How drone technology changed Landscape Architecture
Drones are changing the way you and your clients see their landscapes, by providing both a bird’s eye view of previously inaccessible areas as well as a close-up look at things that were once out of sight.
The technology of drones has changed the landscape for landscapers and lawn care professionals. These unmanned aircrafts can produce high-resolution images from a bird’s eye view, saving time in mapping large areas with ease. A recent study found that drone use is estimated to save up to 8 hours per day on average due its ability to map more than five acres at once while also taking precise measurements often missed by manned planes or traditional photography methods such as aerial laser scanning (ALS). Additionally, these sUAS devices are able to fly under low bridges and power lines without incident giving them an advantage over other vehicles like ATVs which have trouble crossing obstacles when carrying heavy equipment needed for manual labor tasks including mowing grass in difficult terrain or removing trees.
Benefits of Drones
Landscape professionals are just beginning to see the value of drones within their industry for bids, measurements, surveys and irrigation monitoring. “We believe that our drone survey is going to provide valuable information that would not be available through boots-on-the ground surveying,” says Wendy Booth from Ivy Street Design in Denver. The drone technology will change landscape architecture as much as anything since computer aided drawing or CAD.”
Flexible, rapidly deployable drones can capture useful and detailed images for a fraction of the cost. Drone technology is so capable that experts at organizations including the United States Golf Association are using them to map courses (including those from past tournaments) as well as study turfgrass drought and soil compaction in their quest to manage this precious natural resource more efficiently. Some workhorses of drone-based photography also come with specialized cameras which have allowed these professionals to do even better than before by assessing plant health or analyzing nitrogen management strategies — all without having direct contact with any plants.
Today, drones can provide you with a high-definition image of your property and make accurate measurements. It is guided by an accurate Geopositioning system, which tracks it remotely as the drone flies around the area to be photographed. The images collected on these drones capture high-definition still photos and video footage for use in surveys, terrain mapping projects, data collection efforts; they also provide information about plant health and other things not visible with ground observations only. Drone imagery is saved both internally on its memory card (which could save up to 2 GB) but also broadcast live so you don’t have to retrieve them after landing — this allows instant access while surveying locations without having had interruptions due to distance between surveyor’s location.
As a popular tool for mapping it allows to make accurate measurements of area and distance. Drones flying at 400 feet can cover about 200 x 200 feet with a resolution as good as 3–5 pixels per inch; multiple images combined is capable of producing one large image which has GPS accuracy up to 4–8 inches. This makes it perfect for calculating the areas or distances that drones have captured in 2-D models or 3D models like buildings and landforms which often boast accuracies between 8–12 inches.
The typical quadcopter — is currently the aircraft of choice for landscapes. It can fly up to 25 minutes per battery (depending on weather conditions). This translates to coverage of anywhere from 25 to 75 acres flying at 400 feet elevation. Landing and switching out batteries takes only a couple of minutes, providing you with plenty more time in the air.
Quadcopters also have the ability to return to areas of concern, take more images or inspect something interesting in closer detail with their hovering capabilities. Fixed-wing drones typically use larger blades than rotor wings do but they cannot hover as well. Smaller fixed wing drones are usually made out of foam which many pilots feel is safer for them since it minimizes damage if there was an accident during flight due to its low density material properties.
Another feature of modern drones is the ability to use route-planning software. Route planning can be done for any type or height, and it’s fully customizable with accurate return points if you need a break from flying your drone. Piloting skills are still required in case something goes wrong; thus flight has not yet been automated by these unmanned aircrafts just yet!
How Do Drones Collect and Analyze Data?
Drones are becoming increasingly popular for a variety of reasons, but what is the best way to analyze drone data? There are two main ways; either by apps created by a service provider and existing in the cloud or using private company’s computers and software.
The first option relies on your preferred application that can then be accessed from any internet-connected device. The second method requires you use specific tools provided by whichever service provides them with their drones, like DJI.
From a technology standpoint, there are a few key points that may be helpful. All apps that provide benefits to the landscaping industry are “cloud-based,” meaning during drone flights, the data is captured and accessible by your desktop computer or smartphone. These cloud-based programs offer new ways of quickly processing massive amounts of information (high definition photography uses up plenty of memory) so you can get it on screen as soon as possible for use with whatever task at hand needs completion.
Drone Management Softwares
There are many different drone cloud-based software service providers that can help your company stay on top of things. These companies have developed user-friendly and highly effective tools for capturing data in a way that meets specific needs, like how fast the drone is flying or what direction it’s facing. Plus they offer services to automate flight planning so all you need to do is input some key information about the project at hand and then “GO.” The drones will take off automatically without any further human assistance, collect relevant data autonomously based on preselected parameters, fly back down when finished with their mission objectives — which might be mapping an area from above or surveying underwater environments -and land themselves safely before returning home.
Drone Deploy
A platform that analyzes the data captured from several drone models, creating outputs ranging from Orthomosaics (aerial photographs with georeference points), terrain features, and 3-D renderings. The software can be used by businesses for viewing aerial photos or rendered landscapes — depending on their requirements. For example: ortho mosaics which are aerial images of Earth’s surface taken at an oblique angle to show geometric detail; 2cm resolution in satellite image mode.
Precision Hawk Precision Mapper
The platform currently offers a plethora of data analysis menus that users can select, manipulate and overlay with the vegetation indices they collect from above in order to analyze plants on Earth’s surface. Not only is this information informative, it allows professionals easier access and consistency for FREE!
Pix4D
A unique photogrammetry software suite for drone mapping.Pix4D specializes in terrain modeling and textured models for myriad landscape applications. It offers Digital Surface Models, Digital Terrain Models, and volume measurements for large stockpiles of materials such as sand or soil. Pricing ranges from $49/month upwards depending on the product.
Sentera FieldAgent
This platform has an easy-to-use hub that unifies our products behind a single user experience from mobile, web to cloud based software components. It supports different sensors such as: cameras (video), infrared thermal imaging or LiDAR for mapping. The same simple process can be used whether a customer is using an entry level sensor with a low cost drone or industrial UAV platforms carrying more sophisticated equipment to collect data from multiple points of view simultaneously.
Agribotix
Agribotix provides easy-to-use drone technologies and services for precision agriculture. Their subscription/cloud software, FarmLens, processes photos taken during a flight to create NDVI images which can help monitor crop health in the field while helping support decisions made there as well. They also offer Agrion Drone Starter and Plus systems that include their innovative FarmLens service and DJI Phantom Advanced drones equipped with modified cameras for near infrared imaging — each model varies depending on customer need or preference.
The use of drones in the landscape industry is on the rise, which can be attributed to their ability to capture data quickly and at a lower cost. With our ever-growing need for more information about natural resources, it’s no wonder that industries are taking advantage of this opportunity with drone technology. In order to make sure your company stays ahead of competition by utilizing cutting edge tech like these drones you might want look into local data providers who specialize in capturing aerial photography from them because they will have regulatory FAA certification under Part 107 (Unmanned Pilot Certification) regulations as well as being located nearby most markets across America so there’s likely one close enough for your needs.
The takeaway is that local companies are client-driven and flexible, whereas cloud-based apps offer only limited products. Make sure to research the solution before investing in a product or service.
