This document outlines an open source workflow for using drone imagery in mapping and geospatial applications. The workflow involves complying with laws, following best practices, configuring drone settings, planning missions, flying the drone, processing imagery, quality checking, and ground truthing. Products of the workflow include imagery, 3D models, point clouds, orthomosaics, and vegetation indexes. Applications include visualization, surveys, land cover analysis, vegetation analysis, habitat studies, agriculture, hydrology, and publicity. The document concludes some challenges exist with georectification and more experimentation is needed with flight parameters, image processing techniques, and comparison to LiDAR.

1. Open Drones
A free and open source workflow for the
use of drone imagery in mapping and
geospatial applications
Thomas Starnes @bio_carta

2. Overview
• Background
• Workflow
• Products
• Applications
• Conclusions

3. Overview
• Background
• Workflow
• Products
• Applications
• Conclusions

4. Background
Published by Environment Agency under Open Government Licence
(c) David Morris

5. Overview
• Background
• Workflow
• Products
• Applications
• Conclusions

6. Workflow
• Comply with the law
• Follow best practice guidelines
(more on this later)
• Configure settings
• Plan and program a mission
• Fly
• Process imagery
• Quality check/validate
• Ground truthing
Drone Assist from NATS, Altitude Angel

7. Workflow

8. Workflow
Mission Planner

9. Workflow

10. Workflow

11. Workflow

12. Workflow
WebODM Installer

13. Workflow

14. Photogrammetry
ZooFari

15. Photogrammetry
Cimoli, E.; Marcer, M.; Vandecrux, B.; Bøggild, C.E.; Williams, G.; Simonsen, S.B. Application of
Low-Cost UASs and Digital Photogrammetry for High-Resolution Snow Depth Mapping in the
Arctic. Remote Sens. 2017, 9, 1144.

16. Photogrammetry
Pix4D

17. Overview
• Background
• Workflow
• Products
• Applications
• Conclusions

18. Products
• Oblique imagery
• 3D textured mesh (LAS, XYZ etc.)
• Point cloud
• Orthomosaic imagery (e.g. GeoTIFF)
• Digital surface model
– Slope
– Aspect
– ‘Structure’
• Thermal imagery
• Normalised Difference Vegetation Index

21. Drone orthomosaic vs. aerial imagery

23. Image classification

24. Overview
• Background
• Workflow
• Products
• Applications
• Conclusions

25. Applications
• Visualisation and interpretation
• Surveys and counts
• Land cover analysis
• Vegetation height and structure analysis
• Microhabitat study
• Precision agriculture and set-aside
• Hydrological analysis
• Publicity

26. Applications

27. Overview
• Background
• Workflow
• Products
• Applications
• Conclusions

28. Conclusions
• Very efficient workflow
• Some pitfalls with image georectification
• Need to experiment with:
– Ground Control Points
– Flight altitude vs. flight speed
– Camera settings e.g. shutter speed
– Image classification
– Digital terrain models
– Comparison with LiDAR

29. Conclusions
https://www.wildlabs.net/sites/default/files/community/files/drones_for_gis_-_best_practice_1.2_0.pdf

30. Thank you
thomas.starnes@rspb.org
@bio_carta
The RSPB is part of BirdLife International,
a partnership of nature conservation
organisations working to give nature a
home around the world.