Equipment Considerations
Equipment Considerations
When it comes to choosing which drone you will use for your mapping missions, there are many options. In general, there are a few things you want to look out for to find an optimal drone for your mapping needs.
- First, you need to make sure the drone captures GPS tagged photos. Most consumer drones do this, but it is a must for your mapping missions.
- Second, you will want to consider the megapixels the drone captures. We recommend that the drone captures at least 12 megapixel photos. Now the more megapixels that the camera has, the lower your GSD (Ground Sampling Distance) will be, which is a good thing! It means that the space between individual pixels is reduced which makes for more accurate maps. (We will discuss GSD in a later lesson.)
- Last, you will want to consider if your drone is compatible with drone automation software such as Drone Deploy or DroneLink. At the end of the day, as long as your drone has GPS tagged photos, you can manually create a map. However, it is much easier, and more efficient with the help of these automation softwares. Our course also will help you learn how to make maps with Drone Deploy, but the same principles can apply to most, if not all, automation software.
Below is a list of some drones that we recommend, but please know that this is not a comprehensive list. That means, there may be other drones that are not on this list that will do the job. We just wanted to give you some ideas to get started.
Different Options
(Last Updated 7/1/23)
The Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is one of the best options on the market. It has a mechanical shutter which means the camera records all of the lines of the frame almost simultaneously, instead of line-by-line. This means your maps will be more accurate. It is compatible with Drone Deploy and shoots 20MP photos.
The Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom are two great options. They are very easy to transport because of their unique folding design. The are both compatible with Drone Deploy and the Mavic 2 Pro shoot 20MP photos while the Mavic 2 Zoom shoot 12MP photos.
The Mavic 3 is an excellent new drone, and it shoots 20 MP photos. However, the drone is not yet compatible with Drone Deploy or DroneLink yet. They are working closely with DJI to accomplish this, and as soon as it is available, the Mavic 3 will be an excellent option for mapping. As I mentioned before, you can still use the Mavic 3 to create maps manually, but we will not cover that in this course.
The Mavic 3 Enterprise series is very similar to the Mavic 3, but they have some extra features. You can learn more about them at the above link, but they are both compatible with Drone Deploy and they shoot 20MP photos.
The Mavic Air is a small drone that really packs a punch. It shoots 12MP photos, and it is an effective drone that is on the lower end of the cost spectrum. We used the Mavic Air to capture one of the maps in this course, so we can confirm that it will do the job. It is compatible with Drone Deploy as well.
The Mavic Air 2 is a small upgrade from the Mavic Air in terms of quality and it is compatible with Drone Deploy and DroneLink. It shoots 12MP photos. We briefly go over DroneLink in this course, as it is another excellent automation software that you can use.
The Mavic Air 2 is a small upgrade from the Mavic Air 2 in terms of quality and it is compatible with DroneLink. It shoots 20MP photos.
These tiny drones really pack a punch. While they are the smallest and simplest drones that DJI has to offer, they are now compatible with DroneLink for flight automation, which means you can create maps even with a drone that can fit in your pocket. They both shoot 12MP photos.
This new mini drone is an excellent drone that captures 48MP photos. It is not yet compatible with Drone Deploy but it is now compatible with DroneLink.
The Inspire 2 drone is one of the more expensive options. It does not come with a camera, so you would have to purchase that separately, but it is compatible with Drone Deploy.
The Skydio 2 is another drone that is compatible with Drone Deploy and takes 12MP photos.
Recap
As we mentioned before, this is NOT a comprehensive list. If you have a drone that is not on here, it does not mean that you can't do mapping with our course. We just wanted to recommend a few options without overwhelming you as well. Although most of these drones are DJI, it doesn't mean you must have a DJI drone to make maps. But, as of 2023, DJI is the company that has the most drones that are compatible with Drone Deploy and DroneLink.
Something else you want to keep in mind is that you do NOT have to spend a fortune to get a drone that can make maps. If you already have one of these drones and you are not really looking to buy a new one, that is perfectly fine! We are not suggesting that you have to go buy a new drone. However, if you do not have a drone and are going to be buying one, then buy the highest quality camera... that you can afford. As we mentioned, ALL of these drones can make maps, so don't break the bank, but get the drone that will work for YOU and your mapping goals!