Drone Aerial Imaging for Mapping, Surveying and Photogrammetry Masterclass
Drone Aerial Imaging Masterclass for Mapping, Surveying and Photogrammetry
Drone Aerial Imaging for Mapping, Surveying and Photogrammetry Masterclass
Drone Aerial Imaging Masterclass for Mapping, Surveying and Photogrammetry
We’re the UK’s leading training provider in Drone Aerial Imaging for
Commercial Mapping, Surveying and Photogrammetry applications.
Topographic surveying with UAVs isn’t as simple as just putting the drone in the air to grab some images and uploading them into any photogrammetry processing application! Not only is it vital to have the right UAV and sensing capabilities employed in topographic mapping and surveying but by not having an informed understanding on how to utilise them will result in poorly produced and inaccurate geospatial datasets regardless of what photogrammetry software would be utilised.
Although you don't need to be a surveyor to provide drone mapping services, you need to understand photogrammetry and how that relates to land surveying and be able to apply that knowledge in the practical collection and processing of data. To competently provide for high-end markets, training is an essential element to know HOW to produce those geospatial deliverables that clients expect and demand - this is professionally instructed on our industry-leading ‘Phase 2’ UAV business development training course.
Since 2017, ARC Aerial Imaging has been delivering this highly-regarded Masterclass in Drone Aerial Imaging for Mapping, Surveying and Photogrammetry to a broad spectrum of UAV operators and entities who’ve up-skilled their current services within the specialism of commercial mapping, surveying and photogrammetry applications with drones.
Instructed by an accredited tutor who has 30 years of specialist subject matter knowledge, this 3-day course covers the important fundamentals and principles of aerial imaging to enhance commercial UAV operators’ knowledge in mapping with drones by understanding how to accurately plan and collate this imaging form from various drone platforms and digital sensing in order to produce survey compliant geospatial products with photogrammetry and GIS applications through classroom and practical-based learning.
Frequently Asked Questions.
What are the prerequisites for the course?
Ownership of a compatible drone is desirable in order to undertake the mapping practical element of the course and attendees are required to have a an A2 CofC/GVC and appropriate insurance in place.
If attendees do not have the above in place this will not preclude their course attendance as we have applicable and practical training workarounds in place.
Who is this course for?
Perhaps the largest growing sector within the drone industry and it’s one where you have the potential to specialise and charge higher rates for your expertise. This course is designed for individual commercial drone operators to corporate drone-operating entities who are seeking to up-skill and expand their current service offerings by including mapping, surveying and photogrammetry applications with drones to a high degree of confidence and to high service standards that are demanded by clients.
Will it enable me to become a surveyor and what will I be able to do after this course?
No! Upon completion of the course, attendees will not qualify as surveyors (this is not that type of course and there are more formal training pathways to become one) but will be equipped with a thorough understanding of UAV aerial imaging including the knowledge and planning skills gained in order to be able to confidently conduct enhanced aerial imaging acquisitions for undertaking commercial mapping, surveying and photogrammetry taskings and be of a highly-capable supportive service to those surveying entities
The fact that this course has also been instructed to a number of chartered surveyors who have had little/no previous knowledge of aerial imaging, this acquired understanding has enhanced their own commercial topographic surveying-related work accompanied with the use of UAVs and is testament to the quality of this course.
Do I need prior knowledge?
No prior knowledge of mapping, surveying or photogrammetry is required - attendees can be absolute beginners to experienced surveying professionals that would be utilising drones in their workflows and this broad audience spectrum will still be able to understand the information that will be conveyed and delivered by a highly-knowledgeable and experienced tutor.
Not restricted to specific types of drone platforms, planning software or photogrammetry processing applications, this comprehensive training course can be delivered in its 3-day format at its venues or it can be brought to your team at its business premises which will enable your services to fully maximise the commercial benefits that mapping, surveying and photogrammetry can bring to its drone operations. Furthermore it can also be instructed via a virtual classroom online and on an ad-hoc, one-to-one training basis.
