
Unless you've been able to stay away from the media , you have probably heard of GDPR, the new European regulation on the protection of personal data. An ambitious vision that aims to protect consumers, but that is turning into a real headache for businesses. And if almost all sectors are impacted, some will be more than others. It is also the case of the drone business.

You have probably noticed it just by opening your mailbox, GDPR came into effect on May 25th. Now that the dust on GDPR has settled a bit, it is time to have a look at some of the implications for the drone industry. The drone business, which is mainly based on data collection, whether personal or not, will be one of the most affected sectors by this new set of rules. All actors will therefore have to adapt. Here's how GDPR will become a daily concern for them and some of the steps they will eventually need to put into practice.

## Manufacturers

GDPR introduces a new concept: "privacy-by-design". This means that all objects, like drones, should, from conception, take privacy protection into account. The manufacturers are therefore at the forefront in this area. In the near future, they will have to develop new features for their drones. Among those already mentioned are the securing of transmissions between the drone and its pilot, the automated face blurring of people shot by camera or the installation of a light on the drone that will light up as soon as the camera starts filming or taking pictures.

## The pilots

The drone pilots are undoubtedly the most affected by the new regulation as they execute the data capturing. For those whose photos are likely to contain recognizable people (such as those who work for weddings or make promotional videos), it is already necessary to ask permission beforehand to people that might appear on the images.

Meanwhile, no-fly zones are likely to be created within the European Union. Among them may be areas specifically selected because of privacy sensitivities, such as crowded beaches.

And like all image holders, pilots will also need to make sure that all the data they possess is protected and secured so that no one with malicious intent can access them. In times where all your data gets synced to multiple devices and cloud platforms, drone pilots need to carefully manage all their cloud sync settings. At Inflights we require that our pilots erase all the confidential client data 3 months after the flight. That way the risk of data leakages are kept to a minimum.

## Data processing companies

Companies that perform data processing will be in the same regime as all those who handle personal data. As such, they will be responsible for, among other things, being able to secure as much as possible sensitive data and to warn their customers in case of hacking. They will also need to ensure that all file transfers (between them and the pilots or their clients) are as safe as possible.

As a data processing company, Inflights, is directly concerned by GDPR. Even before the new legislation came into effect, Inflights had already put in place a series of measures to secure its customers’ data. Among them: securing the platform (which was tested by belgian defense cyber security specialists) or the use of Amazon AWS: secure, safe and trusted by industry leaders (making sure the data is only accessible through the platform and not via 'open link' sharing).

Inflights also encourages their pilots to make contact with people that might live in the areas they will fly over. By proactively communicating with neighbours of flight locations we address privacy concerns upfront. Lastly, Inflights makes it easy for customers to unsubscribe from the platform, and erases private user data on request.

## Be proactive

Yes, we know, all these new rules might sound scary and hard to implement. Changes will indeed have to be made, but if, as Inflights did and will keep on doing, you put privacy at the core of your operations, the new GDPR policy will not have that much impact on your business. So if you are a stakeholder in the drone industry: make sure you adjust your processes to comply.


Drones and GDPR regulations

How to swallow GDPR regulations as a drone business


Inflights started working with BESIX in November 2017. Together they
tested how insights based on drone data can be integrated in the
inventory management workflow of BESIX' asphalt production sites.
Since February, Inflights provides monthly volume measurements on all
Belgian BESIX Infra sites. Next to that they have also inspected hard
to reach assets and did thermal infrared analysis of newly finished
buildings for BESIX.

<p style="font-weight: 600">
Milan Reniers (Digital mapping engineer at BESIX): “When we started
working with Inflights, our main concern was to be able to get reliable
measurements and merge this seemingless in our processes. How did you
manage to get this done?”
</p>

Inflights: “As a tech-based company that uses drone technology and data
to provide insights for industrial businesses, we believe that our
clients should not handle or worry about any of the different procedures
linked to the flights that need to be performed. That is why it is in
our DNA to provide an all-in-one solution for our customers. Once we
have analysed their requests, we manage to find the drone pilots, get
all the legal procedures done efficiently, supervise the flights and
process all the collected data to bring valuable insights for their
businesses, all integrated into their processes. In the case of BESIX
that meant carefully listening to your current processes and making sure
that our solution fitted right in. The BESIX team did not need to learn
new software because our results were adapted to the existing software.”

