Exporting Flight Plans (.LZ file)
I noticed in the Dronelink Web App that there is an export button for a flight plan and it exports it as an .LZ file. Can this file be imported into DJI Pilot? I'm not familiar with the .LZ file type. Right now it appears that the Dronelink native app does not currently have all the necessary features (based on DJI's UI Library) to use it for in-flight because all the options are not available for my thermal camera (XT2), but the native DJI Pilot app does have all the options.
So, I would like to create the flight paths/missions using the Dronelink Web App (which is excellent and superior to anything I've found), export that mission, then import it into DJI Pilot app so I can fly the mission in their native app.
Is this possible?
Thank you.
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8 comments
LZ is the file extension for LZ77 compression. Dronelink mission plans are just compressed JSON, and the format is open but there are no other systems that use or import the format (yet). The export option was primarily created for our enterprise clients that are doing custom integrations and need to move data from dronelink.com to their backend systems, and for our beta testers that need to move data to our development servers. Having said that, even if DJI, or anyone else wanted to import a Dronelink mission, it would be very difficult to implement because most of Dronelink's features are incompatible with DJI's onboard flight controller, which is what the DJI pilot app and most other systems use to execute their missions. Dronelink is unique in this sense, and you can read more about the pros and cons of this approach here.
Thank you, Jim. Perfect explanation. I'm just at an impasse as I need the Dronelink native app (controller) features for my plans/missions, but need the advanced features available for the XT2 camera available within DJI Pilot naturally. I cant wait until DJI UI is further developed to allow the Dronelink native app to have the advanced CT2 camera options.
As you say, either DJI needs to update their SDK, or an enterprise customer needs to fund the development. Alternatively, anyone is free to collaborate with us on the flight dashboard code, which we have published to GitHub as open source.
iOS: https://github.com/dronelink/dronelink-dji-ui-ios
Android: https://github.com/dronelink/dronelink-dji-ui-android
Hi Jim
We found this dialogue since we're trying to find a way to show our flight areas on our municipality internal map, just to let our colleagues know where we've been flying and to let them draw their own "wish-list areas" in Qgis. But we are not able to read the exported mission file in any of our software compatible with Qgis.
I thought the exported mission had the format of an .LZ-file but that may not be the case any more? It has the specific file tag ".dronelinkfile" when viewing it in our Windows environment. Is it possible to get info about what format the exported mission file has and maybe even some instructions on how to find the geographical extension (mission boarder) amongst the rest of the data? As I said, we just want to show the area in Qgis for planning and history.
It might be easier to just save it as a KML from the mission preview: https://support.dronelink.com/hc/en-us/articles/5278925836947-Export-to-KMZ-file-and-Google-Earth-for-3D-Preview-and-Playback
Okay, thank you for your swift response! We have considered the use of the exported flight track in KML-format but we would rather like to use the outher boundary for each mission, not the drones flight track.
But if this is the only doable option well have to go for that and maybe let FME create some standard buffer zone around the track. We'll try that but please let me know if there would be another way to extract the flight area.
Once you've exported it to Google earth you could always add a polygon to it based on the boundary points
You can submit feature requests here: https://support.dronelink.com/hc/en-us/community/topics/360001209614-Feature-Requests
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