Tools, workflow, and reference for drone survey, heritage capture, and cinematic recording operations across Dartmoor, Cornwall, and beyond. From pre-flight mission planning to 3DGS pipeline handoff.
A compact toolkit for autonomous mapping and recording flights, from boundary design and route export to safe field execution.
End-to-end workflow for a heritage survey or mapping mission — from pre-flight planning through to 3D reconstruction handoff.
Full three-pass capture methodology, AprilTag GCP placement, ND filter selection, and camera settings are documented in the Field Notes section of Hylas Spatial. For a full pre-departure checklist see the Field Kit page.
Starting values for heritage photogrammetry missions. Adjust altitude for the required ground resolution and local restrictions.
| Parameter | Heritage Survey | Detail Pass | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altitude | 50–80m | 25–40m | Lower = finer GSD, more images |
| Frontal overlap | 80% | 85% | Higher for complex terrain |
| Side overlap | 75% | 80% | Minimum 70% for 3DGS |
| Speed | 6–8 m/s | 4–5 m/s | Slower for sharper frames |
| Shutter | 1/1000s+ | 1/1000s+ | Freeze motion, avoid blur |
| ISO | 100–200 | 100 | Keep noise low for reconstruction |
| GSD at 50m | ~1.5 cm/px | — | Mini 4 Pro 24mm, 48MP |
| Mission split | Waypoint OS auto-warns at controller limit | ~99 waypoints per KMZ | |
| Export format | DJI KMZ | Load directly in DJI Fly | |
Waypoint OS is free, no subscription, no account. Download at pilotbyte.com/waypoint-os. Windows and macOS. All data stays local.