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2021 Q2 DroneDeploy's Ultimate How-To Guide v2

This document provides a detailed guide for using DroneDeploy's drone mapping software. It begins with an overview of how DroneDeploy works for flight planning, data capture and analysis. The guide then covers topics like pre-flight planning, in-flight tools, post-flight processing, ground control points, inspections, analysis tools and reporting. It aims to support both new and experienced DroneDeploy users in effectively utilizing drone technology for their business needs.

Uploaded by

blinkesku
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
378 views39 pages

2021 Q2 DroneDeploy's Ultimate How-To Guide v2

This document provides a detailed guide for using DroneDeploy's drone mapping software. It begins with an overview of how DroneDeploy works for flight planning, data capture and analysis. The guide then covers topics like pre-flight planning, in-flight tools, post-flight processing, ground control points, inspections, analysis tools and reporting. It aims to support both new and experienced DroneDeploy users in effectively utilizing drone technology for their business needs.

Uploaded by

blinkesku
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 39

DroneDeploy’s Ultimate

How-To Guide:
How to Plan Flights,
Inspect Your Sites, & More
Your Detailed Reference Manual For All
Things DroneDeploy

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s Ultimate How-To Guide 2021 | 1


As the leading enterprise-grade drone software, we’re committed to making drone data
accessible to everyone. From drone fleet management to complete site documentation
and analysis, we have your back every step of the way and are dedicated to supporting
your organizational goals.

The DroneDeploy solution equips users with powerful digital reconstruction tools to
simplify your workflow and streamline your processes, saving time and money along
the way. Our software allows you to harness drone-provided visual data to gain a
competitive advantage over your adversaries and put your focus squarely on your
critical job functions.

Simplifying flight planning, site inspections, and more are what we do best, and to
further clarify the in’s and out’s of making drone technology work for your business,
we’ve created this complete how-to guide.

In this eBook, you’ll find detailed support documentation on everything from the basics
of flight planning, to creating GCP’s, to generating stockpile reports. Whether you’re just
getting started with drone technology or are a veteran DroneDeploy user, this manual
will provide you with everything you need to troubleshoot issues in-the-field, conduct
inspections, and manage users.

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s Ultimate How-To Guide 2021 | 2


Table of Contents
Setting up & Getting Started: How Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
DroneDeploy Works
Live Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
What Does DroneDeploy Do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Live Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
How to Set Up for Flying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Side-by-Side Comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
The Basics of Flight Planning and Map Analysis
Terrain Awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Pre-Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Ensuring Clear Airspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3D Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Creating a New Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
360 Walkthrough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Planning a Video Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Importing, Exporting, & Adding Data Layers
Planning a Panorama Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Importing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Planning a Progress Report Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 How to Add Images to Your Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
During Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
How to Upload Pre-Processed Data . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Utilizing Vertical Flight Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Enabling Mission Chaining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 How to Export Your Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Post-Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
How to Import Your Data to
Processing Data Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Another Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Reading Flight Logs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Adding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
GCP’s: What Are They & How Do I Use Them? How to Add Web Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
What Are GCPs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 How to View Plant Health Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
When to Use GCPs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 How to View Multiple Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
How to Create GCPs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Exploring the App Market
How to Process GCPs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 All About the App Market: an Overview . . . . . . . . . . . 29
The Do’s and Don’ts of Inspections Installing Organization-Wide Apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
How to Perform Inspections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Let’s Generate a Report
How to Conduct Thermal Inspections . . . . . . . . . . 13 Annotations Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
How to Use DroneDeploy’s Suite of Tools Enhanced Progress Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Annotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Issue & Inspection Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Count & Stand Assessment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Stockpile Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Crop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Customizing Your Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Cut/Fill Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s Ultimate How-To Guide 2021 | 3


Table of Contents
Simple Data Sharing Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

How to Share Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

How to Organize Data with Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

How to Share Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Enterprise-Only: Personalized Support . . . . . . . . 35

Creating an Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Adding & Removing Members to an Organization 35

Setting up Single Sign-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

DroneDeploy Steps for Success: Tips From our


Experts
How to Improve the Accuracy & Quality of Your
Drone Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

How to Get DroneDeploy Certified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Your Call to Action

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s Ultimate How-To Guide 2021 | 4


Setting Up & Getting Started: Within the drone flight settings, you’ll also have the
ability to calibrate your compass. You can check
How DroneDeploy Works your drone’s compass calibration here, and also
adjust your return-to-home altitude.
DroneDeploy is the easiest and fastest solution
Before launching DroneDeploy, we highly
to building aerial maps and models. You can think
recommend opening up DJI Go to guarantee that
of our solution as having two components: flight
the compass and IMU do not need to be
automation and data capture, and data processing
recalibrated (travel can sometimes cause these
and analysis.
instruments to become uncalibrated). You’ll also
want to ensure you have ample satellite coverage
before takeoff.
What Does DroneDeploy Do?
3. BEGIN FLYING!
DroneDeploy connects your drone to the internet,
allowing for our powerful and sophisticated When Flying with DroneDeploy, you’ll be prompted
servers in the cloud to plan your flight, run safety to switch to P mode. If at any point you feel
checks, and crunch massive amounts of visual uncomfortable, take manual control over your
data. For a detailed onboarding experience, watch drone by switching to S mode. You can also initiate
our instructional video series on getting started. a return to landing using the app’s remote flight
controller or home button.

If flying a Skydio drone, these steps are nearly the


How to Set Up for Flying
same. Review our support documentation for a
After you’ve confirmed your compatibility with detailed look at using the Skydio 2.
our supported drones and devices, it’s time to start
flying! Follow the steps below to ensure an optimal
and safe flight experience.

1. VERIFY THAT YOUR DEVICES ARE FULLY UPDATED

While we recommend turning on automatic


updates, please check for any iOS or Android
updates for your mobile device. Then, look at the
App Store or Google Play store for updates to the
DroneDeploy app and/or DJI Go.

2. CHECK DRONE FIRMWARE TO CONFIRM


FLIGHT READINESS

To use DroneDeploy, you will not only need to


upgrade your drone to the latest firmware, but
make sure it is fully calibrated. Uncalibrated Note the launch/land button which you can press if you need to stop
hardware and out-of-date firmware are the two the drone from landing.

most common issues that prevent people from


flying or cause unexpected behavior.

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s Ultimate How-To Guide 2021 | 5


The Basics of Flight Planning and
Map Analysis
Flight planning in and of itself can be confusing. To help, we’ve categorized this section
into pre-, during, and post-flight, to detail how to utilize DroneDeploy at every stage of
your mission.

