The most common type of mission flown with the Zenmuse P1 is for 2D photogrammetry. This article provides an overview of that mission planning process.
Please view our other help articles if you plan to fly a linear/corridor mission or create a KML file and import it into your mission plan.
2D Mission Planning
1. Power on your drone and remote controller (RC).
2. Connect your RC to a WiFi network or hotspot to ensure base maps will load to assist with mission planning.
3. Tap Pilot 2 on your RC.
4. Tap Flight Route.
5. Tap the + at the top-right and select Create a Route.
6. Tap Area Route.
7. Locate your site by panning around the map and using two fingers to adjust the zoom.
8. Drop a pin to start creating your survey area by tapping on the screen on the boundary of your site.
To move a pin, tap and hold to select it and drag the pin around with your finger. You can delete the selected pin by tapping the trash icon or by double-tapping on the pin.
9. After points are dropped to define the mission's boundary, tap the check mark at the top-left. If the settings don’t appear, tap the double arrows at the top-right portion of the screen to expand them.
10. Adjust your mission settings based on our recommendations in the table below. You will navigate through several menus in the app to do this. If you encounter settings in the app not mentioned in this table, leave them at their default.
| Mission Setting |
Set to |
Question to Ask Yourself |
Reason |
| Drone / Camera |
Zenmuse P1 (35mm) |
Which camera are you planning on using for this mission? |
The mission parameters will be different for different lens, so make sure this is set accurately. |
| Collection Type |
Ortho Collection |
Do I need vertical faces captured in my model? |
Select Ortho Collection if you do not need vertical faces to be captured in high detail. |
| Ortho GSD |
Default |
Do I need to achieve a specific ground sample distance for this flight? |
View the GSD estimate to get a sense of what resolution to expect with the current settings. Keep in mind that manually increasing or decreasing the Ortho GSD value will alter other mission settings such as flight route altitude. |
| Altitude Mode |
Relative to Takeoff Point (ALT) |
What elevation is your target altitude referenced to? |
Unless you are referencing to altitude above Sea Level (ASL) in the EGM96 geoid model, set this to ALT. |
| Route Altitude |
200-400ft (60-120m) |
How high should I fly relative to the takeoff point? |
The height is a balance between how quickly you would like to complete your survey (higher makes it faster) and the ground sampling distance that you need. |
| Elevation Optimization |
Disabled |
Is my terrain or altitude expected to vary during flight? |
When enabled, the drone will take a few oblique images at the end of the flight. You do not need these to process your data with Propeller. |
| Safe Takeoff Altitude |
User Preference |
Are there obstacles in my takeoff area? |
Set the Safe Takeoff Altitude to be higher than the tallest obstacle in your area. |
| Speed |
Max Speed Allowable* |
How fast should I fly? |
*Unless you're trying to reach the required 10min mission time, increase the speed to minimize overall flight time. In low light conditions, reduce the speed and the shutter speed to ~1/800.
|
| Course Angle |
User Preference |
What direction should I fly to cover the survey area? |
Adjusted with the slide. Fewer turns means more area covered per battery. |
| Upon Completion |
Return To Home |
What should I do after completing the mission? |
Safety and not losing your drone. Once completed, the drone will make its way back to the home point automatically. |
| Payload Setting |
Set to |
Question to Ask Yourself |
Reason |
| Focus Mode |
First Waypoint Autofocus |
How do I want my camera to focus on my site? |
Focus problems may cause motion blur. |
| Dewarping |
Disabled |
Should dewarping be applied by the camera? |
This will help improve the accuracy of your data. |
| Advanced Setting |
Set to |
Question to Ask Yourself |
Reason |
| Target Surface to Takeoff Point |
0 |
Is the terrain I want to survey at a different altitude than my homepoint? |
Unless the terrain you are surveying is at a very different altitude than your takeoff point, leave this setting at 0. |
| Side and Front Overlap Ratio |
~75% |
How much should each of the images overlap each other? |
This provides enough overlap to build a contiguous model if some images are missing or poor quality. The lower the detail on the surface below, the higher your overlap should be. |
| Margin |
0 |
How much margin do you want to leave around the survey area? |
Provided that your flight boundary covers the entire area you wish to survey, you don't need any margin. |
| Photo Mode |
Distance Interval Shot |
What metric is used to capture images? |
Distance shooting allows the drone to capture images with consistent overlap. |
| Custom Camera Angle |
Disabled |
N/A |
Keeping this setting disabled will ensure your camera angle stays nadir (-90) and ideal for mapping. |
| Route Start Point |
User Preference |
Where do you want your mission start point to be located? |
Tapping the points on your mission boundary will allow you to set the start point location and update your flight route. Conserve battery by selecting the most ideal start point relative to the takeoff location. |
| Takeoff Speed |
User Preference |
How fast should the drone take off? |
Faster takeoff speeds will slightly reduce the battery voltage but may be necessary on active sites. |
11. Tap the save button on the left side to save your settings.
12. Navigate to the camera settings by tapping the live camera view in the bottom-left. The map and camera view will switch places.
13. Ensure the camera is set to Single Photo mode.
14. Adjust the camera settings as described in the table below. If you encounter settings in the app not mentioned in this table, leave them at their default.
| Camera Setting |
Set to |
Question to Ask Yourself |
Reason |
| Mode |
S (Shutter Priority) |
How should the exposure be controlled? |
To avoid motion blur. Shutter priority tells the camera that a fixed shutter speed must be used. The camera can adjust the exposure with apeture and ISO. |
| Auto Exposure (AE) |
Unlocked |
Can the camera auto-adjust exposure? |
In order for the camera to be able to adjust the exposure with aperture and ISO, this needs to be unlocked. |
| Shutter Speed |
1/1000 |
How fast should the shutter close? |
1000 is a good place to start for sunny conditions. In low light conditions, reduce the shutter speed to ~800 and lower the speed. |
| Camera Slider Bars |
Set to |
Question to Ask Yourself |
Reason |
| Image Ratio |
3:2 |
How much of the image should I delete? |
3:2 utilizes the whole sensor. |
| Image Format |
JPG |
How should the images be saved? |
Images must be in a JPG format to upload to Propeller. |
| White Balance |
Set to conditions |
What conditions should I accomodate for? |
Adjust the setting to reflect current weather conditions. Setting the white balance incorrectly will result in poor stitching and/or inaccurate coloring of your model. |
| Mechanical Shutter |
Enabled |
Do I want my camera to use the mechanical shutter? |
A mechanical shutter uses the conventional front and rear shutter curtains at the front of the sensor. Not using the mechanical shutter will introduce distortion. |
| Dewarping |
Disabled |
Should dewarping be applied by the camera? |
This will help improve the accuracy of your data. |
Check the airspace on your site before you arrive, and remember to charge your AeroPoints and drone batteries before your mission.
I still can't do it!
We wrote these articles to equip you with everything you need to get the job done on your own, but we understand that sometimes this isn't sufficient.
If you're stuck, the Propeller hardware support team may be able to help. You can contact them by emailing hardwaresupport@propelleraero.com.au.