Aeropoints

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Has anyone used the Propeller Aeropoints system or have any experience with them? They of course seem to be the ideal solution for collecting GCPs but wondering if anyone has real world experience with accuracy?

My issue is I am in a remote region and outside any corrections networks and I was wondering how they would perform. They state you can set one on a known control point and use it as a base station to correct your collected GCP points.

Any experiences out there?
 
Thanks. I have been checking back like many others for Part 2 where show the results of that testing but there is still no follow up video.
 
Trimble has just released their GNSS Smart Target Base Station product that looks like a direct competitor to Propellers Aeropoints, except probably in price.
https://www.applanix.com/downloads/products/specs/Smart_GNSS_Antenna_Target_final.pdf
Trimble-GNSS-Smart-Target-Base-Station-W-298x300.jpg

Comprised of a survey grade, multi-frequency, multi-constellation GNSS reference station complete with a foam Ground Control Target with integrated carrying case, the Smart Target Base Station logs the raw GNSS observables required to perform centimeter level post-processed Differential GNSS positioning of UAVs, and acts as a photo-identifiable Ground Control Point (GCP) for quality control.

Cost effective, simple to operate, and supported by both the Applanix POSPac UAV GNSS-inertial post-processing software for direct georeferencing on UAVs and Trimble UASMaster photogrammetric software, the Smart Target Base Station makes aerial mapping from UAVs easier, according to Trimble.

Users can place the foam target with its receiver in the project area and stake it down. With the included smartphone app or web user interface, users can remotely begin logging the raw GNSS observables data collected by the target that is required for post processing.

At the end of the mission, the user retrieves the target and downloads the raw GNSS data along with the data collected from the Trimble APX UAV GNSS-inertial system installed in the UAV.

Global coordinates of the reference station are computed automatically using the Trimble Centerpoint RTX post-processing service in POSPac UAV or, if local coordinates are desired, the foam target can be centered over an existing reference point.

“Efficient mapping from UAVs using cameras, lidar and other sensors requires the right solutions that need to be simple and easy to use,” said Joe Hutton, director of inertial technology and airborne products at Applanix, a Trimble Company. “The Smart Target Base Station is a result of listening to our customers’ needs for a GNSS reference station to support direct georeferencing on UAVs that is cost-effective, easy to deploy in all terrains, and does not require special knowledge to operate. Aerial surveyors can quickly realize greater value and significant cost savings with this system, while obtaining high accuracy.”

The Trimble GNSS Smart Target Base Station operates autonomously for up to four hours with its embedded lithium ion battery. Extended operation can be achieved with a user-supplied external USB battery.
 
Very nice system from Trimble, any idea on price, they say Cost effective.
 
Having just spent a week with a set of AeroPoints, I can say that they work very well and that they were very accurate. With that said, there are a few positives and negatives for someone looking at purchasing a set:

Pros:
  1. Stand alone survey gear that doesn't require a lot of thought or knowledge. Just throw them down, push the one (and only) button and make sure they don't move for at least 45 minutes.
  2. Easy to see from 400' with a Phantom 4 Pro.
  3. Reasonably easy to connect the AeroPoints (APs) to the internet through a phone and upload the data. Points are there in minutes and then they wait for the Correction Network to get the positioning data. This can take up to a few hours or even a day, but depends on the local CORS station. The one that was closest to our tests updated every couple of hours or so.
  4. When tested against our RTK rover (Trimble R10 using a VRS correction network), the APs averaged 0.06', 0.04', and 0.37', in one test (5 data points) and 0.03', 0.02', and 0.34' in a second test (10 data points), in Northing, Easting, and Elevation, respectively*. (I would suspect that @realpilot had a survey or projection error because our largest errors out of 20 survey shots were 0.12', 0.08', and 0.38' for N, E, Z).
  5. Easy to transport and convenient to use.
  6. Only $6k for a set of 10. In the world of surveying, that's a pretty good value for survey-grade accuracies.
  7. Good customer service, with quasi-live help available through regular business hours.
  8. Clean user interface on their web data portal.
Cons:
  1. Somewhat limited to automated processing through their web portal. If you only work in NAD83(2011) and GEOID12B, then you're probably fine. If you're trying to match another system, then you have to go through their help desk. It would be nice to see a full range of options available, but this probably works fine for 90% of their customers. (We thought our survey was consistently off until we realized that we were using NAD83(HARN) and they're in NAD83(2011), which accounted for a consistent difference of 0.7' H, in our tests.)
  2. Had a few minor issues connecting the APs to the network, but that was generally fixed by the good 'ol "turn it off and on again" method.
  3. In a grassy field, you're probably going to float a few tenths above the ground, unless you bring a mower or weedwhacker.
  4. I wouldn't want to use these in an area where other people might be wandering about. I can see these getting kicked, or maybe picked up for closer inspection, or molested in some other way. You never know when someone is going to pick one up and walk off with it, too.
  5. $6k for a set of 10. With the cost GNSS rovers becoming cheaper, you might get more bang for your buck in one of those.
In summary, I think these are great for the right person. If you don't have any other survey gear, you're primarily working in ag or rural environments, and you're looking for high-precision targets, then these would work great. If you already have your own RTK rover or surveying system, then these become somewhat redundant. We're also required to gather check shots on our jobs, so we're almost always going to have a rover to gather additional data. If you're doing a lot of volumetrics and you want to be able to consistently compare stockpile shapes and sizes, then these would work well. At $6k, they're not going to break the bank, but they are a bit of a one trick pony. They're fairly robust and I would imagine that they'll last a long time in the field.