<p style="font-weight: 600">
M: “You are now the largest drone supplier for BESIX world wide. We feel
this is because Inflights willing and able to go the extra mile…”
</p>

Inflights: “At Inflights, our main goal is to help the client, and thus
to have a close cooperation. We try to be attentive to what the client
wants to reach with the flights, and make sure that what we deliver
easily fits in the way of working of the client. We adapt ourselves and
the output to their current workflow, so that employees do not have to
deal with new software etc. Furthermore, being a team of engineers makes
the cooperation with clients more powerful. This is especially true when
our end product has to answer to various technical requirements.”

<p style="font-weight: 600">
M: “What about your platform? What is your vision on that?”
</p>

Inflights: “The purpose of the platform is to make things as easy as
possible for our clients. Once they are logged in, they can book a
flight in just a few clicks. We also make a point of keeping them aware
of each step of the procedure. We create transparency towards the client
of every step that is taken care off, that is in progress or that will
be tackled in a later stage. At the end, clients are able to access all
the data and insights they needed via the platform.”

<img
class="materialboxed"
src="/img/20180914_inflights_platform.jpeg"
alt="Inflights blog"
/>

<p style="font-weight: 600">
M: “At BESIX, we needed to perform measurements in different sites at
the same time, how did you make that possible?”
</p>

Inflights: “One of our biggest strengths is working with an important
network of certified drone pilots based not only in Belgium, but across
the world. That is how we manage to perform different types of flights
on short notice. We also make sure that pilots know exactly how to
perform the flight, and we focus on legally sound and safe flights. Our
long experience in the sector also allows us to be sure that flights are
done with the right drone with the right quality.”

<p style="font-weight: 600">
M: “Where does Inflights want to be in three years?”
</p>

Inflights: “Our main goal is making it even easier to order and follow
up drone flights. We will continue integrating our services and the
results even better into our clients’ systems.

More importantly, we will invest in developing cutting edge algorithms
and processes to ensure the right insights are generated at very high
speeds. This will bring substantial time savings to our clients, and
hence substantial benefits to the bottom line.”

<p style="font-weight: 600">
M: “To conclude: what was your nicest flight with BESIX?”
</p>

Inflights: “Well, there are quite a few spectacular flights we had
together… Be it standing on the top of a new building at 7 in the
morning, inspecting the internal coating in a chimney in Ghent, or even
watching in awe as pigeons come dangerously close to the drone that was
intruding ‘their’ area. Good times! (laughs)”

<img
src="/img/posts/archive/20180914_inflights_stock_pile_measurements.jpeg"
alt="Inflights blog"
/>


Drone and your workflows

It is in our DNA to integrate the Inflights' drone solutions in existing workflows


On the first of January new drone regulations are introduced for operations across the whole continent. These can seem overwhelming and rather difficult to handle with in the future. However, at Inflights, the new EU regulations will significantly simplify the day-to-day operations. For Inflights the horizon looks even brighter with the introduction of the new regulations.

#### Simplification of drone categories

Before the introduction of the new EU regulations, requesting a permit to fly in certain airspace zones could be sometimes tedious. The recent changes will reduce these past struggles, mainly due to the recategorization of the drones. Starting this year, only three categories over the whole continent are distinguished, namely the “open”, “specific” and “certified” categories.

All flights with low-weighted drones and flying from a safe distance from people will henceforth fall under the “open” category. This category does not require any additional permits. The “open” category is further divided in 3 subcategories: A1, A2 and A3. They differ in the maximal authorized drone weight and the accepted distance between the flying drone and surrounding people.

All other flights, not categorized under “open”, are categorized as “specific. This means that extra permits and/or licenses are required. Inflights is currently developing a framework for the flight operations in order to support pilots in their future requests for flying “specific”. The last category, “certified”, is of no concern for the flights performed under Inflights. It is an anticipated categorization related to operations with freight and passengers.