Pre-Flight
ENSURING CLEAR AIRSPACE

DroneDeploy provides in-app LAANC that allows users to request authorization before
they fly. With this capability, you’ll be able to check airspace, explore restrictions in
your project area, and request or edit requests for authorizations up to 30 days before
you fly. To access this integration, navigate to the LAANC authorization section on the
side panel of the fly tab. From here, click “request LAANC” and follow the steps on your
screen to login or create your Airbus UTM account. To initiate this integration, begin by
planning your flight as usual. On the left side panel, locate the LAANC dropdown to view
the local airspace. After you’ve identified controlled or restricted boundaries, you may
request LAANC approval. When you’ve been approved, you’ll be notified on your LAANC
dropdown.

It’s important to note that while DroneDeploy will never prevent a user from flying, DJI
may require functional unlocking. This essentially asks you to confirm that you have
clearance to fly through DJI Fly Safe. For more information on this process, click here.

CREATING A NEW PROJECT

Creating a project is the first step in the process of generating and analyzing data within
DroneDeploy. A project organizes all of the data associated within a particular project
location and makes it easy for you to find the data you’re looking for, re-fly the exact
location, and share project maps or reports.

To create a new project, simply select the “new project” button on your DroneDeploy
dashboard. After searching for your project’s location, center the map beneath the icon
and click the “create project here” button. Once you give your project a name, you’re good
to go!

PLANNING A VIDEO FLIGHT

Video flights fly your drone along the path described by the planning screen while
recording video focused on a single point of interest. To ensure synchronization and a
clear vision, we’ve applied smoothing to both the flight and video for a crisp viewpoint
every time.

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s Ultimate How-To Guide 2021 | 6


To create a new video flight plan within your project, select “video” under “new flight
template” in your flight plan dropdown. Once in-flight, your drone will fly the planned
course while focusing on your selected point of interest. We’ll begin recording once your
drone reaches the beginning of the route and end when the loop is complete, with the red
recording dot as your marker.

After navigating to the “upload” tab on your project view, set the date that you would like
to associate this video with. Please note that you can only upload one video at a time.
You’ll receive an email when your video is ready to view! As with all other flight plans,
once you’ve created a video plan, it is entirely re-flyable at your discretion.

PLANNING A PANORAMA FLIGHT

Panorama flights take your drone to a set perch point to capture all images necessary
to create an immersive spherical panorama. On average, this will amount to 26 photos
taken at all angles around your drone, resulting in an amazing interactive image.

The good news? You can create a panorama flight more easily than a video flight. To
begin, navigate to the same “new flight template” in your flight plan dropdown, and select
“panorama.” Once in-flight, your drone will fly to the planned location, take pictures, and
return to land. Remember to upload your photos in the same instance to process and
glean insights from your data.

PLANNING A PROGRESS REPORT FLIGHT

You can create a progress report by selecting “photo report” from your flight plan
dropdown. After selecting this new flight template, choose “progress report” before flying.

You’ll notice that there are four camera icons at each corner of your flight bounding
box. Each camera icon represents a photo that will be taken. In the middle, you’ll find a
grey location marker – the “point of interest” or “POI.” You can add even more camera
locations by pressing the grey icons.

By this point, you’ve selected the coordinate locations for your camera shots and your
POI, but you haven’t specified the vertical aspect yet. If you pull up your dashboard again,
you can adjust your flight and focal point altitudes. This effectively chooses the angle and
the focus of the photos for your progress report flight. Set your flight altitude such that
the field of view for each photo will capture the content you need. The higher you fly, the
more you’ll capture per photo. The altitude of your focal point should be the altitude of
your subject that best describes the area of which you’d like the sharpest detail.

After the flight, upload your imagery to produce a progress report through your project’s
“upload” tab. Choose “create a report” to do so.

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s Ultimate How-To Guide 2021 | 7


During Flight
UTILIZING VERTICAL FLIGHT MODE

We designed vertical flight to capture areas that top-down photography simply cannot
see. This helps provide both high-resolution photos of structure sides and the necessary
capture for game-changing 3D reconstruction in DroneDeploy. Similar to other flight
modes on DroneDeploy, to get started with Vertical Flight, simply select “vertical capture”
in your flight plan dropdown. Next, you’ll have the ability to adjust settings like facade,
travel altitude, structure height or minimum, and capture distance.

Once you start flying and reach the beginning of the flight path area, the drone will
begin to descend from the travel altitude to initiate capture. When this happens, you will
automatically see the vertical view, giving complete visibility to what is happening. While
the drone is descending, you will also see a highlighted area identifying what altitude
the drone will be descending to, providing a straightforward way to stop the drone if you
encounter any problems.

Once the flight is complete, you can upload as usual through mobile or desktop. Some
other takeaways:

h If uploading manually, utilize the “upload” tab and select one of the following options.
h If you are looking to create a model of a single facade, choose the “vertical” plan type.
h If you are looking to create top-quality 3D models that you’ve captured from every
side of the building, we still recommend using “map & model.”

ENABLING MISSION CHAINING

By flying multiple plans at once, users can maximize the efficiency of the drone’s time
in the air without needing to land it in between flight plans. Now, our customers have
the flexibility to plan a mission consisting of multiple flight plans from the ground, with
additional flight plans able to be added mid-flight.

To add other flight plans within the project, click on the “add” button in the mission queue.
After selecting “add,” you’ll see a list of flight plans for the active project. At this point,
you’re free to add or remove flight plans from the queue.

After you complete a mission, you’ll be able to upload the media from each of the flight
plans over WiFi or cellular data. First, transfer the images from the drone to your device.
This step requires powering up the drone and RC. Last, once transfer is complete, the
DroneDeploy app will begin mobile uploads. You may leave the app and reopen the app to
check on progress, but uploads are most effective while the app is open and has access
to a high-speed data connection.

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s Ultimate How-To Guide 2021 | 8


Post-Flight
PROCESSING DATA SETS

DroneDeploy’s Map Engine is here to scale your productivity by offloading the processing,
analysis, and sharing of your imagery. This gives you the ability to quickly make use of
the power, speed, and simplicity of DroneDeploy, regardless of what type of drone or
camera you’re using.

