Using an Air 2S for mapping/scanning/photogrammetry
Hi there. I have an Air 2S and wish to use it to collect scans and photos of areas and buildings for use in programs like Reality Capture and Metashape. I also have an iOS device.
I have looked around and tried to best inform myself before making this post, but it seems much easier to go right to the source. I believe my only option as far as mapping and the stuff I need is the Elite plan. I want to confirm that if I purchase the Elite plan, I will be able to now use it on my iPhone 12 Pro Max.
What else should I be aware of/considering? I am a student trying to get the hang of all this and have been disappointed by the lack of support for this drone model until recently. Thanks!
Comments
4 comments
Alex,
The Elite plan allows for basic mapping. I started with the Elite plan, and once I developed some commercial business I went ahead and got the business plan. The Air line is supported and specifically they did add Air2S support.
The lack of support until recently is not due to the vendors, but rather DJI who only recently released the SDK so vendors could do anything with that model.
Something to think about that bit me with the iphone, and now that we are heading into summer is especially relevant, is that when the iphone or IOS devices gets warm (as will happen when you are out there mapping) the screen will dim so much so that the screen becomes unusable. Consider getting an Android tablet with a really bright screen that doesn't dim.
Though I am an Elite user, I prefer to create the Path mission but not rely on the Map mission.
My inspection area is a polygon. The mapping feature of DL Elite is ok but doing it just with Path (Waypoints) is better.
Just for your information, it is still ok to do mapping/scanning/inspection with the basic path mission. If you don't need other Elite features and want to save money, you can start with the basic edition.
Thank you for your responses.
Ray, could you elaborate a little on how you use the Path mission for mapping instead of the Map mission? And maybe why you prefer that? What are you attempting to create, etc.
I've purchased the Elite plan and now just need to get to testing and using it as frequently as possible, I think.
Alex Gee
The Map feature of DL is a template. Any Map mission is a path (waypoint) mission, so with the most standard edition, it is still able to do mapping mission.
Here is an example:
https://app.dronelink.com/skycyclist/dronelink-sample-and-support/plan/vb06ZkAaDhQNvckWbpEL/6GQhpPwDsLaqwQy30SFY
The Elite edition is good. It comes with many other useful features and I am a happy Elite user, too.
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