What is photogrammetry?

Photogrammetry is a powerful tool that allows us to gain a detailed understanding of the world around us using nothing more than a camera. By taking a series of photographs from different angles, we can create accurate 3D models and maps of objects and landscapes. Imagine being able to fly over a city, virtually, and see every building and street in incredible detail, or being able to map the contours of a mountain range with pinpoint accuracy. This technology is used in a wide range of fields, from surveying and engineering, to urban planning and disaster management. With Photogrammetry, we can even monitor changes over time such as coastal erosion, or the growth of buildings and infrastructure. The technology is constantly improving, making it even more accessible and user-friendly, and the possibilities are endless. PDRL also is leading the game of photogrammetry, but with drones which we will see further.

Different types of photogrammetry

Terrestrial Photogrammetry: Terrestrial photogrammetry is a type of photogrammetry that involves taking photographs from the ground, typically using a handheld camera or a tripod-mounted camera. It is an outdated technology that uses cameras to make maps and models. As this is done manually there is obviously a large margin of error that compromises the level of accuracy in the maps/models.

Aerial Photogrammetry: Aerial photogrammetry is like having a bird’s eye view of the world. It uses cameras mounted on planes, helicopters, or drones to take pictures of large areas such as cities, landscapes, and natural resources from different angles and altitudes. These pictures are then processed using specialized software to create detailed maps and 3D models of the area. Imagine being able to see an entire city from above, or being able to map a vast forest with pinpoint accuracy.

Aerial photogrammetry, coupled with the use of drones, is truly a game-changer when it comes to surveying and mapping large areas. Take, for example, a seven-acre site that would have taken a team of surveyors three days to map using traditional terrestrial photogrammetry. With aerial photogrammetry, that same job can be completed in just one day, using drones to capture high-resolution images from the sky. Visualize drones soaring above the site, capturing every detail with precision, while the team processes the images and generates detailed maps in real time. This not only saves 66.67% of the time but also reduces the capital cost of deploying a team on-site.

How is photogrammetry with drones advantageous over helicopters and airplanes?

1. The resolution of the images captured by drones is far better than that of images captured by other alternatives.
2. Drones are more cost-efficient for aerial mapping and surveying than airplanes or helicopters.
3. Drones can access hard-to-reach areas, such as mountainous regions, and cover large areas quickly.

DroneNaksha what is it?

DroneNaksha is a software developed by PDRL specially focused on photogrammetry solutions. It allows you to create detailed maps and surveys using drone technology. It provides a variety of features such as orthomosaic images, digital elevation models, and vegetation analysis. All of this is available as a SaaS (Software as a Service) from AeroMegh platform. We have simplified the cumbersome process of surveying and mapping as simplest as possible. The user needs to follow only four steps in order to create a report.

1. Upload Image
2. Add GCP to the image (Ground Control Points are used to establish the boundaries of an area that needs to be mapped).
3. Click “Process”
4. Download Reports

Features of DroneNaksha

1. Cloud Based & Seamless

By being a seamless software across devices and cloud-based, DroneNaksha users have the ability to access the platform on multiple devices such as Windows, Android, and more. Additionally, as a cloud-based platform, team members can collaborate on a single project, and always have access to the latest updates and features without the need for manual updates. Another benefit of being cloud-based is that data is constantly backed up and readily accessible from smartphones, providing added security and convenience, while being cost-effective for the users.

2. Orthomosaic
Orthomosaicking is the technique of creating a high-resolution and accurate 2D map or image of an area using aerial images captured by a drone. The process involves seamlessly stitching multiple images together to form a single, comprehensive image, akin to piecing together a large puzzle. However, due to the nature of aerial photography, the images may exhibit distortion or tilting. To rectify this, DroneNaksha employs a process called ortho-rectification, which corrects these issues and ensures the resulting map is precise and distortion-free. To make the process even more user-friendly, DroneNaksha allows users to generate orthomosaics with just a single click of the “Ortho Image” button. This makes the entire process of creating orthomosaics easy and stress-free.

3. Various models and indexes

Different use case of land requires the extraction of suitable data from the survey map. PDRL is aware of the requirements and has integrated several models and indexes into DroneNaksha, these are

1. DTM – Digital Terrain Model: provides information about the topography of an area, including the elevation and slope of the terrain, making it useful for town planning and other related applications.
2. DSM – Digital Surface Model: contains information about both natural and man-made features and is commonly used to create 3D models of cities and other structures.
3. DEM – Digital Elevation Model: provides a detailed representation of the elevation of the land surface and is commonly used in topographical maps to ensure an accurate representation of the terrain.
4. NDVI – Normalized Difference Vegetation Index: this is a remote sensing technique that uses the red and near-infrared bands of a multispectral image to assess the health and density of vegetation. It ranges from -1 to 1, where values close to -1 indicate water bodies, values close to 0 indicate barren or non-vegetated areas and values close to 1 indicate dense vegetation. It can be used for monitoring and mapping vegetation changes and assessing the productivity of agricultural land.

4. Comparison:

To help the user to gain a better understanding of their land, a horizontal bar has been provided to toggle between different indexes and models in order to generate valuable insights

5. Accuracy and Precision:

DroneNaksha not just eases the process of photogrammetry, but at the same time remains many folds more accurate than the alternatives. Accuracy levels are measured in GSD(Ground Sampling Distance that assigns a measurement of land per pixel), figures as low as 1.5cm/px on orthomosaic image can be obtained while DEM can be accurate upto 5cm/px.

Applications of DroneNaksha

• Survey and Mapping: With DroneNaksha you can use the power of Drones to cover large distance areas in a shorter time, while being equipped with amazing image processing capabilities, generation of maps just takes a fraction and capital of the time and stays accurate.
• Agriculture: Indexes like NDVI & VARI are integrated into DroneNaksha, which would help the farm operators to better know about their land and crop performance. Detection of weeds and infected yield can be done easily and preventive measures can be carried out before the product gets destroyed
• Forest Management: With DroneNaksha, detailed maps of forested areas with information on topography, vegetation, and man-made features such as roads and trails can be generated. These maps can be used for land-use planning, wildlife management, and fire management.
• Take a step ahead of the competition and use DroneNaksha, the simplest yet effective solution for all of your Photogrammetry needs. We here at PDRL strive to deliver the best solutions which add value to your lives, as we work towards “Creating more time to Live”