Once your data is processed, you will be able to use all the additional DroneDeploy
functionality (such as exporting your data, sharing maps, annotations, and analysis). For
data sets not captured with the DroneDeploy app, click on the “new upload” icon located
on the “upload” section within your project. After selecting the type of media you’d like
to upload, choose the “select photos” button to upload all of the images you’d like to be
processed. You will now see where your camera locations are (blue dots) and the current
boundary we have selected for you based on the camera locations (the blue outline).
Adjusting the area (blue outline) may be necessary in some cases.

For further analysis, click on the camera roll to open the image review window. In
this window, you can view and deselect images that you may want to exclude from
processing, such as blurry, overexposed or underexposed images. Once you are happy
with your settings, click the “upload images” button on the center screen to start the
upload process. When we’ve completed the processing, we will notify you via email.

Note that processing high-quality data can take up to a few hours for a very large job with
high-resolution imagery. On average, processing takes about one minute per image.

READING FLIGHT LOGS

Did you know that you can access logs of your flights in DroneDeploy? These logs
contain highly detailed information regarding your flight, including drone battery life, GPS
positioning, camera activity, and more, and provide a vital record of flight activities often
required for regulatory compliance and insurance. These flight logs are also valuable for
diagnosing drone issues such as crashes and flyaways.

To access, click on the gear icon immediately to the right of your map name. You’ll enter
the project settings, where you can rename the project and access the Flight Logs. If no
flight logs exist, try leaving the app open for 10 minutes while connecting to a strong WiFi
connection to trigger a sync. If they aren’t available, you can always grab them manually
using a USB cable. This data is ready-to-go through our Drone Operations Management
tool, no processing required.

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s Ultimate How-To Guide 2021 | 9


GCPs: What Are They & How Do I Use Them?
If you work with drone mapping software, you’ve no doubt heard talk of ground control
points (GCPs). Used often in the surveying industry and virtual design and construction,
GCPs significantly increase the global accuracy of drone maps. Although they are not
necessary for every situation, GCPs are a vital tool for precision mapping. But what
exactly are ground control points? And how do you go about using them correctly? To
help crack the code on ground control points, we’ve put together this short guide to
using GCPs with drone mapping software.

What Are GCPs?


Ground control points are large marked targets on the ground, spaced strategically
throughout your area of interest. If you use ground control points with your aerial map,
you first need to determine the RTK GPS coordinates at the center of each. The ground
control points and their coordinates are then used to help drone mapping software
accurately position your map in relation to the real world around it.

It might be helpful to think of your GCPs as a series of thumbtacks placed on your drone
map. Because the drone mapping software knows each of these thumbtacks’ exact
locations, it can reference their locations when it matches up all of the other points on
the map.

When to Use GCPs


When used correctly,
ground control points
significantly improve the
global accuracy of your drone
map. That is to say: they help
ensure that the latitude and
longitude of any point on your
map corresponds accurately with
actual GPS coordinates. This is
important in situations where
precision mapping and true
global accuracy are needed.

Each drone mapping project


is unique, and not all projects
require a high level of global accuracy. Because of this, it is essential to assess each
project individually before you decide to take the extra step of using GCPs. But generally
speaking, projects like geo-referenced overlays, design documents, and land title
surveys benefit from the use of ground control points.

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s Ultimate How-To Guide 2021 | 10


How to Create GCPs
There is no one right way to make a ground control
point. An important thing to remember is that the GCP
must be distinctly visible in your aerial imagery. This is
achieved by using high-contrast colors and making sure
the ground control point is large enough to be seen from
your particular flight altitude. We generally recommend
flying at 300 feet with a frontlap and sidelap of 70/75
when using ground control points. Keep in mind that this
may change dependent upon the area you are mapping.
Several companies do sell pre-made, portable ground
control points. However, many drone users simply fashion
their own. For examples and a step-by-step look at how to
create these yourself, review our support documentation.

How to Process GCPs


To ensure your GCPs process accurately and efficiently,
it’s imperative that DroneDeploy receives specific
pieces of information for your project. We’ve created a
video overview of how to add GCP information to your
maps here.

But DroneDeploy also offers automated GCP detection


that makes this process even easier. Without having to
push a button, you’re able to automatically use our Ground
Control AI to pinpoint GCP locations on your maps. Instead
of manually tagging GCPs in your maps (which you still
have the option to do), you’ll instead receive additional
messages in your processing emails that detail how many
of your markers were tagged automatically, as well as
a full accuracy report. This eliminates a host of manual
work and speeds you through the map processing section.
Initially trained using over 200,000 human-tagged GCPs,
this technology is constantly evolving with input from our
customers. By tagging the GCP targets in your images
and correcting targets that the assistant misidentifies,
you’re training our algorithm to be even smarter and faster.
Thanks!

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s Ultimate How-To Guide 2021 | 11


The Do’s and Don’ts of Inspections
Historically, inspections have been expensive, dangerous, time-consuming, or a
combination of all three. Today, though, using DroneDeploy, companies get peace-of-
mind knowing their workers are safe while simultaneously cutting inspection times,
creating a positive impact on any company’s budget. Here’s a quick look at how to
perform inspections in DroneDeploy’s complete cloud-based solution.

How to Perform Inspections


First, complete a flight plan within DroneDeploy. Flight plans ensure everything is
captured correctly, leaving no stone unturned. Once the flight plan is intact – and with
enhanced 3D turned on – the drone can now capture an entire job site entirely
autonomously. If you notice an issue during flight, DroneDeploy enables you to switch
over to manual flight and perform low-altitude inspections of your job site, giving an
up-close-and-personal look at whatever issues were detected. This allows you to
decipher between what needs attention immediately and what is merely an aberration.

From there, DroneDeploy produces a high-resolution 3D model of your site. These models
allow you to click on points within the 3D model to open high-resolution photos of that
location. You can then zoom and pan into the original source photo to look for any
problems. This occurs in three
different environments: 2D map
view, 3D map view, and vertical
facade models.

When you spot irregularities, use


the issue tool to label and draw
attention to them. Even after the
initial inspection is performed
and workers have been
dispatched to fix the issues,
DroneDeploy can fly the exact
same flight plan to verify all
issues have been resolved,
mitigating risk and cutting costs.
After your flight plan is
completed, easily find the issue

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s Ultimate How-To Guide 2021 | 12


in your dashboard list in the “issues” section, or visually on the map as orange icons.
These issues are sortable, filterable, and searchable, and are able to be exported via PDF
or CSV. From here, you may change the status from “open” to “closed.”

