Flight planning the process of determining
the flight path and flight requirements along the path. Fuel consumption and
air traffic control procedures are part of flight planning to measure how much
fuel is required to reach the destination, including air traffic hurdles that
may exist. Flight planning also involves weather forecast for its fuel
calculations. There needs to be extra fuel kept in case of a diversion if the
destination is unavailable due to weather conditions or any other reason. In
the past, flight planning was a manual task involving complex hand written calculations
and predictions. Now with the latest technology, flight planning has gained
popularity over computer based systems. These computer systems have provided
efficient calculations and predictions reducing not only the fuel consumption
but also time duration. This flight planning is done for normal aircrafts which
have a scheduled procedure for take-off and landing.
What is Flight Planning Software?
With the development of Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles (UAVs), or more commonly known as drones, flight planning has taken a
new shape and format. These drones are flown without a pilot and they are
operated at the ground. They are operated by very intricate flight planning
software which determines their optimal paths and other conditions to make them
run safely. The flight planning software
helps the drone operate smoothly. It gives a pre-programmed mission to the
drone with all the instructions stated when the drone takes off. New
instructions can also be added when the drone is in the air and busy collecting
videos and photos. The drone can also be programmed by the flight planning
software to land and take off autonomously. There is no outward intervention
and the drone follows the programmed mission. If a drone needs to take a
specified number of turns, then the waypoints are circled and the drone
completes its action.
Flight planning software for UAVs usually consists
of the following features and capabilities:
§ Full 3D and 2D view which allow drones to
capture clear data
§ Flight tracking and control
§ Various camera controls for better and
higher resolution shots
§ Offline mission planning
§ Visualization of the area to be mapped
Flight planning software gives a full
account of the view obtained through the drone. The view can either be in 3D or
a 2D format. The drone is able to collect 3D images and provide best quality
data. This software also keeps a track of the drone flight as to when the drone
took off and which path it has taken. All the waypoints are recorded and a
track is kept of all the activities associated with the drone. Camera control
provides a better angle to take shots so that the data collected is of good
quality. All visualization techniques are given so that all kinds of data is
gathered effectively.
Analysing UAV Flight Planning in the Agricultural Sector:
To better understand the functions of flight
planning software for best data results, we need to have a look at a specific
field to see how the mechanism actually works. UAV technology holds immense
importance in the agricultural sector. It is very useful for the farmers to
have a look at the overall health of their crops. By surveying and collecting
data through UAVs, they can determine the current conditions of their crops.
The agricultural sector needs specialized
drones which are simple data gathering tools to collect data and analyse results.
Flight planning software benefits:
§ Farmers- utilizing
imaging mission drones for their crops
§ Agriculture service provider- utilizing the software to fly the drones
for the farmers.
When using flight planning software for
their drones for surveying and analysing results, it is always best to first
understand the complexities of the software itself. By using the flight
planning software for a UAV, the drone can gather various images regarding
crops, livestock and fields. Some other parameters for which the data needs to
be gathered are:
§ Number of plants
§ Plant health
§ Presence of disease
§ Plant height
§ Any weeds present
§ Any nutrients present
§ Relative biomass estimates
§ Location of livestock
§ Movement of livestock
How Surveying is executed with Flight Planning
Software?
As we have taken the example of agriculture
to under how flight planning software works, it is important to first look at
some basic points. First of all, you need to plan your drone flight. Now this
looks pretty easy but it requires a lot of study and research. You can easily
draw a box around the field you need to collect data from. When you have drawn
the box around the field, a flight plan will automatically be generated by the
flight planning software. This indicates that the drone has been programmed for
a scheduled route with instructions. Some flight planning software applications
have the ability to automatically capture images through the camera. The camera
shots are also programmed and scheduled so when the drone is in operation, the
shots are captured on the marked positions of the map.
Once the flight plan is loaded and the drone
has been armed properly, it is time to fly the drone over the field and get the
data images. The drone is sent over the field and shots are taken through GPS
positions on the map. With every GPS location marked, the shot will be taken on
that location. Once the flight path has been covered and route finished then
the drone will automatically land with success, gathering all the data
required.
Now if you compare this to a manual process
for obtaining data, one person on the ground would be triggering the camera
fixed in the drone to take images. These images would again be taken at GPS
locations and not time. Whenever the drone reaches a location where a shot
needs to be taken, the person in charge would take a shot at that instance. It
becomes a very hectic and time consuming job for people to gather data like
that. It is always recommended to pre-set the instructions and everything is
done automatically in less time and effort.
Once all the data has been gathered and
images collected, the most challenging part that comes is the processing of
these images. The images collected are all in high resolution and processing
each image is not easy. This is where image processing software comes in. These
software apps do the job for you and enable you to analyse these images better,
figuring out any abnormities associated with the field.
As you have seen, we have given you a
detailed account of how flight planning software was used to gather the best
quality results in the agriculture sector. Similarly, in other sectors where
images need to be taken at different places, this software will also assist you
very effectively.
Is Flight Planning Software Effective?
Flight planning software not only does the
job within less time as compared to manual intervention but it also cuts down
on the cost factor. The job that is done through flight planning software is
completed in no time and the results gathered are of best quality. This reduces
the cost of manual systems which consume a lot of time and effort, increasing
the cost of the flight.
Flight planning software is also able to build
multiple flight plans. This means that when one flight operation of the drone
is finished, the next flight plan would be followed. All these flight plans are
scheduled before the drone takes off and it operates as long as the operator
wants it to fly. All flight plans are stored inside the drone and all
instructions are given before take-off and once the drone gets into operation,
it automatically does the tasks for you.
There is not specific training which is
required to use flight planning software. The interface is user friendly and
different companies have made their functions very simple for new users to
operate. People often do not wish to get extra training for these software programs
and it is always better to go for ready to use software. You only need location
points on the map to give a route to your drone, and you do not need to keep an
eye on it all the times.
Conclusion
Flight Planning Software for UAV flights has
made the task of capturing images, mapping, surveying and data acquisition quite
simple and easy. With very little to do, a planned flight to collect different
kinds of data would be effectively done. It is advisable for all commercial
pilots flying drones to embed this software as a necessity for gathering high
quality data to attain best results.
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