Additionally, an operational authorization is required for the “specific” category unless the operation is covered by a standard scenario (STS). Standard scenarios are predefined operations provided by the EU-regulations. If the operation does not fall under one of the STS, two ways exist for requesting an official authorization: the Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) and the Predefined Risk Assessment (PRDA). The prior is a methodology for assessing the risk related to the planned operations and will be verified by the National Aviation Authority (NAA). The latter is a predefined assessment published by the EASA. If the operation is covered by the PRDA, then the simplified form attached to the PRDA can be submitted to the NAA instead of performing a full SORA.

#### In Practice

Flight in CTR - The new regulations facilitate certain flights within the CTR that were complex to perform in the past due to the administrative procedure to get an official authorization. For illustrative purposes, a flight is planned at Tervuren, Belgium. This flight is only 10 km away from Brussels airport. However, the location is not on the trajectory of any runway. Hence, this flight falls into the “open” category up to 150 ft/45 m AGL and into the “specific” if flown up to 400 ft/120 m AGL. Currently, many flights at Inflights are operated above 45 m. With the new regulations, we are considering a new approach for flight operations within CTR where the flight configurations will be kept within the “open” category if possible.

#### CE-labeling

Another important regulation change will be implemented regarding the CE-labeling of drones. CE is a label indicating that a product is meeting all european standards required to be sold on the market. Starting in January 2023, every drone on the market will get an additional label based on its weight. For the “open” category four C-labels are confirmed: C1, C2, C3 and C4. Two labels are expected for the “specific” category, but not confirmed yet. Depending on the C-label, the drone will be allowed to fly at a specific maximal speed and altitude. Furthermore, current drones will be allowed to fly without the C-label until January 2023. In addition, It will be possible to label current drones in the coming 2 years in order to comply with the C-label obligation starting in 2023. New drones, bought since January 2021, will automatically obtain the C-label before purchase.

#### Advantages for Inflights

Inflights perceives a potential improvement of the flight operations. The simplification of categorization is a significant advantage for a large proportion of the missions at Inflights. The main reason being that many flights will fall under the “open” category. Where in the past sometimes a permit was needed for flights in certain airspace zones, those permits will no longer be needed. Moreover, the remaining flights, falling under “specific”, will be handled systematically at Inflights, providing all the support needed to the community pilots. Nonetheless, the practical implementation of all the regulations is still an ongoing process. We understand that it will complicate some flights for which the regulatory framework will not yet be fully functional. Hence, Inflights will keep you informed over the latest updates regarding the regulations and inform you over Inflights’ approach in coping with these regulations.

Despite a considerable amount of new rules for flying drones in Europe, we believe that these will ultimately facilitate our collaboration with our pilot community and increase the operation efficiency.


The EU Drone Regulations arrived. Are you ready?


Inflights, along with one of our customers, Insaver – Luminus, got
interviewed by EUKA, the Flemish Drone Federation. The accompanying video
shows how we are able to use our drone pilot network and processing expertise
to support Insaver with the installation of solar panels.

Topics that were covered:

* Powerpack wanted to install 912 solar panels on their roof via Insaver.
* How drones make the preparation phase of roof renovations or solar panel installations more efficient and safe.
* How Insaver ordered and received 2D and 3D data via Inflights' web application.
* How Inflights assigns a pilot from its global network and processes the drone data.
* How Insaver can use the resulting data to draw their own models.
* How it would have been much more challenging to model the roof without drones, because of all the details that were present on the roof.
* How Inflights is able to deliver drone data globally.

We highly recommend reading the article and watching the video if you understand Dutch.

[Read the full article on EUKA's website](https://euka.flandersmake.be/inflights-levert-custom-3d-dronedata-op-basis-van-de-coordinaten-die-u-doorgeeft/).

<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/534444601" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/534444601">Inflights use case Insaver / Luminus bij Powerpack</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user127320196">EUKA Flanders Make</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Inflights interviewed by EUKA

How Inflights supports Insaver with the installation of solar panels, an interview by EUKA



At Inflights, we've now handled many flights globally, from commercial roofs to utility-scale terrains. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for our clients to get accurate 3D measurements anywhere in the world. Making the transfer of deliverables as frictionless as possible is a part of that goal. We allow our pilots to upload big datasets, which can be tens of gigabytes large, to our cloud infrastructure in an efficient manner. We provide processed deliverables to our clients through our platform. And now, we also allow you to share those deliverables with others.