For more information on conducting inspections with DroneDeploy, review our guided
support documentation.

How to Conduct Thermal Inspections


Performing thermal inspections with DroneDeploy enables companies to conduct
in-depth checks without shutting down production or putting workers in danger.

To effectively capture any issues that may need fixing, you will need to create an
interactive thermal view of your site, including high-resolution imagery for remote issue
identification, diagnosis, and resolution. In order to do this, you’ll need to use the
DroneDeploy mobile app to autonomously or manually fly your site while also using a
drone that captures thermal imagery.

From there, you’ll gather real-time thermal insights with Thermal Live Map, producing
data on your mobile device as the drone flies, even offline. The DroneDeploy flight app
automatically scans sites and facilities for optimal coverage, helping you capture and
manage what the naked eye can’t see. Just like in a non-thermal inspection, our app will
recreate the reality of your job site, allowing you to analyze the site remotely. We’ll even
process both RGB and thermal images simultaneously to create high-resolution thermal
3D models, garnering a more detailed analysis.

As a bonus, you can analyze radiometric thermal data in the DroneDeploy platform using
highly accurate thermal visualizations, quickly locating hotspots for spot temperature
inspection through multiple color palettes.

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s Ultimate How-To Guide 2021 | 13


How to Use DroneDeploy’s Suite of Tools
We’re constantly adding new features in every product release and detail each one in our
simultaneous product release posts. Below are some of our most popular tools
(regardless of industry) that deserve an in-depth look for those just beginning to utilize
drone technology.

Annotations
Annotations are a quick and simple way to take measurements, add notes to your maps,
and (eventually) share. These include location, distance, area, volume, stockpile, count,
and elevation tools, with the corresponding notes available in the annotations control
window. After taking a measurement, you’ll have the opportunity to title your selection,
color code, label, and hide or show any accompanying notes. While the information
displayed varies by type of measurement, all users can see who took what.

Count & Stand Assessment


Within the annotations toolbox is the count tool. To use, click on each item you’d like to
count on your DroneDeploy map, and select the checkmark at the bottom right of your
screen when you’ve finished. As with any annotation, you may organize these
measurements as you’d like with various color and label options. Our customers are
using this tool to count trees, cars, cattle, and other equipment.

Available to our enterprise customers is the count AI tool, which automatically identifies
objects in the orthomosaic, allowing you to rapidly identify and locate hundreds of
thousands of items in your maps. Our AI can be trained to quantify almost anything,
making it a completely customizable addition. For more information, contact your
customer success manager.

In Spring 2021, we began offering Stand Assessment, an automated stand count


solution. This mission-planning allows users to quickly scan their field to capture the data
needed for stand counts. This feature is customizable, and can be adjusted based on
crop type, field area, flight path, and row spacing. The best part? You’ll receive results for
fields of 100 acres in less than 30 minutes, completely offline. With this information at
your disposal, you’ll be able to easily identify areas of good, moderate, or poor emergence
with summarized population scores, gap counts, and annotated images. Our machine
learning is even able to distinguish between male and female rows.

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Crop
Sometimes, you collect a little too much data and end up with some edges that aren’t
smooth on your DroneDeploy maps. To compensate for this, we have the crop tool.
To start cropping, click on the map tools icon, then select “crop” within the map tools
section.

A blue border will appear around the boundary of your selected area. Click to drag the
white anchor dots to adjust this border, and choose “crop” again to hide this boundary.
All edits will be automatically saved to your DroneDeploy instance.

Cut/Fill Analysis
The cut/fill comparison toolset allows you to quickly compare the elevation of one
map to another map or design surface (grading plan). With heatmap visualization, you
can identify where soils have been cut or filled from one map to another or how much
soil needs to be cut or filled to reach design grade so that you can track changes and
monitor the progress of earthmoving. With volume measurement comparison, you can
quantify the amount of earth moved – either for an entire site or for individual volume
measurements, like a pit or stockpile – so that you can verify subcontractor work,
manage stockpile inventory and better keep to a project schedule.

To begin, locate the new layer in your project called “cut/fill.” When you select this layer,
a red/blue heatmap layer will appear on top of the map you are viewing, which will show
the elevation difference between that map and another map within your selected project.
Surface selection, comparison map, base plane, visualization range, opacity, and more
are all customizable, and we encourage users needing additional assistance to check our
detailed support documentation on this toolset.

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Elevation
Create elevation maps within DroneDeploy using standard geo-referenced information
embedded in your drone imagery. Sometimes, the elevation data from your drone
can have some inconsistencies due to the error in the drone’s GPS and variations in
barometric pressure, which DJI also uses to assess altitude. To correct this error or to
view your elevation data in a different ellipsoid, you can use elevation calibration to enter
the known elevation at a point to update the elevations within your map.

To do so:

h Select the “map details” button on the side panel.


h From here, choose “calibrate” under the map tools window.
h Simply drag the calibration icon to a point on the map where you know the elevation
– which could be a GCP marker, takeoff point, or another recognizable point on
your map.
h In the custom elevation bar, enter your known elevation, and click “calibrate.”

When you open your map from the dashboard, it will automatically be brought to the orthomosaic map.
Choose Elevation layer from the options underneath the “Map” tab.

Editable options on the Elevation toolbox.

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All elevation data associated with the map will be adjusted using the difference between
the default elevation and the entered calibration elevation of that specific point.
The results would be reflected in the elevation histograms, elevation visualizations,
measurements, and exports.

To take the analysis a step further, users can add an elevation layer to their maps. To get
started, make sure you have selected the map tab and side panel’s elevation layer at the
left. You will see the digital surface model (DSM) projecting the height of your map. This
will also update the panel in the top left, showing a histogram of the data’s elevations and
the data itself. By clicking on the arrow next to the elevation layer, you can expand your
elevation toolbox and access several adjustable fields on the Elevation map, including the
range of values, color, and intensity.

Live Map
Live Map gives you the instant aerial insights you need to make better decisions in the
field, on the job site, and anywhere else you need to collect drone data. Utilizing this
feature unlocks real-time drone mapping on your iOS device, enabling instant analysis
and reporting. To enable, toggle the “Live Map HD” to on, on the flight planning screen.
During your mission, a live video feed will populate a map as your drone flies each leg.

