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Planning

The key to a successful drone-based forest survey is thorough preparation and planning. The more carefully we prepare for the flight, the more accurate and valuable the data we collect, and the smoother the entire process will be.

Key Planning Steps​

  • Area definition: the exact boundaries of the forest stand to be surveyed must be recorded to ensure full coverage by the flight path.
  • Weather check: flight should only be performed in stable, calm, and clear weather. Strong wind, precipitation, or fog degrades sensor performance and may distort measurements.
  • Power supply: always plan for sufficient batteries and spares, as longer routes and higher image overlap require more energy.
  • Site assessment: it is worth familiarising yourself with the terrain in advance and paying attention to potential challenges (e.g., tall trees, power lines, difficult topography).
  • Flight path preparation: the KML file exported from TreeDetect must be loaded into the drone controller software (e.g., DJI Pilot 2, DroneDeploy), and the platform-recommended parameters finalised there.
  • Sufficient storage: surveying larger areas may require a lot of storage space, always ensure adequate storage capacity is available.

✅ Advantage: TreeDetect helps with planning, the survey area can be designed within the software, and the system provides all necessary flight parameters.