Drone analytics company Propeller has announced that they're partnering with drone company DJI to create a mapping system for clients in the civil, mining, aggregates, and waste management industries.
“Propeller’s deep expertise in aerial mapping and analytics coupled with DJI’s industry-leading open-platform drone hardware creates a highly accurate turnkey solution,” Jan Gasparic, Director of Strategic Partnerships at DJI, said in Propeller's press release.
The new Propeller PPK Solution is made to work with DJI's Phantom 4 RTK drone. It builds off of Propeller’s cloud platform and offers Post Processed Kinematic (PPK) GPS correction, where the data is corrected after it's uploaded to the cloud, not while it's being taken. Rory San Miguel, CEO of Propeller, calls it an "end-to-end PPK system."
The platform sends photogrammetric data in geodetic, projected, or local coordinate systems, and is capable of accuracy within 1.2 inches up to a kilometer (0.62 miles) away from any ground control points (GCPs). According to Propeller, if you're using PPK Solution in a local, known area, you only need one ground control point. The company also says that using only one GCP means a 70 percent reduction in time required to complete a survey, decreasing labour costs.
“We are excited about this partnership because it broadens the use of DJI drones to deliver accurate data at a cost-efficient price point, helping teams better answer questions about site progress and productivity," Gasparic said.
For customers looking to turn that data into BIM models, Propeller has a preexisting connection with Trimble: Trimble Stratus, which integrates their cloud platform with Trimble Connected Site.
“The advent of drones in the construction industry has improved efficiencies, and Trimble Stratus users are already benefiting from the ease-of-use and scalability of drone-based surveys,” said Scott Crozier, Trimble's general manager of civil engineering and construction. “With the new Propeller PPK Solution and Trimble Stratus software, we’ve seen first-hand how surveyors and contractors can collect aerial survey data in a fraction of the time it used to take, and get repeatable and reliable results.”