Training Venues and Dates
South Yorkshire
(Sheffield)
North Yorkshire
(Saltburn-By-The-Sea)
15th - 17th May 2024 - ONLY 4 SPACES AVAILABLE
17th - 19th July 2024 - SPACES AVAILABLE
18th - 20th September 2024 - SPACES AVAILABLE
13th - 15th November 2024 - SPACES AVAILABLE
8th - 10th July 2024 (TBC) - SPACES AVAILABLE
11th - 13th September 2024 (TBC) - SPACES AVAILABLE
To attend this course on these dates and at this venue, please contact Iproserv directly via their contact page.
Cambridgeshire
(Littleport)
19th - 21st June 2024 - SPACES AVAILABLE
16th - 18th October 2024 - SPACES AVAILABLE
To attend this course on these dates and at this venue, please contact Sky Revolutions directly via their Academy webpage.
Course Applicable Drones
It’s important to utilise the appropriate UAV platforms types and sensing towards topographic-related mapping and surveying. Below are those UAVs and sensors that are compatible to use during the practical mapping/surveying element of the course:
DJI Inspire 1 (X3 or X5 cameras)
DJI Inspire 2 (X4S or X5S cameras)
DJI Matrice 100 (X3 camera)
DJI Matrice 200/210 (X4S or X5S cameras)
DJI Matrice M300/M350 (P1 camera)
DJI Matrice M30
Autel Evo II Series
Autel Evo Pro Series
Autel Evo Max 4T
Parrot Anafi
Parrot Anafi AI
Yuneec H520E (E90X camera)
Yuneec H850/H850-RTK (E90X camera)
AgEagle eBee/eBee X/eBee Geo
Wingtra One (Gen I/Gen II)
DJI Phantom 3 Standard
DJI Phantom 3 Advanced
DJI Phantom 3 Pro
DJI Phantom 4 Standard
DJI Phantom 4 Advanced
DJI Phantom 4 Pro
DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2
DJI Phantom 4 Multispectral
DJI Phantom RTK
DJI Mavic Pro
DJI Mavic 2 Pro
DJI Mavic 2 Zoom
DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise
DJI Mavic 3 Classic (DJI RC/DJI RC Pro)
DJI Mavic 3 Pro (DJI RC/DJI RC Pro)
DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise
DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral
Based on that the SDK (Software Development Kit) has not been released for the DJI Mini series, Mavic Air 2/Air 2S/Air 3 and the Mavic 3 (Cine) drone for third-part mapping planning apps/software, these drones will not be compatible to use for the semi-autonomous mapping/surveying practical exercises during this course.
Course Training Fees
Venue-Held Training (North Yorkshire) - £495
The course's LOW TRAINING fee is inclusive of the following:
Various Drone Mapping Mission Planning Spreadsheets;
Imaging Processing and Geospatial Analysis Software;
Reference Guides;
A ‘Certificate of Attendance’ towards continuous professional and business development;
An 80% price discount offer on professional photogrammetry software;
All day refreshments.
PLEASE NOTE - This is not a residential course and accommodation will need to be individually sought for by attendees.
Online Training - £395
Although instructing a specialised course is still best delivered in-person to audiences at a training venue, it could also be delivered through an online ‘virtual classroom’ without compromising the high degree of this course’s learning if three consecutive days away from the office is not possible. As a flexible training option we can accommodate this format of training to fit around those busy diaries.
Virtual attendees will still receive the same amount of comprehensive learning and course materials as the in-person venue hosted course however the practical drone mapping exercises won’t be undertaken. If you think this training would be of benefit by having it being instructed in this bespoke way, initially get in touch with your specific training requirements via our contact webpage.
North Yorkshire Course or Online Training Booking Form
Booking is acceptance of our Course Terms and Conditions
Bringing this course to your in-house team of UAV operatives.
If your business or organisation is utilising drones in its operations and are seeking to continually develop its services and staff professional development, ARC Aerial Imaging can also bring this course to that organisation's premises and for an all-inclusive set instructional fee thus saving it with staff disruption, time away and additional costs (travel, accommodation and subsistence) for this employee training.
The course is fully ‘deployable’ meaning that we can bring along our own visual presentation equipment should your organisation not have this available - all we’ll need is an appropriate room to deliver the course.
If you think this training would be of benefit by having it being instructed at your organisation and to its in-house team of UAV operations staff, get in touch with your specific training requirements and enquire about pricing via our contact webpage.
Could we instruct this industry-leading course on your training behalf..?
