In my previous post, ODM — the future that awaits, I start to chart out OpenDroneMap beyond the toolchain. Here’s a bit more, in outline form. More narrative and breakdown to come. (this is the gist)

Objectives:

Take OpenDroneMap from simple toolchain to an online processing tool + open aerial dataset. This would be distinct from and complementary to OpenAerialMap:

1. Explicitly engage and provide a platform for drone enthusiasts to contribute imagery in return for processing services.
2. Address and serve:
   • Aerial imagery
   • Point clouds
   • Surface models
   • Terrain models
3. Additionally, as part of a virtuous circle, digitizing to OSM from this aerial imagery would refine the surface models and thus the final aerial imagery
   • More on this later: in short digitizing OSM on this dataset would result in 3D photogrammetric breaklines which would in turn refine the quality of surface and terrain models and aerial imagery.

Outputs / Data products:

• Aerial basemap
  • (ultimately with filter for time / season?)
• Point cloud (see e.g. http://plas.io)
• Digital surface model (similar to Open Terrain)
• Digital elevation model (in conjunction with Open Terrain)

Likely Software / related projects

• OpenDroneMap https://github.com/OpenDroneMap/OpenDroneMap
• Open Terrain https://github.com/openterrain/openterrain
• OpenAerialMap / OpenImageryNetwork http://openaerialmap.org
• MapKnitter http://openaerialmap.org
• Point cloud related technologies:
  • PDAL / Greyhound and related projects
  • e.g. http://iowalidar.com/
  • http://plas.io

Back of the envelope calculations — Mapping a city with drones

If ODM is to take submissions of large portions of data, data collection campaigns may come into play. Here are some back-of-the-envelope calculations for flying whole cities, albeit the medium size cities of San Francisco and Cleveland. This ignores time needed for all sort so things, including coordinating with local air traffic control. As such, this is a best case scenario set of estimates.