Prepare your corridor mapping flight

In Orbit UAS Mapping extension two options are available. Here we explain further the LINE flight mode.

Flight mode: line

To generate a new flightplan you need a background or reference map to position your flight area in Orbit GIS. Three different backgrounds can be used to position your background flightplan area:

Vector data
Drag and drop a georeferenced vector data (*.shp, *.ovf, etc) in Orbit.

Coordinate
Select your coordinate reference system and scale by clicking on the Map Statusbar. Choose a reference point by adding the coordinates via the button . Find this button on the tools sidebar via constructions as shown right.

Image
3 options :

• Drag and drop a georeferenced image (*.tiff, *.ecw, *.jpg, …) in Orbit.
• Use the resource browser to get access to local files or resources served on corporate (EOS) or internet-based (WMS, WFS) server systems.
• Import an image via the Google Earth import Extension

Add the line that you want to cover by selecting. Once added you can insert, delete or move points with the other buttons.
More information about these functions, see Edit Tools Sidebar)

Set the home position by activating.
Click in the mapcanvas to add a home position. In case you want to replace the home position, repeat the action.

• continuous flight option (delay before and after waypoint)
• maximum flight time in minutes
• horizontal speed inside the strip in m/s
• horizontal speed outside the strip in m/s
• vertical flight speed in m/s
• vertical ascending speed in m/s
• vertical descending speed in m/s
• delay before waypoint in seconds (option non-continuous flight)
• delay after waypoint in seconds (option non-continuous flight)

• return home option: only activate the return home option when you want to return the UAS to your home or starting position. If you like to change batteries at the end of the corridor (to continue your mapping flight), disactivate this function. The uas system will hold his flight at the end of the corridor.
• home per flight option: If the area that you want to cover includes more than 1 flight you can activate the option to generate a home per flight. If so, the 'home per flight' mode will be active to select per flight a home position (see 7. Home per flight option)
• continuous flight option (will deactivate the 'delay before' and 'delay after' parameter) meaning that you can fly without or with stop at the image shot coordinates. Preferable is to fly in a continuous mode as flight path will be smoother and flight time is saved.

• height of the ground in the area in m
• flying altittude above ground level in m (related to the GSD)
• ground sample distance in cm (related to the flying altitude)
• Buffer zone in m. This option is related to the GSD and flying height.
• model overlap in percentage

Generate your flight plan by selecting the generate button and have a look at the results of the different generated flights by selecting the result tab.

Once generated new datasets will be created in your datasetlist (and saved in your folder structure). Two layers will be created:

• Pre - Flight Path: presents the coordinates of image shots, home positions, and flight path
• Pre - Photo Overlay: presents the footprints of the images

Tick on/off your layers to overview your different generated flights. Open your layers to select in more details.

In this option there is the possibility to move the “home position” for the different flights. Select the required flight in the 'home per flight'-box (1 - 53 photos) and click in the mapcanvas the preferred location of this home position. Execute this for all the flights if needed. Save project after this step.

Click on the results tab to have a brief resume of your preflight details. Hoover on text, to know more details such as units, etc.

preflight details to interpret are:

• flight time of all generated flights
• surface covered of the generated flights
• number of photos that will be taken
• number of strips
• number of flights
• the longest flight in m
• the longest strip in m
• the base distance in m
• the trigger interval in sec
• the expected footprint coverage
• the coverage per hour
• a table that summarize the number of photos and time per flight

To save your flightplan for import into the Microdrone, click on the wheel icon and save your flightplan.

Having a look at the folder structure you can easily get the files (__WPLIST) needed for your flight.

The generated dataset layers can be found in the directory 'map view'.
A summarize of your flight details can be found in 'flight details'.