Erron Gardner is co-founder and director of Aerial Acquisitions, an aerial survey firm using both manned and unmanned platforms.
10 October, 2017
Think drone surveys are going to replace manned aircraft? Erron Gardner uses both and says you should think again.
Large Format Manned Surveys
Truth is, traditional large format mapping cameras have never been cost effective on small projects. To be fair, they were not designed for this purpose. High capital and operating costs associated with these cameras mean that operation of these systems are highly geared, and far more suited to capturing large areas like entire capital cities or local government areas.
Due to the recent evolution of large swath sensors like the VisionMap A3, Vexcel UltraCam Eagle (340 megapixels), and custom multi camera sensors of Nearmap and Spookfish, large format aerial imagery has never been more ecnomical. This is especially true in large urban areas where there is fierce competition between providers like AAM, Aerometrex, Nearmap and, soon, Spookfish. Reduction in the rate per hectare costs of imagery has driven the demand for an increase in the temporal resolution. As a result, repeated data capture 2-4 times per year is now becoming commonplace.
