By default, the drone will fly at a fixed altitude based on the settings sent by the user. Because of this, the GSD of the captured images can vary depending on the distance of the drone from the ground. This is not much of an issue on relatively flat grounds, but the GSD may vary too much on hilly terrain and this might affect the quality of the photos for photogrammetry.
The terrain-following feature of SkyFlight solves this by making the drone follow a dynamic flight path that depends on the elevation of the ground. This ensures a more consistent GSD across all captured photos.
Supported Terrain Following Files
SkyFlight requires a digital surface model (DSM) that can provide up-to-date information about the terrain being captured and it's required for Highwalls. SkyFlight Terrain Following DSMs generated by DataHub, EdgePlus, or EdgeServer are recommended for use to ensure compatibility.
However, users can also import a DSM in .tiff format from third parties from SkyFlight version 3.3.0 onwards, however, our app requires the external DSM files to use the WGS84 coordinate system (EPSG:4326), which means coordinates should be in latitude and longitude with elevations referenced to the WGS84 ellipsoid. We strongly recommend the file to be small in size.
As per the Skycatch Terrain Following DSM (.geotiff), they can generated and downloaded in the Skycatch Processing Platforms after they have been processed. Make sure to toggle on when selecting the output before processing.
In DataHub:
Navigate to the DSM for Terrain Following under the SkyFlight Files selection.
In EdgePlus
In EdgeServer
Go to your outputs after processing in either EdgePlus, EdgeServer, or DataHub, and look for the .geotiff file.
Then copy and paste it into the SD card that will be used to import the file into the RC.
File Import Steps
1.- Save your DSM (.geotiff) generated by DataHub, EdgeServer, or EdgePlus to your SD card and insert it into your drone’s remote controller. (Remember its location as it will be imported during the process).
Note: You can save the DSM on your remote controller to use it in future slope scanning missions.
2.-This feature works with the Flight Mission workflow. You need to click on the Create mission button and then select either a High-precision Mission or a Highwall Mission, depending on your needs.
3.-After this, instead of skipping the file imports, select the Import DSM file for Terrain Following button
4.-SkyFlight will open and access your device's folder tree. Select the folder where the file is located, then click on the .geotiff file to import.
5.-The flight plan will now adjust its altitudes based on the DSM file imported once Terrain Following is toggled ON in the flight settings.
Note: The pilot is responsible for ensuring that the flight plan is safe and doable considering the environment and current state of the drone.
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