Maps Made Easy

nwairphotos · Dec 19, 2016

I've been looking at their website and their service is very interesting.

What I don't understand is how the map or large stitched together photo is viewed once it is complete. Must it remain on their website or can it be exported? If it can be exported is their software available to view it and make measurements?

They recommend a photography pattern and apparently this can be programmed so that the drone follows the paths and takes still images at proscribed intervals? Is this possible with the phantom 4 pro? Is it built into the software already included?

ConnaZA · Dec 19, 2016

I tried the software with photos taken using other software (pix4d) and it worked nicely. It stitched all the photos together and created a georeferenced layout plan of the area that was useable on autocad for a site plan or map.
Their pricing is fair and the end product was good...

jack1144 · Dec 21, 2016

The finished images can be downloaded. However the P4P doesnt support the map pilot yet.
You can manually calculate the speed of flight and how often to manually click the shutter then upload the images for processing.
Try a small area as a test and get at least 80% overlap

nwairphotos · Dec 27, 2016

I really would like to do this using an app and not manually. Are there any apps available for the P4P+ or am I going to have to buy a P3P to do mapping?

jack1144 · Dec 28, 2016

nwairphotos said:
I really would like to do this using an app and not manually. Are there any apps available for the P4P+ or am I going to have to buy a P3P to do mapping?

I don't think there are any "aftermarket" apps for the P4P ... yet. Maybe in the future.
The P3 and P4 both have apps available for mapping.
DJI has made a deal with a mapping company. It's in their " News". They maybe releasing something.. but who knows when and which aircraft will be supported.

nwairphotos · Dec 30, 2016

My understanding is that Maps Made Easy allows maps made with their process to be hosted on their site at no cost which is very convenient. However, I'm sure I will have customers who will want to view the map on their own computer using their own software? I'm not very familiar with CAD software, but I'm told that will work. What would need to be done to configure the maps so they could be viewed in this software and so that measurements could be made?

jack1144 · Dec 30, 2016

nwairphotos said:
My understanding is that Maps Made Easy allows maps made with their process to be hosted on their site at no cost which is very convenient. However, I'm sure I will have customers who will want to view the map on their own computer using their own software? I'm not very familiar with CAD software, but I'm told that will work. What would need to be done to configure the maps so they could be viewed in this software and so that measurements could be made?

jack1144 · Dec 30, 2016

oops wrong key!!
After MME processes the photos, they put up all the files for download for a period of time(cant remember how many days).
Just download them all. If you do have a 3d image ,done at extra cost and specific flight characteristics,
you need a program to read the 3d file ( .obj )such as Blender
The stitched map is .jpg , the DEM is .jpg and .tif
I have not used the volume measuring so not sure what you need.

Barking Deer · Jan 2, 2017

I downloaded the Map Pilot v.2.3.0 app (it is a $10 purchase) from the app store onto an iPad Mini 2, and one of the listed aircraft was the Phantom 4 Pro. If you check the version history at the App Store you will see that P4P support was added 12/20/16. As of this afternoon (1/2/17) there is a new version 2.4.0 available. I am going to check out a mission on the P4P later today if the winds decrease. I am trying out Maps Made Easy first because its pay as you go plan seemed better for me right now than Drone Deploy.

nwairphotos · Jan 2, 2017

Please let us know how that turns out. I like maps made easy and their pricing too. I just would also like a way to conveniently view the maps offline, since I wonder if my customers will be nervous about having to depend upon a third party to keep their map going.

Barking Deer · Jan 2, 2017

I agree. I have the same question.

Barking Deer · Jan 2, 2017

I think I have your answer. Since the maps can be huge, their online viewing facility has a zoom function that the client might appreciate. You can make the map private, so that the client can preserve confidentiality. There are numerous download formats available, however, as shown in the attached screen shot. The downloads are only available for 30 days, so you might want to be guided accordingly.

Barking Deer · Jan 5, 2017

I have been working with their sample data, which is Palisades Park in Pacific Beach, near San Diego. Happens to be not so far from where I live. The Map Pilot app creates lots of images, which are geo-tagged. You upload the images to their website, and they notify you when the map is ready, and send you a link that you can view in a browser. You can download a JPG (and 10 other file formats) of the map, which a client can view offline. But the online facility is really nice. The default is to overlay your map on what looks like a Google satellite view (see third screen shot attached). You can switch between a topographic view and a "satellite" view. You can annotate and mark the on-line map, and calculate area. There is the ability to create 3D views which I did not try. If you have the right hardware, it can give you NDVI information. Small maps can be prepared at no cost, so there is no reason not to try it out with with the sample data, or a small area in your neighborhood. Their sample data appears to have been shot on an X5 camera on an Inspire 1. The P4P camera should be similar. At closest zoom, the resolution is on the order of 1 inch/pixel. (resolution will depend on altitude, camera, and lens, and I suppose that ~ 1 cm/pixel is possible) See a screen shot attached. For comparison, a screen shot of the same bench from Google Maps satellite view is also attached. A screen shot of the altitude map is also attached.