We’re always looking to collaborate/partner with other relevant training providers on an non-exclusive basis and welcome those expressions of interest. If this course interests your training organisation by having it included within its training portfolio, get in contact.
3 Day Training Schedule
3 Day Training Schedule
3 Day Training Schedule
3 Day Training Schedule
The course’s training schedule and comprehensive learning modules are based on its instructor’s own experienced surveying task management, planning methodologies, imaging acquisition techniques and workflow processes with UAVs.
Day 1
PM
AM
Drone Flight and Sensor Planning.
The ‘gist’ of Photogrammetry and what it needs from collators of digital aerial imaging.
Aerial stereoscopy and parallax.
Photogrammetric principles - what it needs from digital aerial imaging.
How SfM photogrammetry works - the ‘data pipeline’.
Limitations of photogrammetry.
Managing mapping and surveying tasks.
Planning UAV aerial imaging mapping flights - the ‘imagery intelligence’ workflow cycle.
The UAV - correctly planning semi-autonomous UAV aerial imaging mapping flights.
The Sensor - applying the correct sensor settings for accurate and high radiometric quality of aerial imaging acquisitions.
Other UAV Sensors - Infrared, Multispectral and LiDAR sensing planning.
Site specific planning – understanding the operating environment and weather.
Hardware - using the correct onboard imaging storage media.
Fundamentals and Principles of Drone Aerial Imaging.
Types of drones for mapping, surveying and photogrammetry uses.
Types of UAV aerial sensors - Passive and Active (RGB, Infrared, Multispectral, LiDAR…).
Typical geospatial product outputs produced from aerial imaging.
Digital sensing and Imaging Bit Depth.
Components of an aerial sensor.
Aerial imaging formats.
Lenses and focal lengths.
Types of sensor shutters.
Understanding aerial imagery fields of view (FoV).
Understanding spatial resolution - Ground Sampling Distance (GSD).
How to calculate imagery FoV and GSD with mathematical
formulae.What can affect FoV and GSD on nadir aerial imagery.
Improving aerial imaging GSD and using imagery FoV to commercial advantages.
Understanding imagery resolution and their interpretabilities.
Understanding other aerial imagery format resolutions.
Day 2
PM
AM
Drone Mapping and Surveying Practical Exercises.
Setting out on a site and establishing accurate point positioning information/recording ‘Ground Control Points’ (GCPs) with a survey-grade RTK GNSS.
Undertake pre-planned autopiloted mapping mission plan(s) to accurately collect aerial imagery.
Drone Mapping Planning, Apps and Software.
Planning aerial imaging acquisitions with semi-autonomous UAV flight software and apps.
Understanding their planning differences and uses for specific mapping and surveying-related tasks.
Creating and storing to a device a collection mission plan for ‘Drone Mapping and Surveying Practical Exercises’ (Day 2 - PM).
DAY 3
PM
AM
Achieving Survey Compliant Geospatial Accuracy.
Understanding survey precision and accuracy.
Correction methods - RTK and PPK.
Working with geographic coordinate reference systems.
Utilising known and accurate point positioning information (GCPs) with aerial imaging to rectify, control and create ‘survey-compliant’ outputs.
Quality Assurance.
The ‘sweet planning spot’ when undertaking topographic surveys with UAVs.
Photogrammetry Processing.
Common online/cloud-based drone imagery processing options.
Comparing their processing qualities (a case study) and their geospatial datasets.
Other imagery processing options – locally-installed software.
Imagery Collection Checks and Data Management.
Post UAV flight management steps - validating actual imaging collection with that of a planned-for collection.
Managing and organising aerial imagery collections.
Understanding the importance to check the collected imagery’s integrity (exposure, focus, collect overlaps…) before ingesting into any photogrammetry processing software.
Imagery metadata/EXIF checks and applying amendments using freely available desktop software.
Creating a basic ‘Imagery Collection Report’ to accompany collected aerial imagery.
Basic Mosaic and Orthomosaic Creation.
Using a freely available method to create a basic, ‘non-controlled’ aerial image mosaic.
Geo-referencing a mosaic using a GIS to create an orthomosaic.
Image Processing to Improve Photogrammetry.
Image radiometry and processing.
How to improve the quality of collected aerial imaging that could potentially improve the accuracy of processed geospatial datasets.
