How to Set Up Your Drone for Measuring Inventory

This article provides the required settings for supported drones and flight apps when performing inventory flights.

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Pre-Flight Checklist #

Before each flight, ensure that:

• You are using a supported drone
• You are using a supported flight app
• All camera and flight settings are correct

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Supported Drones #

• DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise, Thermal, or Multispectral (not Cine, Classic, or Pro)
  • Important: In settings, make sure Dewarping is toggled OFF. Dewarped images cannot be processed and flights will fail.
• DJI Air 2S
• DJI Phantom 3 Pro or Phantom 4 series (no RTK or smart controllers)
• DJI Inspire 1 or 2 with X3, X4S, X5, or X5S cameras (default DJI lenses only)
• DJI Mavic 2 Pro
• DJI Mini 2
• DJI Mini 4 Pro
• DJI Air 3

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Supported Apps #

• Map Pilot Pro (recommended for flight missions)
• Pilot 2 app (required for Mavic 3 Enterprise series)
• Other apps may work, but they must meet the minimum specifications listed here.

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Drone and Flight Mission Settings #

Flight Pattern #

• Flight lines should be straight, parallel, and flown at a single altitude
• Flight direction may alternate between lines

Image Capture #

• Capture at least 50 images per flight
• Fly a minimum of 4 flight lines per flight

Image Overlap #

• 75% front overlap along each flight line
• 70% side overlap across neighboring flight lines

Flight Area #

• Extend flight pattern beyond the target area of interest by at least one image in each direction

Flight Altitude #

• Fly at 400’ AGL (120m) where permitted
• If you cannot reach 50 images at that elevation, lower the altitude until you meet the minimum image requirement
• Maintain a single altitude for the entire flight

Camera Settings #

• Exposure: Auto-Exposure Mode
• White Balance: Sunny/Daylight (even in cloudy conditions)
• Resolution: Maximum Image Resolution
• Orientation: Nadir (straight down)