Live Stream
Similar to Live Map, Live
Stream captures what the
drone is doing during flight
in the form of a secure real-
time video stream to team
members, decision-makers,
or emergency response units.
To begin, tap the “live stream”
icon on the left-hand side of
your screen. From here, click
“start a live stream.” A streaming
link will also appear, which you
can send to others for access.

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Side-by-Side Comparison
Comparing maps and map measurements to one another side-by-side can help you
visually track changes, detect issues and monitor stockpile quantities and slope stability
on a job site. The side-by-side tool in DroneDeploy makes it easy for you to do just that.

To enter the side-by-side comparison mode, click the “compare” button on the date
selector bar. You will see a slider appear in the middle of the screen, and two date
selectors appear in the top bar. The date on the left is for the “primary map,” while the
date on the right is for the “comparison map.” The primary map is the map that you had
been viewing when you entered the compare mode, and all of the annotations that you
see while in compare mode pertain to this primary map. By default, the comparison map
will be the map captured just prior to the primary map; however, you can change either
map selection by clicking on the forward and back arrows or the dates within the top
date selector bar.

Compare mode can be used to compare elevation, plant health, and other map layers
between two map dates. Any map layers that you select in the sidebar will appear on
both maps, provided that the necessary data is present in both maps. If, however, you
are trying to compare the digital terrain model on one map to another map that does not
have a digital terrain model, the layer on the comparison map will not appear.

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You can also use comparison mode to compare measurements on different dates.
Whenever you select a measurement while in compare mode, you will see two sets
of measurements in the sidebar – one set of measurements for the primary map,
and another set for the comparison map. This will allow you to compare volume
measurements, elevations, and even slopes and elevation profiles between map
dates. You can create new measurements while in side-by-side comparison mode, but
keep in mind that these measurements will only be saved to the primary map, not the
comparison map.

Additionally, our project design plan (CAD) overlays tool allows you to easily import,
overlay, and view design plans and utility maps on all maps in your DroneDeploy project.
This lets you quickly check progress against plan drawings, grading vs. actual elevation,
spotting health and safety issues, annotating delivery route planning, and many other use
cases. You can orient and overlay design plans, like CAD drawings, on top of your latest
drone map within a given project, allowing you to automatically overlay the same file on
all maps in that specific project. Viewing design plans in the latest drone map context
helps our customers share a project with larger teams, trusting that everyone will always
have access to the most recent data. To add overlays to your drone maps, follow these
steps.

Viewing overlays in the Elevation mode can provide many insights.

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1. Add Your PDF Drawing or PNG Image

Click the “add” button next to “project files,” and select a single-page PDF document or
PNG image with a transparent background.

2. Align Your Design Plan Overlay

Drag the two appearing markers to align the image using recognizable features on the
map or existing overlays.

3. Add Any Additional Overlays, If Necessary

Feel free to add multiple plans to the same map and show or hide different layers.

Terrain Awareness
Terrain awareness helps pilots achieve improved map quality over varied terrain with
equal resolution and a lower likelihood of holes at higher elevations. Put simply: terrain
awareness enables your drone to follow the terrain throughout the mapping flight.

You’re able to view terrain awareness next to the flight altitude indicator, as a slope-
like icon. The image will be blue when enabled, and grey when disabled. If we detect a
conflict while terrain awareness is disabled, it will show as red.

Once you tap into terrain awareness, you’ll see your drone’s projected path and elevation
as it follows the ground’s terrain profile. When terrain awareness is disabled, your chart
will still show you how your drone will fly in relation to the ground, and detect potential
conflicts. Additionally, the highest and lowest points will be marked.

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Volume
Volume measurement with DroneDeploy is an extremely fast, accurate, and cost-effective
method to analyze volumes on your maps from any device. User tests have found that,
when following best practices, DroneDeploy’s volume measurements are accurate within
1-2% of traditional ground-based laser measurements.

Below we’ll walk you through best practices when using the volumetric tool, what the
calculations mean, and how to provide feedback.

In order to define a volume to measure, you first need to select an area for which to
compute the volume. In the annotations toolbox, choose the “volume” icon. Now, adjust
and/or add points around the given stockpile for which you want to compute the volume.
Be sure to choose the appropriate base plane to ensure that you’re recording accurate
measurements. For a breakdown on each - linear fit, lowest point, and triangulated -
click here.

Example volumetric calculation. Units can be displayed in the Metric or Imperial system.

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3D Models
3D models are a great way to visualize the three-dimensionalities of your object of
interest. DroneDeploy’s enhanced 3D will combine perimeter 3D with crosshatch mode
for optimal 3D capture.

Perimeter 3D mode captures oblique images from the perimeter of your mission plan,
facing towards the center of your subject and being careful not to include the horizon
in the shots. To obtain even more obliques over your subject, you may want to add
crosshatch mode. This should typically be done when one wants a good 3D model of an
entire area or block as opposed to a single structure. For single-structure Nadir images
taken from the top with just perimeters, 3D is ideal.

When flying Perimeter 3D mode, the drone will take images at 65 degrees down, looking
towards the centroid of the map area. To enable, just toggle “enhanced 3D” on. After
you’ve created and received your 3D model, visualize it as a point cloud with thousands
of georeferenced data points by toggling “point cloud” on within the 3D model layer
button.

360 Walkthrough
As one of our newest product offerings, a 360 walkthrough can be created by uploading
a 360 video to DroneDeploy. Walkthroughs are a powerful feature that can be used to
virtually view your entire job-site, compare changes over time, and create issues and
reporting using the standard inspection tools. For a complete list of compatible cameras
and best practices, follow this link.

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Importing, Exporting, & Adding Data Layers
There are situations where you’d like to add even more context to your DroneDeploy
maps, often in the form of satellite images, walkthrough photos, or data layers. In this
section, you’ll find instructions on importing, exporting, and adding data in our most
popular use cases.

Importing
HOW TO ADD IMAGES TO YOUR MAP

To add images to an existing DroneDeploy


map, follow these steps.

1. Download Images to Your Computer

2. Open Your DroneDeploy Dashboard

Open the dashboard on a web browser versus


the mobile app. After locating the correct
project, view the map you’d like to add images
to. Select “explore” at the top of your screen,
then click the map details icon.

3. Press “Add More Images”

This will be in the “map images” section of your


map details window.

4. Select the New Images You’d Like to Upload

Once you’ve completed these steps, your


map will reprocess with your selected images.

