Overlays

Easily import, overlay, and view design plans against your orthomosaic maps in DroneDeploy using our Overlay layering tool. Upload CAD design surfaces to utilize cut and fill functionality—import data from your integrations such as ProCore and BIM360. Upload shapefiles, DXFs, GeoTIFFs, and other imagery to aid in planning and analyzing your maps in DroneDeploy. 

Supported Overlay Formats

How to Add an Overlay to Your Map

1) From the Explore Tab, choose the" "+" option in the Overlays section: 

You can also add these from the Overlays panel:

2) Choose the file type from the pop-up window for local files. For an ESRI Web Layer, choose" "Web Layer" in the left panel or one of your integrations to import from. Let us know if you want to integrate with DroneDeploy through one of our many apps! 

3) Align and process. For non-georeferenced files, you will have the opportunity to align the file to your site. You can use our PNG/PDF document below for more detailed instructions on alignment. The file will begin processing automatically for georeferenced files. 

For in depth instructions on aligning your drawings and overlays, check out this page.

All files will be organized in the Overlays tab in the left panel. This is where you can toggle them on and off, rename them, and change the color of your layers. 

NOTE: Shapefiles for overlays can only contain lines or polygons. Point shapefiles are not accepted. 

EPSG Code Selection

There's a new way to set the EPSG code for uploaded design files (including DXF, GeoTIFF, and LandXML) in DroneDeploy to ensure accurate alignment with the map!

Set the desired coordinate system for the project and all future uploaded design files in Project Settings.

Upload a design file from the add overlays menu.

If the Project EPSG Code is already set, it will be reflected during the Design Surface Upload, as shown below.

Uploaded design surfaces will inherit the EPSG code in Project Settings if specified. This differs from the past behavior, where we either 1. used the native coordinate system for the file (for TIFF) or 2. tried to infer the best coordinate system given the project's location. We will fall back to this prior logic if no EPSG code is set in Project Settings.