Suggested Enhancements for Mapping Missions – Cross-Strip Acquisition and Oblique Imagery

Thiago R

Dear,

I would like to suggest two enhancements that could significantly improve the quality of photogrammetric results in mapping missions — applicable to any drone, regardless of whether it uses a PPK/RTK system.

  1. Enable image acquisition beyond the end of each flight line
    Allowing the camera to continue capturing images during turns — after completing a strip — introduces short cross-strip segments at the block's edge. While these segments may seem minimal, they provide valuable redundancy for self-calibration, especially for estimating interior orientation parameters.
    A simple toggle within the mission configuration would suffice: image acquisition would start once at the beginning of the block and stop only at the end, regardless of flight line transitions.

  2. Include an optional oblique acquisition pass at mission end
    At the end of the mapping block, the gimbal could be rotated to an oblique angle (e.g., 45° relative to the ground) to perform a short additional image capture pass. This aids in improving vertical accuracy and autocalibration, particularly in the Z-component.
    As with the previous feature, a straightforward on/off setting in the mission planning interface would allow users to adopt this enhancement as needed.

These techniques are already implemented in DJI Enterprise drones (e.g., Mavic 3E, Mavic 3M), and have proven to be highly beneficial in post-processing, improving both the robustness and precision of photogrammetric outputs.

Thank you for your attention and consideration.

Best regards,

Thiago Tiedtke dos Reis
CEO / Geomatic Engineer
https://t2rtecnologia.com.br/

1

Comments

2 comments

Date Votes
  • Comment author
    Jim McAndrew Dronelink Staff

    On 1, can’t you just increase the size of the map boundary?
    On 2, you can just copy the map and set the angle you want on the copy.

    0
  • Comment author
    Thiago R

    Thank you for the quick reply.

    Regarding the suggestion in item 1, yes, I agree—it helps to stabilize edge errors in the block. However, we lose battery efficiency/flight time. For users mapping large areas, like many here in Brazil, the impact of optimized flight plans—as well as acquisition strategies that consider maneuvering and image acquisition geometry—greatly improves the camera auto-calibration process during post-processing.

    In a single flight, adding some cross-strip images (such as those taken at the ends of each strip, as I suggested) and oblique images (such as those captured during the drone's return or landing path) can significantly help users working with PPK/RTK systems and aiming for high-accuracy mapping results. Additionally, these users often rely on every percent of available battery in the field.

    As for item 2, it's true that this can be done using Dronelink’s automation tools. However, the suggestion is exactly to remove that burden from the user by offering this feature as a simple on/off toggle.

    Take a look at the options DJI provides for enterprise drones (such as oblique acquisition); by default, the flight is continuous (there is no interruption at the end of each intermediate strip).

    The suggestions I made are directly aimed at optimizing PPK/RTK-supported mapping (though they also benefit non-PPK flights). Overall, the geometry in photogrammetric sense, is improved with these simple adjustments.

    Best regards,

    Thiago Tiedtke dos Reis
    CEO / Geomatic Engineer
    https://t2rtecnologia.com.br/

    1

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