HOW TO UPLOAD PRE-PROCESSED DATA

With GeoTIFF uploading, you can take pre-processed orthomosaic maps and upload
them into DroneDeploy so you can easily host, view and share those maps. To upload
your existing GeoTIFFs, navigate to the same “explore” section in your DroneDeploy
dashboard. From here, select “upload your GeoTIFF.” Note that maps processed from
GeoTIFFs do not include elevation data, so certain features like volume measurements,
3D modeling and certain export types are not available.

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Exporting
HOW TO EXPORT YOUR DATA

We want to make it easy to incorporate your DroneDeploy data with your existing
workflows. To help with this, we’ve built a fantastic export tool to get you the data that
you need. Our Pro, Business, and Enterprise customers can export all DroneDeploy layers
in a few different formats, depending on their role. All exports are accessed in the same
way, but please note that some layers are more customizable than others.

To export your data:

1. Press the “Export” Option on the Bottom Left of Your Side Data Panel

2. Input the Email Addresses You’d Like to Receive a Download Link

3. Select the Layer You’d Like to Export

4. Choose Your Correct File Type

5. Press “Export”

Once we’ve generated the export layers, an email will arrive in your inbox with a secure
link to download your data. The export process is usually complete within a few minutes
but may take longer for extensive maps.

Note that you also have the ability to export into other projection systems, adjust
resolution, or enable auto exports.

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HOW TO IMPORT YOUR DATA TO ANOTHER SOFTWARE

Once you have downloaded your exported data, you may


want to load it into another piece of software for further
analysis. While most of our exports are in commonly-used
formats, the import process can be complex for some
pieces of software, so we’ve made some how-to guides
to explain the process here. QGIS, ArcGIS, AutoCAD, and
more are supported.
Step 1

Adding
HOW TO ADD WEB LAYERS

Our supported web layers include ArcGIS Feature Server,


ArcGIS Map Server, and Tile Template URLs. To add web
layers, review the steps below.

1. Create an App Within ArcGIS

If you haven’t already, create an app with ArcGIS here. Be


sure to enable authentication!
Step 2

2. Add the DroneDeploy Redirect URL to Your App

3. Copy the Client/App ID


Now, when you add a layer in DroneDeploy, select “Oauth”
as the authentication mechanism, and enter the client ID.

4. Sign in with Your ArcGIS Credentials Step 3

Note that every user who wants to use this layer will have
to sign in with their ArcGIS account.

Step 4

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HOW TO VIEW PLANT HEALTH LAYERS

Plant health is a tool specifically targeted towards agriculture users. The primary
purpose of the plant health layer is to allow you to explore your agricultural data even
more deeply. You can adjust the contrast to highlight variability within a field. Once you
have identified the relevant plant health ranges, the thresholding tool lets you quantify
damage and predict yields by showing the area w ​ ithin a specific range.

To get started, make sure you are on the map view rather than the model view, then click
on the plant health button on the map page’s side panel. This will update the panel on the
left to show a histogram of the data and the data itself. If you click the arrow next to plant
health, you can explore the plant health toolbox.

In opening the Plant Health toolbar, the panel on the left side becomes populated
with an adjustable histogram and other plant health options. You can also choose the
appropriate color for band order on the vegetation index that is specific to your camera
filter. We can also select a different algorithm (better suited to different crop varieties) by
clicking the dropdown in the top left.

Your plant health map may be as detailed as a few centimeters per pixel. Management
zones make the highly detailed agricultural maps into more manageable datasets by
grouping similar regions (either geographically or visually) within a field. Categorizing
your area of interest according to a range of values can lead to a better understanding
of overall crop health. To enable zone management, follow these instructions.

1. Press the Arrow Next to Your Plant Health Layer

This will expand your plant health toolbar, giving you more options.

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2. Toggle the Grid On

The grid option converts the NDVI


map into square pixels of roughly
50 ft.

3. Turn Zones On

This tool turns your map into three


regions. You can tune the range
of index values according to your
crop or requirements by moving
the blue dots on the slider. This
should be done in conjunction with
ground-truthing to ensure that the
results are consistent with what’s
happening in the field.

4. Enabling Both Grids & Zones

When selecting both zone and grid


options, you receive a grid of three
zones. Again, you can tune this
range under the histogram to reflect
the correct crop and variability.

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HOW TO VIEW MULTIPLE LAYERS

After you upload your imagery to DroneDeploy, our powerful processing software removes
distortion and stitches individual photos together to create geo-referenced mosaics. Once
your map is completed, you’re able to view different layers, such as the orthomosaic,
elevation, and plant health layers.

You’ve probably already seen that your data is divided into two major sections: the map
and the model. Your map section displays the different 2D layers of your map, which you
can turn on and off. This includes the orthomosaic, which is always on, and the plant
health and elevation layers, which you can move. The model section, when selected, will
display your 3D model.

With the ability to see both the Elevation layer and the plant health layer we can contextualize our map better.

You can think of the 2D orthomosaic map as a birds-eye view of your area of interest.
This view is selected when no other layers are displayed.

In turning on the plant health layer, customers can explore agricultural data. With the
plant health layer selected, click on the arrow to its right for more plant health tools.
After clicking on that arrow, you enter the advanced plant health screen, giving you
more information such as a histogram, filter types, and algorithm settings. If you scroll
further down this panel, you can find an opacity slider that will allow you to change the
transparency of this layer. If you would like to show more of another layer, for example,
you would want to use the slider to lower the opacity of this layer.

The elevation layer provides the digital surface model information used to measure and
understand the elevations of your map. Just like in the plant health layer, if you click the
arrow to expand to the elevation panel, you will have more tools to access and change
the opacity. With the ability to turn on multiple layers simultaneously and the ability to
change opacity, users can view multiple layers at once. In doing so, you’ll be better able to
contextualize your data visually.

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Exploring the App Market
The App Market enables businesses to extend the power of DroneDeploy by installing
3rd party applications built by domain experts on the DroneDeploy platform to gain
deeper and more specialized insights into their business operations. These apps, tightly
integrated into the DroneDeploy platform, are available on all supported devices and
augment flight planning, logging, data analysis, and data syncing with common
industry software.

All About the App Market: An Overview


To view the App Market, first log in to your DroneDeploy account and then click on the
hamburger menu at the top left-hand corner of the screen. Once the menu shows, click
on “apps.” On the next screen, you’ll find “all apps” on the left, which contains the
complete list of apps available on our market. You can filter and search for apps.
“Installed” will show the apps you currently have installed on your profile. “Developer”
contains the tools and settings to help you develop your own app – if you’d like to.