In a typical project, multiple parties will need access to that data. Up until now this meant that you often had to download the files an reupload them to services like Dropbox or WeTransfer. These files can be upto 5 to 10 GB for typical projects, so it takes a while to upload them again to another service. Usually, they need to be available over a longer period of time, which makes it less convenient to use services like WeTransfer.

This is why we've decided to make it easier to share these files and other flight details via our platform. You can now share any of the flights you ordered with your colleagues or anyone else who might need access through email. Additionally, we support a webviewer, which you can use to share models for demo purposes (see [this example](https://cloud.pix4d.com/dataset/697763/model?shareToken=1c36f04b-e925-422c-a8a4-12203ede195f)).

## How to share a flight

![](/img/posts/flight-sharing-feature/flight_sharing.gif)

Follow these steps:

1. Go to the details page of a flight
2. Click on the “Share” button at the top of the page.
3. Fill in the email addresses of whom you want to share the flight with (one per line).
4. Click save.
5. The invitees will now receive an email from Inflights to sign-up. After doing so, they will have access to the flight.

## What will they see?

The people you share the flight with will be able to download any related deliverables and will have access to all information except for the price.

#### Flight progress and updates

They'll be able to keep track of the flight's progress, and will receive any related email updates, just like you.

<img src="/img/posts/flight-sharing-feature/shared-flight-progress.png" />

#### Area of the flight

They'll be able to see the area of the flight. For example, if you happened to be planning to install solar panels on top of the Atomium in Belgium, the picture below is what they would see.

<img src="/img/posts/flight-sharing-feature/shared-area-to-cover.webp" />

#### Deliverables

Finally, as mentioned before, they will be able to download the same files as you.

<img style="max-width: 300px" src="/img/posts/flight-sharing-feature/shared-deliverables.png" />


Sharing Deliverables with Colleagues

Share Flights and Deliverables with Colleagues


<p style="font-weight: 600">
From the choice of the right operator and the right equipment, all
through the official requests for authorizations, planning a
professional flight with a drone for your company can be a real obstacle
course. But solutions exist today. Among them: working with a party that
manages a network of operators, the end-to-end process and the
processing.
</p>

#### Drone insights hard to access

Large companies in industrial sectors, such as construction and
chemicals have not been mistaken: more and more are starting to use
professional drone services. Their goal is simple : to obtain valuable
images and precious insights to manage their inventories, reach and
inspect inaccessible places or even detect heat leaks in their
facilities. But even though the results can indeed be game-changing,
planning and executing a flight with an independent operator might
sometimes be difficult.

As most often they are aeronautics enthusiasts who have managed to
purchase their own equipment, many perform this activity as a
professional hobby. So despite their seriousness and professionalism,
they are not always well referenced and usually do not have the
technical skills to process the images they have collected. On top of
that, as novices in the sector, they can be overwhelmed with the
paperwork and regulatory work that is necessary to perform the flight.

<div class="divider"></div>

#### A network as a solution

A whole series of hassles that could easily be avoided if companies went
through specialized centralization platforms (like Inflights). Their
great asset is simple, they work with a large network of pilots present
throughout the territory. A real advantage for companies that would, for
instance, need to perform multiple simultaneous flights in different
geographical locations.

<img
class="materialboxed"
src="/img/posts/archive/20180419_inflights_blog.jpg"
alt="Inflights blog"
/>

And as everything is centralized, the long procedures with the
administration services to obtain the necessary documents for the flight
are over. The platform’s expertise makes it possible to quickly prepare
complete files so that the operator can carry out his work on time. A
know-how also very useful when it comes to preparing flights in
different countries with their own legislation. To give an example:
Inflights made it possible last month to perform three flights in three
different European countries on behalf of a multinational. From demand
to having the insights in the client's inbox took no more than a week.

By letting platforms that work with a network of pilots organize their
flights from start to finish, companies have the opportunity to gain
huge amounts of time. All while obtaining high quality results and
valuable insights.


Simplifying Drone Operations

How a Drones-as-a-Service network simplifies your drone operations


Inflights Partners fly high!

It is important for every company to continue to grow.

At Inflights, we help project managers to obtain consistent topographic surveys worldwide. Our services include representing a roof or a terrain in CAD by using advanced sensors that are mounted on drones.

