Orthomosaic Vs. Satellite Imagery: Is It Worth It?
An ancient art form has gotten a brand new technology upgrade.
In the drone services business, we often come across people who aren't yet familiar with all the benefits that drone photography and photogrammetry can offer. Drones are a relatively new technology, so there are still a lot of people unfamiliar with what they can accomplish other than just "nice aerial photos." But this new technology is always expanding into other uses- from search-and-rescue to window-washing to photogrammetry and mapping technologies. But even if you ARE aware that drones might be able to do some service for you, that doesn't mean you know whether they SHOULD.
If you CAN already do something by another method, we often need a little more convincing to try it another way.
That’s why today we’re going to discuss the Pro’s and Con’s of satellite imagery, and how drone photography can help provide solutions in a wide variety of situations.
Satellite Imagery
PROS
Accessible from nearly anywhere (without being on site)
Already being provided for free via Google Earth or other sites
Some paid services will access satellite images to provide rough estimates or measurements without the need to be on location
Allows visual access to almost any location on earth (with some exceptions)
Can be used to provide rough or general estimates, which is sometimes enough to get started
CONS
Usually the accessible images are out of date by months or even years
Some locations aren’t visually accessible at all except by an extreme distance
Most locations can only provide a limited amount of detail, and zooming in just results in a grainy image
The data provided isn’t guaranteed to be precise or accurate
Paid sites that generate estimates and measurements often come with disclaimers that the data provided may not be reliable, at no fault to them- but you still have to pay!
Side-by-side comparison of the resolution on the SAME property viewed through Google Earth Satellite Imagery (left) vs drone orthomosaic mapping (right).
Drone photography, and especially orthomosaics, can provide you with every item on the PRO side, while eliminating almost every CON.
Drones can visually access nearly any location, so long as your licensed drone pilot can be close enough to maintain line of sight on the drone.
Drone flights can often be managed quickly and easily, in a matter of minutes for a small property, and the cost is often extremely reasonable when comparing the information delivered and the comparative cost of manned aircraft.
Drone photography can give you the data you need for estimates, but the images provided will be more accurate, more precise, and more detailed than any satellite images widely available.
Drone photography comes with a guarantee that your information will be up-to-date, which provides you with valuable insight into the current state of the property in question, and can even be used as a repeat service in order to track changes over time.
In order to REALLY understand the value of drone photogrammetry, though, you’ll need to understand the nature of an ORTHOMOSAIC.
An orthomosaic is a large image composed of many overlapping “tile” images called orthophotos (yep, just like the mosaics composed of tiny tiles or glass pieces!) To produce these tiles, a drone pilot will map out and fly a grid pattern over a given property, while the drone’s camera takes pictures at intervals. These images are timestamped and geotagged, and include a significant overlap with the neighboring images, to allow a smooth consolidation into one larger file. Using a digital software to process the photos, we remove any “warping” that naturally occurs due to the curvature of the lens or varying heights of the objects below, and join the “unwarped” orthophotos together into a larger image consisting of all of the photos fused into one.
This allows the orthomosaic map or image to give a client the same level of detail that would be available in any one of those single images, but without the hassle of having to toggle or scroll through hundreds of different photos to find the one you need. The only thing required is a single, digital download as an all-in-one photograph, that lets you “zoom in” on all of the details as needed. This can help you with measurements and estimates, spot roofing issues, track the cracked or crumbling pavement in need of repair, identify landscaping issues, or even start planning the next phase of capital investment project- all in a single image from a solitary, convenient, minimally invasive drone flight!
This technology is now being used in a wide variety of industries- agriculture, real estate development, construction, civil engineering, industrial, and
commercial. Drone flights are providing valuable metrics and visual documentation at a considerable convenience and affordable pricing.
To find out more about this incredible technology and how it can be used to make your projects run smoother, contact Higher Level Drone at HigherLevelDrone.com.
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