Adding a New Flight: A Step-By-Step Guide

Adding a New Flight: A Step-By-Step Guide

Adding and fully processing a new flight in DatuBIM involves five steps:
  1. Selecting the flight images
  2. Selecting processing preferences
  3. Pre-processing
  4. Geo referencing 
  5. Model generation

Once these steps are complete, your model will be ready for viewing and further analysis. 

This article covers the first three steps. Steps 4 and 5 are addressed in separate articles.

The process is almost the same whether you're adding the first flight for a site or an additional one. Differences will be noted as we go. 

Starting the Process

1. From the main map or the list on the left, select the site you want to work with.


The site screen will open: 
  1. For a new site: The map will display the general location based on the address entered. 
  2. For an existing site with flights or previous models: The map will display the location based on the uploaded images. 


2. Click +Add / Add Flight to begin.


Step 1: Selecting the Flight Images

In the image selection screen, choose the set of images you want to upload by: 
  1. Clicking Select Images and browsing to the files, or
  2. Dragging and dropping the files into the upload area. 
Once images are added, a Region of Interest (ROI) rectangle appears. You can adjust this to upload only a subset of images if required.

Automatic Integrity Check

After selecting the images, the system automatically checks for: 
  1. Missing or duplicate images
  2. Images taken too close together or too far apart
  3. Large time gaps between consecutive images
  4. Multiple camera models
  5. Extended time span from start to end of capture
Any issues will appear as warnings. You can choose to fix or ignore them, but fixing them, when possible, helps produce more accurate image alignment and a more precise model.


You can also right-click on an image in the map view to delete it directly.

Adding More Images

You can upload additional images from the same or another folder. Each time images are added, the ROI bounding box resets to include all images. Adjusting the bounding box can: 
  1. Limit the images to a specific area of interest
  2. Exclude problematic images (e.g. over large bodies of water). 
Click on any white circular point of your ROI bounding box and drag it to where you'd like it to be to adjust it.


Tip: The total uploaded image size is limited to 180 gigapixels. If any image exceeds 21MP, reach out to Support.


There are error notifications that appear when uploading images that will prevent DatuBIM from progressing to the next stage: 
  1. Model cannot be generated: Images lack EXIF data. 
  2. Model cannot be generated: Images lack resolution data. 
  3. Images with resolution greater than 50mpx were detected. Please upload images with lower resolution. 
  4. Model cannot be generated: Inconsistent resolution across images. 
  5. Model cannot be generated. All images must be taken using the same camera model. 
  6. Model cannot be generated: Images have incomplete location data.
Once satisfied with your selection, click Continue to move to the next step.

Step 2 - Selecting Processing Preferences

The next screen allows you to select the processing preferences.


The Flight Details section allows you to: 

  1. Select the Operator
  2. Add optional comments about the flight
Flight date, camera model, RTK status, and rolling shutter settings are automatically extracted from the images.

If not all images contain valid RTK data, DatuBIM will automatically toggle RTK off and notify you.

DatuBIM will automatically toggle Rolling Shutter on if it detects:
  1. The camera has a rolling shutter, or
  2. The drone has a mechanical shutter but was flying at high speed. 


Geo-Referencing Options

The available geo-referencing options depend on factors such as: 
  1. Drone type (RTK or non-RTK)
  2. Whether this is the first or an additional flight
  3. Availability of Ground Control Points (GCPs)
For first flights with non-RTK drones:
  1. Drone GPS & Manual GCP markup
  2. Drone GPS & AI assisted GCP markup
  3. Automodel based on drone GPS  

For first flights with RTK drones (RTK enabled):
  1. RTK data & Manual GCP markup
  2. RTK data & AI assisted GCP markup
  3. Automodel based on RTK data only

For additional flights with non-RTK drones:

  1. Automatic geo-referencing based on previous flight
  2. Automatic geo-referencing based on manual monument marking
  3. Drone GPS & Manual GCP markup
  4. Drone GPS & AI assisted GCP markup
  5.  Automodel based on drone GPS 

For additional flights with RTK drones (RTK enabled):
  1. Automatic geo-referencing based on previous flight
  2. Automatic geo-referencing based on manual monument marking
  3. RTK data & Manual GCP markup
  4. RTK data & AI assisted GCP markup
  5. Automodel based on RTK data only
Note:
The highest accuracy will always be received using GCPs. However, selecting geo-referencing based on a previous flight allows you to skip GCP marking if the prior flight was already geo-referenced. This uses DatuBIM's algorithm to match tie points between flights and align them automatically.




When you're done, click Continue to move to the pre-processing step.

Step 3 - Model Pre-Processing

Pre-Processing includes: 
  1. Uploading the images
  2. Linking the images
These steps run automatically, but you must keep the upload wizard open until upload is complete. 



Once the upload is finished, you'll receive a message indicating you can close your browser and return later.


After linking is complete, the next step the next step will depend on your geo-referencing choice - either GCP marking or automatic model generation.


If your upload is interrupted: 
  1. Internet failure: You'll see a message about the connection issue. After reconnecting, click "Try Again" to resume from where it stopped. 

  1. Browser closed (intentionally or accidentally): When you return to the site, you'll be prompted to resume or discard the upload. 
    1. Yes: Resume upload immediately. 
    2. No: Skip resuming for now. You can still review other instances, but to resume later, you must exit and re-enter the site. 

Note: If you add a new flight after choosing No, the saved interrupted upload will be automatically discarded.

For a step-by-step visual walkthrough, see our Adding a New Flight video tutorial.



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