2D Orbit flight planning enables your drone to autonomously fly a circular path around a fixed point of interest, continuously facing inward. This approach is ideal for capturing a consistent, repeatable visual record of an asset for ongoing monitoring or change detection, making it particularly useful for tanks, towers, or other infrastructure components. Unlike standard waypoint or mapping plans, 2D Orbit is specifically designed for capturing a series of photographs from set positions on a circle around an object.
Availability
The 2D Orbit flight planning feature is only available for Android SDK V5 drones, including:
- Mini 4 Pro
- Mavic 3 Enterprise/Thermal
- Matrice 4 Enterprise/Thermal
- Anzu drones
Key Steps: Creating and Flying a 2D Orbit Plan
Follow these steps to create, configure, and execute a 2D Orbit flight plan.
1. Create a New 2D Orbit Plan
- Open the New Flight Plan sidebar in DroneDeploy.
- Select 2D Orbit under the Media section.
2. Configure the Orbit
Define the flight path by setting the center point for your asset of interest and adjusting the key parameters.
| Parameter | Description | Constraints |
|---|---|---|
| Center Point | The fixed point the drone orbits around. | Must be set on the map. |
| Travel Altitude | The altitude the drone uses when moving between capture positions. | |
| Capture (Flight) Altitude | The altitude at which the drone captures images. | |
| Focal Point Altitude | The height of the point of interest (e.g., the top of a tank or tower). | |
| Capture Radius | The horizontal distance from the center point to the flight path. | Minimum: 5m, Maximum: 100m. |
The drone will fly the circular path and pause at each designated position to capture an image, ensuring the camera always faces the center point.
3. Connect and Fly the Mission
- Ensure your drone is compatible and connected to DroneDeploy.
- You can fly plans with supported DJI drones, including those connected to a DJI Dock.
- Review your flight path and parameters, then start the flight.
- The drone will autonomously perform the orbit and capture images.
4. Review Captured Images
- View the captured photos in the Explore section of the DroneDeploy platform.
- Use grouped photo sets to easily compare inspections of the same asset over time.
Limitations and Considerations
Be aware of the following constraints when using 2D Orbit:
- Capture Type: 2D Orbit is for photo capture only. The images are not automatically processed into 3D models or maps. You can process them separately using the Smart Uploader.
- Photo Grouping: Photos are not directly linked to a specific asset but will be grouped with a location if the photo pin falls inside that location's boundary.
- Photo Count: The number of photos taken during the orbit is fixed and cannot be changed by the user.
- Radius Constraints: The mission must adhere to the minimum (5m) and maximum (100m) capture radius constraints.
- Terrain Awareness: The mission is not terrain-aware. All flight and capture altitudes are relative to the drone's takeoff point.
- Customization: The feature prioritizes simplicity and consistency; therefore, you cannot define custom photo intervals per orbit.
Recommendations & Best Practices
To ensure successful and repeatable results, follow these recommendations:
- Altitude Setting: Use a safe Travel Altitude and a lower Capture Altitude to achieve the required image resolution.
- Obstacle Avoidance: Ensure your flight path is above any potential obstacles, such as power lines or tall equipment.
- Consistency: Choose a consistent altitude and radius for your flight path to enable reliable, repeatable monitoring over time.
- Point Accuracy: Mark your point of interest accurately on a high-accuracy map for the most reliable results.
- Mission Chaining: You can chain multiple 2D Orbit missions together to inspect several assets consecutively.
- Time Series: 2D Orbit excels at creating time series of visual inspections, especially when using RTK for a "fixed camera in the sky" perspective.
Typical Use Cases
- Infrastructure Inspection: Regular visual checks of tanks, silos, transmission towers/poles, or other round infrastructure.
- Change Detection: Monitoring site perimeters or isolated assets for physical changes.
- AI Baseline: Establishing a visual baseline for AI-based inspection and analysis workflows.
v2.2