Drone or UAV mapping is the process of flying at a set height “Above Ground Level” (AGL) in a grid pattern whilst the drone is capturing overlapping photos. After the mission is completed, the images are stitched together using mapping software to create a photorealistic map. This is a rather basic explanation of the mapping process but it gives you an idea of the concept, so where doe’s the spraying and seeding part come in?
Let me give you a real-life example where I was tasked with spraying Blackberry at a nearby Quarry in Orange NSW. It was about 20 hectares in total and overgrown with various vegetation species such as Blackberry, Hawthorn, Hemlock and all sorts of grasses. The hilly rocky terrain wasn’t much help either, but there were quite a few bushes you could easily see and get access too. Blackberry is very sneaky! meaning there were a lot of hidden bushes in the head high grass. Another issue was the large clusters of blackberry creeping down steep terrain, and it was impossible to see the entirety of the bush from the ground. These factors made it extra difficult to flight plan, and this is why I decided to drone map the quarry.
Using a Mavic 2 Universal UAV I flew 90 metres AGL which took about 25 minutes to take 420 images, and about 20 minutes to process the data in Pix4D Fields. Using the processed map I was able to scout and locate random bushes hidden in the tall vegetation, and calculate how big the large clusters were giving me a great visual interpretation on how much work was involved. When I turned up onsite for flight planning I used a high resolution JPEG image of the map on my phone, which allowed me to easily locate the hidden bushes and runners. Also i was able to record the extent of the larger clusters and apply appropriate safety buffers to avoid the native Gumtrees.
Up to date maps also makes the Quoting process more accurate as it gives the potential client an Idea of how much work is involved, and if its practical to do with a Spraying drone. Customised drone mapping allows for up-to-date maps instead of relying on Apps like “Six maps” or “Google maps”, where some imagery is at least 5 years old which gives the viewer an inaccurate representation of the job site.
Because drone mapping is relatively quick and inexpensive it is a great way to track progress on whether the treatment actually worked. This is achieved by mapping the same area several months after the application and comparing it with the initial map (Basically doing a “before and after”), this helps determine if the same area needs to be re-treated next season, or if there is any need for a follow up.
Although I only use the mapping data for scouting, Quoting and mission planning, it also has many uses for the client such as land management, visual interpretation for planning or just as a memento of your property. Now with that in mind it’s not always necessary to map a jobsite prior to Drone Spraying or Seeding, but from the example I shared it made a difficult job so much easier!
Thanks for reading this post and if you’re interested in my mapping services (I also do Multispectral crop mapping!) or my Aerial Application Drone services you can contact me through the “Contact” or “Request quote”pages.
I look forward to flying with you soon!
Cheers😉,
Joel Gilbert