Course Testimonials
Course Testimonials
Course Testimonials
A small selection of what our past attendees have said about our
'Drone Aerial Imaging Masterclass for Mapping, Surveying and Photogrammetry Course'...
“Highly recommended...”
“Great course...”
“Exceeded expectations...”
“Highly recommended to anyone looking to expand their skill sets...”
“Highly recommend this course...”
“I’ve never absorbed so much information...”
“A fascinating course...”
“Filled in a good few gaps in my knowledge...”
“Highly recommend to anyone wanting to up their mapping game...”
“Great course and great tutor - informative, interesting and led to some actual paying jobs for me...”
“Andy really knows his stuff. To get a peek inside his head and benefit the knowledge he imparts is a privilege.
His aerial imaging knowledge is incredible. If you’re new to this, you’ll likely learn more than you expect...
It’s eye-opening education. Truly.”
“The course is fantastic, highly detailed and Andy clearly has a wealth of experience and knowledge that he is only too happy to share.
This is the place to start if you want to get into this field!”
“Great course, it’s filled a lot of the gaps and questions I had from self learning...
Theory based knowledge and principles with the chance to put into practice not just focused on one particular application/workflow...
Backed up with support post course for those niggles you come across when out on your own.”
“Exceeded expectations...”
“Great course... great presentation.”
“Learnt so much...”
“The content and delivery were second to none...”
“Great course, such expert advice is unavailable via open source means...”
“Very informative...”
“The information that the instructor imparts is excellent, best money I have spent on any course...”
“The instructor’s breadth and knowledge of aerial imaging is superb and his experience is first rate, highly recommended...”
“I can definitely recommend it.”
“If you want to be the best in your field you need to learn from the best and these guys are definitely that”
“This is an excellent training course for anyone involved in the drone sector...
... Andy knows his stuff, is an enthusiastic presenter and delivers an excellent course.”
“I was blown away by the wealth of in depth knowledge provided by the course and to say that Andy is an expert on this subject would be an understatement.
If you are thinking about getting involved in drone mapping/surveying then in my opinion this course is a must.”
“Your course ticked all the boxes, thank you.”
“Comprehensive insight into aerial photogrammetry and analysis by a knowledgeable and experienced practitioner.”
“ I can unreservedly recommend this course to anyone who wants to do this the right way. It’s a lot to take in but you certainly can’t accuse Andy of leaving any stone unscanned!”
“Over the last 5 years I have gathered a not insignificant amount of knowledge in the field of Aerial Imaging and survey compliant datasets but even I was blown away with the experience.
The instructor created an open and engaging atmosphere from the beginning, pulling on his wealth of personal experience to support our learning.
By breaking down the very fundamentals of photography and their impacts on nearly every aspect of data capture, the instructor has developed an indispensable course for everyone regardless of prior knowledge.”
“Absolutely fantastic course, highly recommended!
Genuinely the best money I’ve spent in the last 5 years!”
“The course was perfect, very in-depth.”
“The exceptionally detailed course that is second to none...
A thoroughly detailed and engaging course with tonnes of great detail and examples that relates to his wealth of experience in the RAF...
If you are just starting out in the drone business and looking to have a really great understanding of the geospatial aspects of aerial imagery and how best to use it, you need to engage with this course.”
Advanced Mapping Planning with Litchi
Advanced Mapping Planning with Litchi Course
Advanced Mapping Planning with Litchi
Advanced Mapping Planning with Litchi Course
Advanced Mapping Planning with Litchi Course.
This additional and ‘bolt-on’ training course to our industry-leading ‘Drone Aerial Imaging Masterclass for Mapping, Surveying and Photogrammetry Course’ is aimed for those UAV operators that seek further full planning controls over their UAV survey flights and aerial imaging acquisitions by advancing from the standard mission planning apps to create semi-autonomous and terrain-following UAV flights for the collection of consistent aerial imaging FoVs and GSDs.
Primarily applied for automated creative aerial filming with drones, Litchi is often overlooked as a credible mapping planning alternative to dedicated mapping planning apps and this short online course neatly bridges the gap between those basic flight planning apps (‘DroneDeploy’, ‘Pix4DCapture’, ‘DJI GS Pro’…) and the more complex UAV flight mission planning software such as ‘UgCS’ and Ardupilot’s ‘Mission Planner.’