Obtaining the price has never been that easy:  www.inflights.com/quote. With this tool you can obtain a price by just providing the area of interest, either by uploading a KML or by marking it in our Webapp.

While this works perfectly well for ad-hoc projects, our own customers came to us to establish a longer term collaboration. Indeed, when the order volume gets very high, it makes sense to sign a a framework agreement with us.

This solution offers several advantages, guaranteed prices worldwide for a fixed period of time, work delays in accordance with your deadlines, and  a scope of work adapted to your demands and your way of working.

Would you like to learn more about our partnerships and join the Premium Partner community? Let's get in touch right away and work together on your future projects.

Inflights – Quality drone surveys globally


Inflights Partners Fly High


#### Interview of Hugo De Blauwe

Watch here how Pierre Hemant (finance.brussels) interviews Hugo De Blauwe
on national television.

<iframe
  width="560"
  height="315"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JUyTKUWj4b4"
  frameborder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowfullscreen
></iframe>


Interview Hugo De Blauwe

Interview of Founder Hugo De Blauwe on national television


As a project manager, it is important to obtain the right measurements of your project site. Knowing what is on the terrain or on a roof, is an essential decision point in the complex process of a project. To give it a fancy name, you cannot have a “digital twin” if the starting point is not correct.

In the last decade, the affordability of highly advanced sensors has increased drastically, leading to a situation where a wide range of options is available to measure an existing situation. The most important are:

## Manual survey with a GNSS RTK receiver
In this solution a surveyor walks in the area of interest and measures each point that he considers important for the survey. He will use a GNSS RTK rover, which is a device that uses satellite signals (e.g. GPS) to determine the exact coordinates down to centimeter-level accuracy. All the points together will be used to determine the terrain in the most accurate way.

## Photogrammetry with drone pictures
Drones take normal pictures that are stitched together using a technology called photogrammetry. If you want to “talk the talk” of the drone community, you can call it RGB, which is nothing more than an acronym for Red Green Blue. As you probably know, a pixel in a picture is determined by a Red, Green, and Blue value, so these are just normal pictures. What is quite spectacular, though, is that each picture that the drone takes has a precise geotag with the coordinates of that point. By stitching the pictures together, an algorithm is able to reconstruct the “As-Is” situation on the ground. Sounds complex? No worries, our processing team can literally do this in their sleep.

## LIDAR sensor on a drone
You might have heard about LIDAR technology because it is being used in autonomous vehicles and many other applications. It stands for Light Detection and Ranging and works like a radar. The principle behind it is simple: the sensor emits a laser pulse and then waits to receive the return. The time it takes to receive the return can be transformed into distance because each pulse is travelling at the speed of light. The difference with photogrammetry is substantial: each point of the terrain is measured directly, while with photogrammetry the measurement of each point is a result of a complex calculation.

## Other
There are other ways to measure a terrain but the above alternatives are the most common ones.

# What is the best?

Now comes the one million dollar question: which technology is the best? At Inflights, when we are discussing drone flights with our prospects and clients, we get this question all the time. The answer is not straightforward at all, and invokes some complex trade-offs between the limitations of each technology and, of course, price. The first option, doing the survey manually, has become very expensive compared to the drone solution, especially for large terrains. It is much more productive to fly over a 100 ha terrain than to measure a terrain manually. In this [Inflights Whitepaper](/posts/white-paper-drones-shine-bright-in-the-solar-industry), we compare the drone solution with the manual surveyor.

## It is all about the vegetation
The most important element that will drive the choice between LIDAR and photogrammetry is the status of the vegetation on the terrain. Vegetation in this context is defined as trees, bushes, high grass, and anything that a project manager will not consider as part of the Digital Terrain Model (DTM). It is crucial to be able to distinguish between the terrain and the vegetation, because you cannot build on vegetation. To again use some fancy wording: the terrain will be captured in a Digital Terrain Model, while the vegetation will be part of the Digital Surface Model (DSM). Almost always the DTM will be the starting point for many projects. The fact that a DTM is needed is the reason for the existence of the LIDAR technology, as you are able to measure the terrain underneath the vegetation. Because LIDAR works with pulses, the chances of penetrating the vegetation to reach a point on the ground are higher. Because photogrammetry is based on visual pictures, you will measure only the elements that you can see from the air. If there are trees, you will measure the top of the trees and not the terrain underneath it. The same goes for dense bushes and high grass. You measure what you can see from the air.

