Thought I'd put up a post about Drone Deploy and Hive Mapper. This is not a review, just my observations of these two apps.
Drone Deploy stitches together many photos and creates both an overhead 2D view as well as a 3D model that the user can move around and look at from different angles. Right now it's in open beta. The app brings up a map on the device and the user draws out the area that they want to map. The user can also set the altitude at which the drone flies. The app then does a _lot_ of checks before taking off. I _think_ it might also check the height of the object being flown over and adjusts it's flight altitude but I'm not 100% sure about this. The drone then takes off, points the camera down and flies a grid in order to capture many photos of the desired area. It then flies back and lands. If the user wants a better 3D image you need to fly on your own and obtain photos from an angle. I used the P3's POI flight mode to have the Phantom fly around the object while I used the camera to obtain more photos. A great use of the POI feature.
I'll link to the 3D image I took of the Rio Tinto Stadium where the Salt Lake Real play soccer. It's _not_ a great capture as it was my first full scale model and it also has a complicated exterior and interior.
DroneDeploy - Simple Fast Drone Software for Business
The second app I want to mention is Hive Mapper. If you don't have this app loaded on your device, you _NEED_ to get it! It brings up a map and they have the heights of many structures loaded. It can really help when flying. You can fly using this app and it will give you a warning when you get near an object but I don't use this feature. I the app in the field to check the height of nearby structures. In the case of the Rio Tinto Stadium, it's 97'. I flew at 150' when capturing photos. Hive Mapper really gives you some peace of mind when flying around structures. I think it could also go a long way if you explain to other people that you take this precaution. Let me mention that Hive Mapper's online map is not as useful. The app itself is far better.
Hivemapper | 3D map for drone fliers
Rio Tinto Stadium:
1446924750_TODDINSPIRE by DroneDeploy - 3D model
Drone Deploy stitches together many photos and creates both an overhead 2D view as well as a 3D model that the user can move around and look at from different angles. Right now it's in open beta. The app brings up a map on the device and the user draws out the area that they want to map. The user can also set the altitude at which the drone flies. The app then does a _lot_ of checks before taking off. I _think_ it might also check the height of the object being flown over and adjusts it's flight altitude but I'm not 100% sure about this. The drone then takes off, points the camera down and flies a grid in order to capture many photos of the desired area. It then flies back and lands. If the user wants a better 3D image you need to fly on your own and obtain photos from an angle. I used the P3's POI flight mode to have the Phantom fly around the object while I used the camera to obtain more photos. A great use of the POI feature.
I'll link to the 3D image I took of the Rio Tinto Stadium where the Salt Lake Real play soccer. It's _not_ a great capture as it was my first full scale model and it also has a complicated exterior and interior.
DroneDeploy - Simple Fast Drone Software for Business
The second app I want to mention is Hive Mapper. If you don't have this app loaded on your device, you _NEED_ to get it! It brings up a map and they have the heights of many structures loaded. It can really help when flying. You can fly using this app and it will give you a warning when you get near an object but I don't use this feature. I the app in the field to check the height of nearby structures. In the case of the Rio Tinto Stadium, it's 97'. I flew at 150' when capturing photos. Hive Mapper really gives you some peace of mind when flying around structures. I think it could also go a long way if you explain to other people that you take this precaution. Let me mention that Hive Mapper's online map is not as useful. The app itself is far better.
Hivemapper | 3D map for drone fliers
Rio Tinto Stadium:
1446924750_TODDINSPIRE by DroneDeploy - 3D model
