Processing products
ArcGIS Drone2Map turns drone images into highly detailed 2D and 3D products through the following general process:
Image adjustment—Images are added to an image collection and adjusted to their real world location using camera model and metadata information.
Analysis—Images are corrected for distortion and filtered, and stereo models are generated between neighbors.
Surface reconstruction—Products are generated as intermediate data and then output and written to the specified file format using any defined options.
Finalization—A report is generated that summarizes key details of the project, and any postprocessing corrections are applied.
The overall processing time of projects depends on the hardware in use, the type of images being processed, and the options enabled. Depending on the level of processing or reprocessing that is being performed, certain steps may not need to be run, allowing products to be generated faster.
Custom processing
When creating a project, a template is required that predefines processing options. Additional changes can be made to those options, such as enhancing processing times through hardware settings, adjusting the quality of output products, or generating products in new file formats. Custom templates can also be saved that will store preconfigured options and apply them to new projects when importing the template file during the creation of a project, saving any setup time and ensuring consistent results.
Additional processing methods
In addition to a variety of general processing options, processing tools can correct reconstruction issues or offer additional 2D or 3D products. They mainly fall into the following categories:
Preprocessing—Tools that target a specific area of interest and are configured before processing begins.
Project area—The processing boundary for output 2D or 3D products. Images outside of the boundary will still be used in the adjustment but will be excluded in the product generation steps. This helps cut down on excess processing of unnecessary areas.
Water body mask—A mask that is drawn over a water body and used to correct poor reconstruction by interpolating and smoothing the area. The mask’s geometry can be precise or coarse.
Correction features—A feature drawn in either 2D or 3D that helps to correct poor reconstruction or geometry issues, such as a facade of a building that appears bumpy or distorted.
Postprocessing—Tools that help modify or export additional 2D or 3D products.
Clip area—The shape boundary for clipping either 2D or 3D products.
Map notes—Point, line and polygon layers that can be created over 2D products to denote important information.
Open in ArcGIS Pro—Option to open projects directly in ArcGIS Pro.
Export raster—Advanced raster export capabilities that allow rasters to be output in most popular formats.
Create a tile package—Option to generate tile packages (
.tpkor.tpkx) for True Orthos or elevation products.
Reprocessing—Tool to iterate over previous processing options with new changes and reduced processing times.
Tile-based processing—Processing option that generates supported raster products as tiles that can be replaced if problematic reconstruction issues occur. Using tile-based processing reduces the need to restart processing.
Tie point options—Customization of the tie point parameters that are used during the adjustment step of processing. If many images appear as uncalibrated, certain parameters can be increased to find more consistent matches between those images and reduce any potential gaps in output 2D and 3D products.
Adjust image altitudes—Tool to correct any altitude offset that appears between the flight data and elevation surface in use. Altitude adjustments can be made using an elevation service, an existing DEM, or manual settings. This corrects 2D and 3D products that may appear floating above the elevation surface within a map.
Use cases for configuring processing options
For example, a nature conservancy is working on a restoration project for a degraded wetland. The area has complex vegetation and turbulent water. They want to create a field map that can be used to track the restoration progress for the public to view. However, upon processing the imagery, they noticed that the largest water body contains a void due to high winds. By applying a water body mask, they can smooth this area and provide a more professional-looking result to their donors.
For another example, a local contractor for a construction company must fly multiple development sites each week and provide a progress report. Each of these sites is flown with the same settings and processing options. By configuring and importing a custom template, the contractor can ensure that all the processing options and products are automatically enabled. This allows minimal project setup time and keeps the project deliverables consistent.
For a final example, a historical building is being renovated within a city district. The condition of the building must be assessed before the work is completed. A drone company has been hired to create a 3D mesh for the building to estimate the repair cost. After generating the models, they noticed that certain areas of the dilapidated building’s roof did not reconstruct correctly. Using 3D correction features, they smoothed those areas so the imagery is clearly visible when draped on the mesh. This allows workers to to better evaluate the repairs since they can see fine details that may otherwise be hard or dangerous to reach.