When flying a corridor project with the Phantom 4 RTK, Mavic 3 Enterprise, or Matrice 300 RTK, the known point (or benchmark) must be centrally located. If you have multiple AeroPoints, place them every ½ to ¾ miles (0.8 to 1.2 kilometers). If your site is set up on a local grid, the known point (benchmark) must be the first point down and the last one up. The AeroPoint can be on either side of the corridor. We recommend placing checkpoints on important surfaces.
Six AeroPoints
Maximum distance: 4 miles (6.4km)
*You can extend the 1/2 mi. (0.8 km) distance to 3/4 mi (1.2 km), though accuracy will degrade beyond this distance.
**It is best to have this more centrally located along the corridor if you are using a local site calibration and processing using the Local Site Survey Benchmark (known point) method.
Six AeroPoints + Checkpoints
Maximum distance: 4 miles (6.4km)
Propeller encourages the collection of multiple checkpoints between your AeroPoints for more comprehensive insight into accuracy along the site. These can be collected on key surfaces, and deltas will be displayed in the GCP and Checkpoint Accuracy section of the Processing Report.
Six AeroPoints Leapfrogging
Maximum distance: as much as can be covered in 5 hours of flight time
If you do this, you must first place a known point (benchmark) down. Pick up this AeroPoint last. It has to be on and undisturbed for the whole survey, which has a 5-hour time limit.
The others can be turned off, moved, and turned back on to continue the survey. Your AeroPoints should be placed every ½ to ¾ mile (0.8 to 1.2km).
AeroPoints can be "leapfrogged" as you advance along the corridor.
Leap Frogging Mixed Fleets
There is a crucial consideration to be aware of when leap-frogging a mixed fleet of AeroPoint 1s and AeroPoint 2s for more extensive surveys or linear projects.
Is your goal to capture data for more than 5 hours (due to the size of the project and the maximum capture limit of AeroPoint 1s), or is it to accomplish the survey in less than 5 hours?
If you are confident that the survey can be completed before the 5-hour mark, we recommend that AeroPoint 1s are used as the reference point, so that you can leapfrog the AeroPoint 2s which have a shorter minimum capture time of 10 minutes. For example:
- Lay down your AeroPoint 1 as the reference, and turn it on.
- Lay down your AeroPoint 2s as the AeroPoints that will need to be leapfrogged.
- Once the AeroPoint 2s have hit their 10-minute minimum, and you've completed your flight of that area, stop those AeroPoints from recording and move them to their new location.
If you are not confident that the survey can be completed in under 5 hours, you should use an AeroPoint 2 as the reference point. As mentioned above, be sure that all of the leap-frogged AeroPoints are down for their respective minimum.
One AeroPoint
Maximum distance: 1 mile (1.6km)
However, if you are flying a short corridor or only have one AeroPoint, place it near the location you're flying from. It's important to note that your model's accuracy will degrade after one mile.
You can use additional ground control points (GCPs) and checkpoints to improve the accuracy, but the maximum distance cannot be increased.
*You can extend the 1/2 mi. (0.8 km) distance to 3/4 mi (1.2 km), though accuracy will degrade beyond this distance. This brings the max survey distance to 1.5 mi (2.4 km).
**It is best to have this more centrally located along the corridor if you are using a local site calibration and processing using the Local Site Survey Benchmark (known point) method.
One AeroPoint + Ground Control Points / Checkpoints
Maximum distance: 1 mile (1.6km)
*Propeller recommends adding GCPs at each end of the site to achieve a more accurate result. Checkpoints can also be placed along the corridor to view the deltas on crucial surfaces.
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.
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