Furthermore, it can also be applied towards the accurate planning and acquisition of high-resolution imaging towards structural/facade mapping and for forensic structural imagery analysis and reporting purposes.
This course instructed on a one-to-one basis and is delivered in-person via online video conferencing means during one day’s (approximately 8 hours) training duration by an accredited tutor in its subject matter who has decades of planning knowledge and uses with various civil as well as military mission planning and imaging data acquisition applications.
Training Topics.
Part 1 (AM) - Understanding the Fundamentals of Aerial Imaging.
Digital Camera and Imaging Basics.
Components of an Aerial Sensor - The Detector Array.
Lenses and Focal Lengths.
Understanding aerial imagery Field of View (FoV).
Spatial Resolution - Ground Sampling Distance (GSD).
How to calculate imagery FoV and GSD with mathematical formulae.
What can affect FoV and GSD on nadir aerial imagery.
Terrain Following with Litchi for consistent imagery FoV and GSD.
Improving aerial imaging GSD.
Part 2 (AM) - UAV flight planning and imagery acquisition considerations.
The basics of Photogrammetry – Aerial Stereoscopy and Parallax.
Photogrammetric principles – what it needs from digital aerial imaging.
How photogrammetry works – understanding the ‘Data Pipeline’.
Limitations of photogrammetry.
UAV Altitudes and Flight Track Speeds;
Imagery overlaps for establishing correct collection leg distancing in Litchi;
Applying the correct camera/sensor settings for imagery capturing.
Part 3 (PM) - Planning a Mission with Litchi.
Overview of the Litchi desktop planning interface.
Understanding and applying its General and Mission settings in Litchi.
The Litchi app - setting sensor capturing settings.
Timed interval exposures/UAV flight track speeds/imagery overlaps.
Step-by-step walkthrough with the instructor to create a mapping planning mission.
Saving missions.
Viewing mission flight plans in Google Earth Pro for pre-flight assessments.
Exporting/sharing/opening mission flight plans with others.
Course Applicable Drones
DJI Mini
DJI Mini SE (Version 1 only)
DJI Mini 2
DJI Mini 3 (with ‘Litchi Pilot’ - Android devices only)
DJI Mini 3 Pro (with ‘Litchi Pilot’ - Android devices only)
DJI Mavic Air
DJI Mavic Air 2
DJI Mavic Air 2S
DJI Inspire 1 (X3 and X5 cameras)
DJI Inspire 2 (X4S and X5S cameras)
DJI Phantom 3 Standard
DJI Phantom 3 Advanced
DJI Phantom 3 Pro
DJI Phantom 4 Standard
DJI Phantom 4 Advanced
DJI Phantom 4 Pro
DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2
DJI Mavic Pro
DJI Mavic 2 Pro
DJI Mavic 2 Zoom
DJI Spark
Based on that the SDK (Software Development Kit) has not been released by DJI for the DJI Mini Mini 4 and the Mavic 3 (Classic, Pro and Cine) drones, these drones will not be compatible to use with Litchi or Litchi Pilot.
Price to remotely attend - only £195.
The course's LOW ONLINE fee is ASO inclusive of RECEIVING:
Drone Mapping Mission Planning Spreadsheets;
Mission planning software (Windows only).
Course Training Booking Form
Booking is acceptance of our Course Terms and Conditions
Metashape Pro Photogrammetry Training Course for UAV Mapping and Surveying
Agisoft Metashape
(Professional Edition) Photogrammetry Training for UAV Mapping and Surveying Course
Metashape Pro Photogrammetry Training Course for UAV Mapping and Surveying
Agisoft Metashape
(Professional Edition) Photogrammetry Training for UAV Mapping and Surveying Course
Coming soon for 2024...
From start to finish this pending course, which follows on from our market-leading ‘Drone Aerial Imaging Masterclass for Mapping, Surveying and Photogrammetry Course’ covers several key photogrammetry workflow steps on how to generate survey-compliant geospatial datasets with Agisoft Metashape (Professional Edition) photogrammetry processing software.
It is strongly recommended that attendees on this course would already have a previous and good understanding on how to plan and acquire high-quality UAV aerial imaging.