So why not always use LIDAR? It seems like it is the holy grail?
So it does seem that LIDAR should be used always, as it seems to be a superior technology. You would indeed think that, but it is not so simple. Many reasons are there to not go for LIDAR.

First, LIDAR is more expensive than photogrammetry, because the technology is complexer and it requires more power to operate, which then requires a heavier drone which is again more expensive. Because it is more expensive, not so many products are designed and produced, which again leads to higher prices. At the same time, there are many affordable photogrammetry drones available, leading to more affordable prices.

Second, LIDAR availability is much more limited because there are simply less of them that are sold. If you have a project in Cameroon, finding a drone pilot that has a LIDAR is not trivial.

Third, you can never be 100% sure you got the terrain. The pulse from the sensor on the drone might find a path through the tree canopy, but it could bounce back on high grass that is under the tree canopy, but 1 meter above the terrain. If you simply assume that in that case you are measuring the terrain, you might be wrong. Increasing the number of returns of the LIDAR signal might improve the chance of reaching the ground, but it will also increase the price.

Fourth, is the terrain data under the vegetation really needed? Very often the trees will not be removed as this is ecologically bad and costly. In that case, the tree canopy is important for shadow calculations, but the exact height of the terrain under it might not be important. The Inflights sales team guides our client to make the correct trade-off here. Why pay for information that is not needed?  The picture below illustrates how Inflights assesses the terrain using advanced point cloud processing algorithms.

<div class="max-w-screen-sm mx-auto my-8">
  <img src="/img/posts/lidar-vs-photogrammetry/vegetation-dtm.png" />
  <p>Modelling the correct Digital Terrain Model</p>
</div>

Fifth, the information around the vegetation could be sufficient to develop a correct DTM. With drone technology, it is now possible to obtain centimeter ground resolutions, but this might not always  be needed. Let us go back to the era before drones. The Scope of Work (SOW) of a project would require that a land surveyor measures a point every 10m or even every 20m on flat terrain. If you can approximate the terrain under a tree where you only miss 1 m2, this  will be more than enough to accurately represent the terrain.

Lastly, we can always go back to the basics. There are situations where the information from a photogrammetry drone is not enough. This is often the case for ditches and trenches, where the vegetation is covering important height differences of the waterways. Here drone photogrammetry can be combined with the measuring of manual points. The Inflights sales team will have a discussion with the client to understand the specific needs for each project to ensure that the most cost effective solution is used.

## How does Inflights deal with this?
One of the unique advantages of working with Inflights, is that we have access to virtually all type of sensors in the world. This allows us to choose the right tool for the job, depending on the requirements of each client and each project. In our standard workflow we always set up a meeting with the technical engineering team of our client, to have a good understanding of their expectations. Investing time in this meeting upfront, allows us to manage the expectations well and deliver what we have promised.








LIDAR vs Photogrammetry

LIDAR vs Photogrammetry – that’s the question


## They are highly detailed

Imagine having live and centimeter resolution satellite images anywhere in the world. It would certainly make it easier to analyze roofs and terrains for your ongoing projects, because you would be able to detect obstacles and measure elements. However, unless you work for a top-secret spy agency, it’s unlikely you will have access to this data. Luckily, you can get the same results with drone data.

What you see in Google Maps, or any map viewer based on satellite imagery, is called an orthophoto mosaic map, or simply an “orthomosaic”. With drones, you can get the same results, but with a higher level of detail. This is because drones fly at a lower altitude with high-quality cameras, and thus have a better Ground Sampling Distance (GSD), which means a pixel in the photos represents a smaller area on the ground. Even a GSD of 2 millimeters is possible with a good enough camera or a low-enough altitude.

<div class="mt-10 row">
  <div class="col s6 m5">
    <img src="/img/posts/orthomosaic-maps/roof-gmaps.webp" />
    <p>Satellite view in Google Maps</p>
  </div>
  <div class="col s6 m5">
    <img src="/img/posts/orthomosaic-maps/roof-drone-based.webp" />
    <p>Drone-Based Orthomosaic</p>
  </div>
</div>

## They are "map accurate"

The starting point of an orthomosaic map is a set of aerial photographs. The original photos cannot be used directly on a map however, because they will have optical distortions and may be taken at an angle. That is why an algorithm known as orthorectification is used to modify the photos to make them usable with Geographical Information Systems (GIS). This process ensures that the resulting images are “map accurate” and can be used for measurement. Finally, these images are stitched together to give us a realistic and accurate top-level view of the area.