To install an application, select the app. The app will open in the sidebar with a more
detailed summary and an “install” button located at the bottom. Click the install button.
Your app will install and be ready to use!

Installing Organization-Wide Apps


As an organization admin, you can install apps
from the App Market for yourself, as well as
every user associated with your organization.
You can do this in just a few clicks.

First, select the App Market icon from the top of


your DroneDeploy dashboard. Find the app you
would like to install either using the search bar or
scrolling through the apps list. You can also
select the filter next to the search bar magnifying
glass to view the list of apps by either your industry or use case. Select the app you
would like to install and click “install for my organization.” Users will now see the new app
in their list of installed apps.

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Let’s Generate A Report
In this section, you’ll find our most popular reporting tools and how to utilize them.

Annotations Reports
DroneDeploy’s PDF annotation report lets you create printable or sharable PDF
documents of your drone maps, helpful when collaborating or reporting. After making
your annotations, generate the report by navigating to the “report” section at the top of
your screen and selecting the “view” option. This will open up the annotations report and
a list of sharing options, including a view-only link, send to printer selection, and PDF
saving choices.

An example map with annotations marked.

Enhanced Progress Reports


Enhanced progress reports are automatically generated with project media for specific
dates under the reports tab. They are filed under “progress reports.”

Each media element has a customizable caption. This report is easy to share via email,
share link, PDF, or invitation.

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This report gives project stakeholders an interactive, compelling view of the progress of a
project. No more long hours are needed to compile different media links to share with
stakeholders. It’s all available right here in one place! Use this report to update clients,
owners, managers, and executives on any DroneDeploy project.

Issue & Inspection Reports


Easily share the results of your inspection with your team by automatically generating an
inspection report. The inspection report includes the map locations of all of the issues
tagged so that workers can quickly find where each issue is and view close-up imagery of
all of the issue details they need to address.

To view the inspection report, go to the “report” section, and you’ll see a printable
description of all of the issues created for that project. The issues report is available in
the report section within a project or the reports section of your exports tab for single
maps. This includes a PDF file of your map, table of issues, sharing, co-branding,
and more.

Stockpile Reports
DroneDeploy’s stockpile reports allow you to create printable or shareable PDF
documents of your stockpiles, including the material they are made of and the value of
the amount of material within your map.

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First, identify the materials that you have on site. This material may be a general type
of material (for example, topsoil, gravel, or sand) or a particular product type. These
materials will be used to organize and summarize your stockpiles and calculate your
inventory’s total mass and value. You can create a material by making a volume
measurement and clicking the “material” dropdown, and selecting “new material.”

Then select “new material” and enter the name, density, and value of the material. A color
for that material will be selected by default, but you can still click on the color to pick
a different one or not associate a specific color with that material. The material you’ve
created will then be associated with that volume measurement. You can repeat the
process to add more materials.

Once you have created a material, you can repeatedly reuse it to label other stockpiles
at that location or other locations. Every material you have created will appear in the
materials dropdown list, and you can select it when making your volume measurement.
When finished, all stockpiles on your map will be labeled with the appropriate material.

Volumes that have been assigned materials will appear in a new stockpile report, which
summarizes the total amount and value of each type of material on-site for a particular
map date. To get to the report, go to the “report” tab, and select “stockpile report.” From
there, you can view, print, share or export the raw data from your report. The report
includes a map of the project with stockpiles represented in different colors based upon
their material. If you want to export the raw values from your report (in order to format
them in your own custom report or input them into other systems), you can use the “CSV”
button to download them.

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Customizing Your Reports
Shortly after uploading your progress photos, either wirelessly or on desktop, you’ll have
the ability to edit your reports.

Customize the report title, report description, and photo captions to personalize your
report. Automatically save edits when you click out of the text box or press the tab key
on your keyboard. If you have a business or enterprise account, your company logo will
appear in the top right corner of your report.

Should you need to change the image order, simply click into the image and use the blue
directional buttons to move the image in the order you would like. As always, you can
share or print your report using the same functionality.

SIMPLE DATA SHARING CAPABILITIES

What good is data if you can’t share it? If you’ve read this manual cover-to-cover, we’re
betting you already know how to share projects by now. If you’ve jumped ahead, we’ve
got you covered here.

How to Share Projects


There are two ways to share data within a
project. You can share the entire project with
a named collaborator, or you can share an
individual map or report within a project using a
share link.

The best way to share a project with someone


is to add them as a member of your project
team. A member of the project team will be
able to view all project data, receive updates when new maps are added to the project,
and interact with the data according to their organization role or plan type. This type of
sharing is ideal for members of your organization – and even subcontractors and clients
– that want access to all maps and reports for a project.

You can add someone to a project team by clicking the “Team” button from within your
project and entering their email address. We will then send an email to that person,
inviting them to view your project. If you have a list of users you’d like to invite to a
project, add to your invite list by separating users with a comma, semicolon, or space.
Your new teammate(s) will see an email inviting them to your project. Once they click the
link in the email, they will also see the project appear on their dashboard.

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Another way to share project data is to share a view-only link to an individual map date.
This is an excellent way to share data with clients and other stakeholders who want to
see the latest data but don’t need to edit and do not want to login to DroneDeploy. You
can share a link to a map by navigating to the share button at either the bottom of the
sidebar or the “share” button on the main header’s top right. On the share page, copy the
view-only link and send it whomever you like.

If the person viewing the shared link is not logged in to DroneDeploy, they will see a basic,
view-only version of the individual map you shared and see the option to sign up or log in.
If the person viewing the shared link is logged in, they will see a basic, interactive view of
the individual map you shared and be able to view layers and make measurements and
exports according to the permissions allowed by their subscription or organization role.

How to Organize Data with Folders


Tired of scrolling through dozens, or even hundreds, of maps and plans to find what
you’re looking for? Wish you could group them by client, stage, or even fiscal quarter?
Want to be able to keep all maps of a site in one place and easily share the whole
collection with your team? Now you can use folders in your DroneDeploy dashboard to
help keep your data organized.

Creating a folder is easy: just click or tap on the plus sign of the folder icon. Then, give
your folder a name and click the checkmark to save it. Now your folder should be on
the dashboard, ready to be edited, shared, deleted, or converted into a project. Once in
a folder, you can create a project or upload your images directly to the folder to create a
map. You can also move maps that are outside of your folder to the folder you specify.

