How long does it take to process data?
We invest much time and care into your data and do our best to process it successfully. However, the data uploaded sometimes makes it difficult to get adequate results. To ensure that we can turn around data in the most timely fashion and avoid any disappointment for yourself and your clients, it’s worth keeping the following things in mind.
Please note that adding the Vertical Face Imagery (VFI) option when configuring outputs during data upload will significantly increase processing time. Enabling this feature is not recommended if you have time-sensitive data.
Surveys
If the data is in a usable format, the Propeller platform can process it, and it will be viewable within 24 hours. If you need the data within a shorter timeframe than this, let us know, and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.
Sometimes, the processing may take longer than 48 hours for any number of reasons. This is most often caused by issues with the data and a higher level of manual intervention required from our data team.
Inspections and tiling of processed data
The turnaround time for inspections can vary slightly depending on the number of images in the inspection set, but generally, they can be turned around within a couple of hours.
Tiling an existing geoTIFF onto our platform often takes the same amount of time or can be even faster.
Data cannot be processed if:
- The images are not geotagged. Some software solutions can rectify this at your end, but the best thing to do is ensure that the camera is set up correctly for geotagging.
- The geotags have severe errors. Some examples include all images geotagged in the same location, all the images are geotagged with the ground height, or the geotags have inverted lat/long values.
- There is insufficient overlap between images. To enable us to process, all images should have at least 70% frontal and 60% side overlap.
- There are less than 20 photos for a survey dataset.
- There are less than 10 photos for an inspection dataset
- GCPs are provided with a local site calibration. The coordinate system of GCP data should have either an EPSG code or a valid definition in a PRJ file.
How do I check the status of a dataset I submitted?
You can check the status of any datasets currently being processed by clicking the DATA PROCESSING tab in the top navigation bar.
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The Corrections section gives you more control over how we will process your data.
- Propeller PPK will merge your GNSS files with the Propeller Corrections Network, Known Point data, or a provided RINEX file to ensure the highest levels of accuracy.
- Choose Use my drone photos if you want to upload your drone photos, including any high accuracy geotags, if applicable.
Once you select the correction method, your data will be checked, and you will be guided to recommended flows through validations.
When would processing be delayed?
- GCPs are provided, but the coordinate system and height datum they were recorded in are not specified.
- Only a portion of the images have geotags.
- The survey images are of an extremely high-density vegetation area.
- The images are blurred.
Why is the data displayed incorrectly?
- The image EXIF data offers a negative altitude. This will result in the outputs displaying negative heights. (It is possible for legitimate negative geotags to occur, but this is unlikely unless flying below sea level).
- Drone data accuracy.
Why doesn't the data line up with the base map?
Occasionally, after processing a dataset, when viewed through the platform, it will appear sunken or raised at a different height than the base map.
This can occur for a couple of reasons. Some drone manufacturers record altitude information, which is often relative to the takeoff height, instead of actual GPS altitude information.
The result is that reconstructions of the site may be inaccurate after processing, and why they are sometimes rendered as "sunken" or "below the ground" is caused by differences between the base map's assumption of a perfect ellipsoidal earth and the actual shape of the planet.
Your data is presented 100% at the correct actual height. It's just that the base map is slightly off. One method of changing the underlying base map so that the height discrepancy is less obvious it to change the base map to Bing Maps Roads from the Map Settings.
How can I fix it?
This can be resolved with some additional manual steps. If you are aware of any survey marks or known heights, this can help. If not, we can take rough manual steps to correct this issue for legacy data.
What is a contiguous image collection error?
Collecting and uploading a dataset should comprise only one area, not separate distinct regions. If you need to view separate areas in one map, use our Composite Survey tool to merge datasets.
Processing datasets with separated regions of images is much more likely to degrade the accuracy of the whole dataset. If there are holes in the survey you are uploading, please submit more images to fill in the holes or remove the region not connected to the rest of the survey.
If the uploader detects this issue, it will flag the images that are not connected and offer to remove just those images. If you have more to add, the validation will update to reflect that the regions are now connected.
You may receive this warning if you have a dataset with sufficient overlap but is flown much higher than the standard limit for drone operations. If this is the case, please contact data support using the chat feature in the portal to submit the dataset.
Why is the coordinate reference system not showing up?
Enter your site's coordinate reference system (CRS) when uploading survey data. A list of published systems will be available if you use the Propeller Corrections Network.
If your CRS is not on the list, check the EPSG Code of your ground control points. You can check it through this site: https://epsg.io/
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, you can connect with our support team by clicking the support button on the top right corner of your user portal.
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