Do-It-Yourself Accurate Drone Mapping in Natural Resources

8:30  Introduction and Overview
How did mobile technologies evolve? Looking at the legacy of devices and operating systems (Windows Mobile, Blackberry, iOS and Android)

8:45  Drone Rules

• How to obtain a drone pilot certificate.
• 20 hours of on-line study. Common test questions. Local test centers.
• Drone flying rules. Where can you fly and not fly?
• Flying by yourself, flying in the woods and around people.
• Hobby vs. business flying.

10:30 Break

11:00 Drone Technology: Capabilities, cost and pros/cons

• Airframes
  • Rotorcraft, fixed-wing, hybrid.
  • Flight controller (tablet/smartphone vs. proprietary).
  • Airframe pros/cons.
  • Batteries.
  • Operating differences.

12:00 Lunch

1:00   Drone Technology (continued)

• Mission planning software
  • Third-party vs. manufacturer-supplied.
  • iOS vs. Android vs. Windows.
• Sensors
• RGB cameras (photogrammetry, Phodar point clouds).
• Lidar, thermal, NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index).
• Image processing software
• Matching images effectively and accurately.
• Using ground control points.
• Cloud processing vs. Stand-alone processing.
• Producing orthophotos, DEM (Digital Elevation Model)/DSM (Digital Surface Model), contours, volumes and 3D models.
• Integrating into GIS (ESRI) systems.

2:30   Break

2:45   The Possibilities. What’s Possible with a $1,500 UAV?

• Orthophoto example.
• Elevation contour example.
• 3D model example.
• DEM/DSM example.
• Volume example.

3:30   Wrap up and Q&A

4:00   Adjourn