Anyhow, that was my experience with them. If you have any additional questions, let me know.
 
Having just spent a week with a set of AeroPoints, I can say that they work very well and that they were very accurate. With that said, there are a few positives and negatives for someone looking at purchasing a set:

Pros:
  1. Stand alone survey gear that doesn't require a lot of thought or knowledge. Just throw them down, push the one (and only) button and make sure they don't move for at least 45 minutes.
  2. Easy to see from 400' with a Phantom 4 Pro.
  3. Reasonably easy to connect the AeroPoints (APs) to the internet through a phone and upload the data. Points are there in minutes and then they wait for the Correction Network to get the positioning data. This can take up to a few hours or even a day, but depends on the local CORS station. The one that was closest to our tests updated every couple of hours or so.
  4. When tested against our RTK rover (Trimble R10 using a VRS correction network), the APs averaged 0.06', 0.04', and 0.37', in one test (5 data points) and 0.03', 0.02', and 0.34' in a second test (10 data points), in Northing, Easting, and Elevation, respectively*. (I would suspect that @realpilot had a survey or projection error because our largest errors out of 20 survey shots were 0.12', 0.08', and 0.38' for N, E, Z).
  5. Easy to transport and convenient to use.
  6. Only $6k for a set of 10. In the world of surveying, that's a pretty good value for survey-grade accuracies.
  7. Good customer service, with quasi-live help available through regular business hours.
  8. Clean user interface on their web data portal.
Cons:
  1. Somewhat limited to automated processing through their web portal. If you only work in NAD83(2011) and GEOID12B, then you're probably fine. If you're trying to match another system, then you have to go through their help desk. It would be nice to see a full range of options available, but this probably works fine for 90% of their customers. (We thought our survey was consistently off until we realized that we were using NAD83(HARN) and they're in NAD83(2011), which accounted for a consistent difference of 0.7' H, in our tests.)
  2. Had a few minor issues connecting the APs to the network, but that was generally fixed by the good 'ol "turn it off and on again" method.
  3. In a grassy field, you're probably going to float a few tenths above the ground, unless you bring a mower or weedwhacker.
  4. I wouldn't want to use these in an area where other people might be wandering about. I can see these getting kicked, or maybe picked up for closer inspection, or molested in some other way. You never know when someone is going to pick one up and walk off with it, too.
  5. $6k for a set of 10. With the cost GNSS rovers becoming cheaper, you might get more bang for your buck in one of those.
In summary, I think these are great for the right person. If you don't have any other survey gear, you're primarily working in ag or rural environments, and you're looking for high-precision targets, then these would work great. If you already have your own RTK rover or surveying system, then these become somewhat redundant. We're also required to gather check shots on our jobs, so we're almost always going to have a rover to gather additional data. If you're doing a lot of volumetrics and you want to be able to consistently compare stockpile shapes and sizes, then these would work well. At $6k, they're not going to break the bank, but they are a bit of a one trick pony. They're fairly robust and I would imagine that they'll last a long time in the field.

Anyhow, that was my experience with them. If you have any additional questions, let me know.
Thanks for the detailed review. I am in a very remote location that does not have an CORS station access, how would these work in a situation like this? Would I have to have a base station as well?
 

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