The orthomosaic will have a correct geo reference to your project’s coordinate reference system, so you can use it for measurements or overlay it on a map–they are “map accurate” on an absolute basis.

## They are up-to-date

While satellite or other GIS data may get outdated relatively quickly, a drone-based orthomosaic will give you the most up-to-date perspective on the area that you want to survey on the day you want.

## They can be a foundation for linework

Just like other deliverables, like the point cloud, an orthomosaic map is a way to get a better view of your project. Often the orthomosaic is used as the basis for linework on terrains, along with the Digital Surface Model. The benefit of the orthomosaic is that it gives you a high resolution view, so that even the smallest details can be checked. Importing them into CAD software is easy, if you desire to do so.





Why use drone-based orthomosaic maps?


When you order a drone survey, one of the files you will receive from us is a
point cloud and usually has a `.LAS` extension. As the name suggests, this
file contains a cloud of points. Each point has 3D coordinates and
optionally an associated color. This allows it to represent any real-life
object digitally. Hence, it is often called a "digital twin". As we will
explain below, point clouds play an important role in drone-based surveying.

#### They are cost-efficient

With the invention of drones, obtaining high density point clouds has become
easier than ever. While traditional land surveyors may measure a point every 20 meters, with a
drone, you can have a point every centimeter through the usage of
[photogrammetry or LiDAR scanning](https://inflights.com/product-drone-mapping)

Performing the survey with a drone drastically reduces the time needed to get
measurements. Additionally, you do not have to worry about hard to reach
areas, as might be the case with certain roofs. As a result, the complexity
of project will not drive the measurement time as much as it did with
traditional methods.

#### They are highly detailed

The substantial increase in resolution you get is especially attractive when
modeling terrains and roofs, because it gives you a realistic copy of the
enviroment with all details included.

For terrains, the point cloud models detailed topographic
information, such as rocks, slopes, and vegetation. For roofs, all
obstacles and slopes are included and measurable.

Below are a few examples to illustrate the amount of detail that a point cloud contains:

<div class="row">
  <div class="col s12 m4">
    <img src="/img/posts/point-clouds/roof_overview.webp" />
    <p>The slopes of the roof are accurately represented.</p>
  </div>

  <div class="col s12 m4">
    <img src="/img/posts/point-clouds/roof.webp" />
    <p>Obstacles on the roof, such as vents and ridges, will become visible.</p>
  </div>

  <div class="col s12 m4">
    <img src="/img/posts/point-clouds/terrain.webp" />
    <p>For terrains, the point cloud will contain details like slopes, rocks, and vegetation.</p>
  </div>
</div>

#### They are a great foundation for other deliverables

Depending on the stage of the project, the amount of detail that is captured
in a point cloud can be too much. This is why we also offer to transform the
point cloud into a CAD model, with accurate measurements and only the
information that you need.

When creating this point cloud, it is important to use the correct coordinate
reference system. This ensures that it is usable with other applications,
which may want to use that information to place it on a map. Even more
importantly, it also ensures that the model is scaled correctly for taking
measurements.

Internally, we also use the point cloud to produce a digital elevation model
and a 3D mesh, which we will cover in more detail in later blog posts.

#### They are useful for inspection and presentation

The benefit of having a highly detailed digital twin, such as a point cloud,
is that you can easily inspect details after the fact and decide to change
the level of detail (LOD) after the measurement.

On top of that, it just looks really cool! We see our clients using it as a
starting point to present their plans. Showing where there are trees,
neighboring constructions, or displaying the elevation profiles, can be all
done via an online viewer. Their rich representation gives you a better
perspective on how things look in reality than a traditional survey does.

#### Bonus: How to view a point cloud

There are various ways to view a point cloud and they don't necessarily need
paid software.

If you ordered a flight via Inflights, we will even include an Online Viewer
so that you can see the point cloud in your browser. [Click here](https://cloud.pix4d.com/dataset/857632/model?shareToken=fd6e470c-d526-414b-9d1c-a92e4ea46c1c) to see an example.