How to Share Folders


Sharing a folder is a great way to easily share all maps related to a project with all
teammates that need access, rather than individually sharing each map with each
person. Even better, once a folder has been shared, all users will see any added and
shared maps. That means that if you create new maps for a project and put them in a
folder, everyone who has access to the folder will automatically get access to the maps
without the need to reshare.

To share a folder, click the three-dot menu to the right of the folder and select “share,” or
click on the folder to open it and tap the share icon at the top of the screen. Then, enter
the email address of the user with whom you’d like to share. We will send that user an
email with a link to view the folder.

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ENTERPRISE-ONLY: PERSONALIZED SUPPORT

We offer tailored support for our enterprise clients. While the topics mentioned in this
section are only available to our enterprise customers, reach out to your customer
success manager to either determine or up your eligibility.

Creating an Organization
A DroneDeploy organization allows you to manage user roles and permissions of
members on your team. You can also share individual or groups of maps and missions,
allowing access to DroneDeploy data on a need-to-know basis with members of your
organization. Creating an Organization on DroneDeploy gives you the power to manage
projects and collaborate more effectively. By sharing high-resolution, on-demand maps
and 3D models, you can keep projects on track and review data collectively, while keeping
key stakeholders up to speed at all times.

To create an organization, navigate to the “preferences” option within your DroneDeploy


sidebar. Then click “create” in the organization section. Once your organization is created,
the “create” link will update to “manage.” Select the “manage” option to proceed to naming
your organization and adding your company logo.

Adding & Removing Members to an Organization


To add members to your organization, select “preferences” in your DroneDeploy sidebar.
After selecting “manage,” choose the “user” tab in the sidebar of the next page. Navigate
to the top of this page and select “add user via email.” Once you’ve submitted their
emails, the newly-invited user will now appear as registered under your organization. You
can further customize the user’s experience by adding their role.
Removing a member from your organization will downgrade their account to our free
“explorer” plan. They will no longer have the advanced annotation or analysis features, nor
will they be able to process and export map data. Any maps they made while a member
of the organization will be transferred to the organization owner. They will no longer see
any maps owned by your organization. To do this, please go to “settings” and click on the
“manage” button for your organization. Click on the “users” section to display usernames
on the left. The “remove” button is on the right-hand side of each row.

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Setting up Single Sign-On (SSO)
SSO makes it easier for administrators to manage user access to different software
securely. If someone joins or leaves your organization, an administrator can add or
remove them with your identity provider. They will then automatically gain or lose access
to any software that requires SSO rather than separately managing access across many
different software platforms. Using SSO also benefits individual users because you won’t
need to remember a new password for your DroneDeploy account – you can simply log
in using SSO as you would for other software you use within your organization.

DroneDeploy supports Single Sign-On with most identity providers, including Google,
Active Directory, LDAP, SAML, and many others. Each of these connections creates a
different workflow, some more complicated than the others. Depending on these factors,
SSO can take some time to implement. Please connect with your account manager or
our support team to discuss your connection options.

Once you have implemented SSO for your organization, users in this account will be
asked to use Single Sign-On. Simply choose the Single Sign-On option at the bottom
of the login screen. Then, enter your email address. If already logged in via your
organization’s identity provider, you will be directed straight to DroneDeploy. If not, you
will be required to login with your identity provider to confirm your credentials.

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DroneDeploy Steps for Success:
Tips From our Experts
To wrap up this manual, we’d like to share some tips from our experts. For even more
learning opportunities, access some of our on-demand webinars on topics ranging from
construction trends to conducting solar inspections to generating the correct NDVI map
for your field.

How to Improve the Accuracy & Quality of Your Drone Maps


At DroneDeploy, we define a good map as having 99%+ coverage of the area of interest,
high data quality, and fast delivery – but on occasion, you may see holes (unstitched
regions) in your map. This could be caused by several factors, including motion blur,
unfocused cameras, photos taken at low altitude, and even more complex issues. To
combat this, the #1 solution we recommend is to adjust your flight settings. Here, under
“advanced settings,” you can choose from various options to further enhance your flight.
Flying higher, modifying your flight path, increasing side or front overlays, and setting the
maximum drone speed are all viable options depending on your flight plan. For a detailed
look at improving the quality of your maps, review our support documentation.

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How to Get DroneDeploy Certified
Our DroneDeploy Certification is a focused set of curriculum accessed in DroneDeploy
Academy. Once all classes and quizzes have been completed, students receive their
certification. These certifications are specified for three different roles in a drone
program: the pilot, analyst, or administrator. Completing your respective certification
indicates that you have a thorough understanding of DroneDeploy, aviation safety, the
value of drone data in your industry, and how you contribute to your drone program’s
success.

If you need to learn how to use drones and DroneDeploy, getting DroneDeploy certified is
the easiest way. We carefully select relevant courses for each certification to provide all
the knowledge you need and minimize unrelated material. Even if you are familiar with
DroneDeploy, we’ve included many tips, best practices, and additional use cases that may
help you see more value from your investment. Each certification takes between 5 - 8
hours and are valid for 12 months. You must renew certifications every year.

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Your Call to Action
DroneDeploy is transforming the physical world into the digital.

As the leading enterprise-grade site reality platform, our software converts job sites,
structures, and assets into easy-to-understand digital representations, generating
valuable insights for industries including construction, energy, and agriculture. Through
mapping, 3D modeling, analysis, and reporting, we provide a detailed and accurate digital
replica of any asset, enabling our customers to take action to save time and lower
unforeseen costs.

By making site reality accessible and valuable to everyone, we’re changing the way
businesses collect, manage, and interpret visual data. Trusted by brands globally, our
platform makes it possible for companies of any size to improve their operational
workflows through scalable image processing, deep-analysis, and real-time collaboration.

No matter the industry, no matter the location, no matter the altitude, DroneDeploy
ensures you get the complete view of your operations, quickly, accurately, and without
compromise.

If you haven’t already started your free trial, contact us today.

DroneDeploy is the leading enterprise-grade site reality platform. Trusted by brands globally, our software converts
job sites, structures, and assets into easy-to-understand digital representations, generating valuable insights for
industries including construction, energy, and agriculture. Through mapping, 3D modeling, analysis, and reporting, we
provide a detailed and accurate digital replica of any asset, enabling our customers to take action, save time, and lower
unforeseen costs.

© 2021 DroneDeploy DroneDeploy’s


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