Has anyone done any testing for good concrete info on the absolute best camera setup for overall best results in mapping? It is time for me to upgrade from my P4P for large mapping jobs and I want to get it right.
I want to get a fixed wing setup and I am trying to determine if it would be best to go with single camera (ie a Sony A7R III) or possibly get something like the Oblique camera setup from Foxtech. I hope some users can share what you have learned and let me know if you are happy with your setup. I provide mapping services so it can range from small construction to large acreage mapping. I have found the P4P is certainly not suitable for 1000 :0
Hi Tim. Generally oblique imagery is suited for mapping where there are objects that have vertical dimension like buildings. Nadir images are well suited for terrain mapping. In your case since you will likely do both I would recommend a system that can capture either. If that’s not practical then an oblique setup will provide you with the most versatility as it can do terrain mapping also but a fixed nadir camera will struggle with 3D objects.
A fixed wing is definitely the best tool for large scale terrain mapping. So it may be ok to have the nadir setup on the fixed wing and if you have to map an area that requires oblique images then it may be that you can use the P4P as long as it is a smaller area of interest.
My vote is the Wingtra One PPK with Sony RX1R II 42 MP camera. I also have a P4Pro, with a BAAMTech PPK system. I get pretty good results with it, but the Wingtra blows it away. The Wingtra can fly at twice the altitude of the P4P to achieve the same GSD. The mapping accuracy is outstanding as well. It’s very easy to obtain 1xGSD horizontal and vertical accuracy with minimal GCPs using the Wingtra. It will be my next purchase for mapping.
Hey Andrew, I definitely want to get the purchase of a fixed wing correct. I have looked at the Wingtra website. I have also been looking at some products from FoxTech (nimbus and baby shark). Its seems two good options are 1) putting the Sony A7R 42mp camera or putting a 4-5 camera system on there will will now take the nadir and oblique photos simultaneously. The one Foxtech is using a sony system and each camera is 20mp so while you get 5 simultaneous photos, each photo is still only 20mp. I hope someone who is already walked this road will share what they got, why they got it, and if they now wish they had done something a little different. The fact is if you are going to do large acerage, corridor mapping, etc, you have to get a fixed wing. Thanks for posting!
I suppose it depends on what type of mapping you’re doing. The obliques would help for 3D models but for pure mapping, ortho photos, DSM, DTM, volume calculations, etc., I think the better camera far outweighs the value of obliques. The 42 MP full-frame Sony RX1R II is far superior to the 20 MP DJI camera. MP is only a part of the equation. The larger sensor on the full frame camera means higher quality images with less noise. That means more accurate point clouds.
Hi, I agreed with using down facing high MP full frame camera for terrian mapping, and 5 camera (oblique ) system for building 3D mapping. Mapping by 42MP Sony RX1R II with PPK (like emlid reach) can give you very good GSD even flying at high attitude. I also highly suggest you to use fixed wing for large scale mapping mission, the UnmannedRC.com has a VTOL UAV called Swift VTOL, can easy fly 2 and half hours with 1 kg payload weight, and also you will find Oblique camera on that website as well.