If you would like to open it on your computer, then
[CloudCompare](https://www.danielgm.net/cc/) is a great free option.
[QGIS](https://qgis.org/en/site/index.html), a free GIS application, recently
added support for viewing point clouds too. Both of these applications are
able to open `.LAS` files.


4 Ways Point Clouds Help Project Managers


#### Successful fund raising

We are very proud to announce that Inflights was able to secure an investment
during the corona crisis. The proceeds will be used to improve our products,
to grow ou global pilot base and to streamline the process.

In this explainer video we explain better how we work and what we can offer.

<iframe
  width="560"
  height="315"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NsEZeflZ6O0"
  frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen ></iframe>


Fundraising during COVID

Raising capital during COVID-19

We've recently redesigned our quote tool, so that it has **less clutter**, **more
space on the map**, and the option to **upload KML or KMZ
files**.

#### Creating a Quote

See how it works by watching the video below or testing it out [here](https://inflights.com/quote).


<video controls="" loop="" muted="" autoplay="" style="width: 100%; max-width: 720px;">
<source src="https://inflights-website-files.s3.eu-west-3.amazonaws.com/2021-quote-demo-no-letterbox.mp4" type="video/mp4">
<p>We couldn't load the video in your browser. Here is a<a href="https://inflights-website-files.s3.eu-west-3.amazonaws.com/2021-quote-demo-no-letterbox.mp4">link to the video</a> instead.</p>
</video>

#### Uploading KML files

KML stands for Keyhole Markup Language and is a popular file format used for displaying geographical data. If your application supports exporting as ".kml" or ".kmz" files, then you can now directly upload those files into Inflights' quote tool.

<video controls="" loop="" muted="" autoplay="" style="width: 100%; max-width: 720px;">
<source src="https://inflights-website-files.s3.eu-west-3.amazonaws.com/videos/quote-v2-upload-kml.mp4?1" type="video/mp4">
<p>We couldn't load the video in your browser. Here is a<a href="https://inflights-website-files.s3.eu-west-3.amazonaws.com/videos/quote-v2-upload-kml.mp4">link to the video</a> instead.</p>
</video>

Introducing the New Quote Tool


_Excerpt from the White Paper_

## Executive summary and key takeaways

Drones are ready to be deployed at scale by solar companies. Their ability to provide insights on large-scale terrains or solar plants makes them an ideal candidate to assist solar companies in the design and operation of plants. However, their actual deployment by solar companies is not as widespread as one may think.

In this research, Inflights documented the current attitude of solar installers towards using drones at various stages of the life cycle of solar installations. Using interviews with representatives of the solar industry, this research confirmed that commercial-scale solar companies are excited to use drones as a key tool for various use cases. They are used for a variety of use cases, ranging from business development to design, surveying, construction management and site monitoring. The most common use case is the obtaining of detailed site-information, both for ground-mounted systems and rooftop installations. In this context they are cost-effective when compared to traditional methods, generating the highest cost savings for complex and large terrains.

Nevertheless, doubts about regulation and the ability to easily source and integrate drone-services in the existing workflow remain some of the main reasons for many experts not to launch experiments with drones. As a result, only 47% of solar companies have actively started using them.

As the solar industry is expected to remain a competitive market where cost savings and efficiency gains are important, further development of the drone ecosystem for the solar industry can be expected. Drone service providers will continue to work on smoothening the whole experience of using drone services. Optimizations are possible to enable seamless sourcing, hereby optimizing the whole ecosystem, providing end-to-end services starting at convenient procurement of services to seamless execution of the flight and postprocessing of the data.

<a class="inline-block p-4 mt-4 text-white rounded bg-ifl-blue" href="https://inflights-website-files.s3.eu-west-3.amazonaws.com/downloads/whitepaper-drones-solar-industry.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" download>Download
full whitepaper</a>

## A Special Thank You

Inflights extends its appreciation to our partners, customers, and leaders
from these great companies for participating in this white paper study.
Understanding how experiences vary with using drones in different project
stages is critical for the advancement of solar in the energy industry
overall.

![](/img/posts/whitepaper/thank-you-logos.webp)


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