammetry is the act of stitching together hundreds of images to create an ultra high resolution 3D picture of an area. Without going into too much detail, basically you calculate the angle of the ground you are mapping based on hundreds of images put together and the alterations in the ground based on these images. For a very long time this was actually the accepted method of conducting ground surveys for difficult to reach locations. It was extremely expensive to do from aircraft and most engineers and surveyors shudder when they hear the name.
So if you are using DroneDeploy or Pix4D, that is in essence what you are doing. Which is ok, because those programs actually allow you to create pretty good data sets. And if you are using GCPS you can even get good elevation and location data.
But now enter LiDAR. The king of mapping.
Every engineer and surveyor will almost be beside himself if you mention LiDAR. They use it for EVERYTHING! If they are conducting initial site surveys, trying to put together elevation profiles, looking for basic topographical maps...any of those things, and these guys will just about go to their knees for you to get this data!
If you now put that LiDAR in the air. These engineers will be literally bending over backwards to have you take their money. Just take a look at this company doing UAV LiDAR...Flight Evolved. They look like a couple of kids, but it seems like they have the right idea. They claim you can cut costs by close to 50% and that is damned impressive. I think it is technology like this that will be changing the face of surveying forever.
If I were a surveyor right now... I would be grabbing my ankles and be preparing to kiss my ass goodbye, because companies like Flight Evolved are soon going to be running the show. If I wasn't retired, I would be checking out their job postings to see if I couldn't get hired!
No comments:
Post a Comment