Corridor Best Practices

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Conducting a corridor flight using DroneDeploy involves several steps to ensure successful planning, execution, and processing. Below is a detailed breakdown of the process, including best practices for each step:

 

To create a new flight plan, one needs to either create a new project or open an existing project in DroneDeploy. Please review our Creating a New Project and Desktop Flight Planning articles for more information on how to set up a project.

 

Planning a Corridor Flight

  1. Creating a Corridor Flight Plan
    Once in the desired project, create a corridor flight plan by selecting the 'Corridor' option from the template selector at the top left of your screen, indicated by a blue "+" symbol.
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   - Setting Waypoints: Set the start and end points of the corridor flight on the map.

   - Adjusting Flight Path: Use additional waypoints to shape the flight path as needed.

   - Corridor Width: Adjust this setting to determine the area covered during the flight—a broader corridor results in more flight legs.

   - Flight Altitude: Change the flight altitude to influence the number of legs needed. Higher altitudes require fewer legs but with a trade-off in resolution.

   - Terrain Awareness: Use terrain awareness to maintain consistent ground sampling distance for varied elevations.

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Corridor Flight Settings

Two basic flight settings are essential to note when planning a corridor flight.

  1. Altitude
  2. Overlap

Adjust these parameters based on the subject and conditions. Higher altitudes and increased overlap can aid in successful mapping.

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In addition to our more basic flight settings, several advanced settings can be adjusted to best suit the requirements of a corridor flight. These settings include:

  • Obstacle Avoidance
  • Side Overlap and Front Overlap
  • Flight Direction
  • Capture Flight Speed
  • Gimbal angle

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4. Executing the Flight:

   - Visibility and Length: Ensure visibility and check the flight length before starting.

   - Central Takeoff Position: Position the takeoff point centrally relative to the start and end points of the corridor.

   - Offline Capabilities: If needed, corridor plans can be made available for offline execution.

 

5. Post-Flight Processing:

   - Uploading Data: Process corridor plans are the same as a standard map/model. You can upload it to your desktop using the 'Upload' tab.

   - Viewing Results: After processing, you can view the linear plan in 2D and 3D formats.

 

Best Practices for Corridor Flights

In addition to our general DroneDeploy best practices for planning and conducting flights, there are more specific best practices for corridor flights. Please see below for more details regarding our best practices for corridor flights: 

  •    Maintain VLOS: Check visibility and flight length before starting the flight. Ensure that the drone takes off from a central position.
  • Adjusting Settings: Understand and change flight settings according to varied conditions and subjects.
  • Overlap Considerations: Increase overlap for low flights or homogenous subjects; however, be aware that the increased image count may lead to potential stitching issues with moving subjects.
  • When flying and capturing large corridor or linear maps, it is recommended that you keep your image sets under 3000 images.

 

Remember, each corridor flight is unique and may require specific adjustments based on the flight's terrain, subject, and purpose. Please always consider these factors when you plan and execute your drone operations.

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