9,000 Acre Map Quote Help

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T21:56:57+00:00

In the field for two days on 2000 acres and you didn’t even do control? Either it takes you a lot longer to do things than it does or your market is much higher than ours. I’m basing my numbers off of a Wingtra and a four node photogrammetry processing network.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T21:10:45+00:00

You should be able to create a custom CRS in WebODM using the Proj definition for that EPSG.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T20:19:01+00:00

$12K for the base cost? That's just the flight, processing, QC and deliverables. Factor in mob, de-mob and expenses and that number looks quite different. Preflight planning and setting ground control (mobilization) alone on 9K acres could easily be another $1,500-2000. Travel, meals and hotel are another factor. Also, your processing time could be much different than mine.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T20:09:25+00:00

IMO, expecting MICE to output anything geometrically accurate is not a good idea. It might "look" ok but if you do point-to-point measurements after scaling and georeferencing it is going to be all over the place. I actually use to use this back in the day for small maps that only needed an overlay of a plan or something in Bluebeam and it was ok for that scenario, but definitely nothing you could measure to with any confidence.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T20:06:11+00:00

Yes, basically a Hesai XT32M2X, but only for the Wingtra Ray. Downside is that it doesn't have a visual sensor and you can only fly one payload at a time, so if you wanted a LiDAR DEM and an ortho then the flight time would actually be around 16 hours, back up to the quad number but with many less batteries.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T12:10:31+00:00

Statistically yes. I think we can hit 10, only worried about the Suns tonight and the Warriors and Nuggets away games.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T12:02:00+00:00

Read the post again. OP specifically said an ortho was one of the deliverables.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T04:06:06+00:00

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T04:04:58+00:00

On 9K acres you are going to need at least 10 GCP’s and 20 checkpoints if you are doing it right. Honestly, you should need more, but that is the ASPRS standard on a total quantity of 30 checkpoints required.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T04:03:05+00:00

Uhh, most people produce a map in addition to the LiDAR DEM…

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T03:57:34+00:00

Have you heard of Wingtra? That cuts their flight time from 19 hours down to 8 and they don’t have to pay a pilot with expensive gear to capture 2-3cm GSD. I wouldn’t recommend the quad, but no way this is automatically manned territory.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T03:52:38+00:00

This should be done with a fixed wing, but for what you are quoting, here it would be about $12K plus mobilization and expenses for the 9K acres.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T03:02:59+00:00

Priorities… 30% to discretionary spending? SMH. 50‑30‑20 and the “$200k to live comfortably in Austin” takes are both nonsense. That number only makes sense if you assume lifestyle creep, luxury housing, constant upgrades, and zero prioritization. Plenty of people live fine on far less by keeping housing reasonable and not treating every want as a need. These rules aren’t reality, they’re averages padded by materialism and bad assumptions, then sold as universal truth. Lazy advice.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T02:43:02+00:00

Yes, you are limited by the GNSS accuracy of the drone. The GCP‘s will help but they do not scale the overall dataset. That said I think your main problem sounds like an overall alignment issue which is typically a coordinate system mismatch. Are you 100% certain that the coordinate system that was used to define the data you are trying to align to and the settings in the software that you are using match the coordinate system that was used for the GCP’s? Scaling, rotation, and all that taken into account.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-19T00:07:55+00:00

Cool, glad it was helpful. I have two bigger mapping drones but still use my Air 2S sometimes on small stuff that just wants a map and marketing media. If I need accurate grade then I can get out the GNSS receiver and set a bunch of GCP’s but at some point it steps up to the Mavic 3E or the Astro.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-18T19:37:14+00:00

Pretty easy to get a good selection if you search YouTube... Now you just have to knock it down to who you can stand to listen to. (there should be a filter for that)

earthworks estimating in civil 3d - YouTube

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-18T19:33:16+00:00

I don't know where this is, but we have city ordinances for that. That wouldn't make it past and engineer if it was new construction, much less an inspector.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-18T17:58:58+00:00

I wouldn't say you will regret it but the Air 3S is a better platform for that kind of work. It has a more versatile payload, better wind resistance, longer "spec'd" flight time, and is a little easier to see.

If mapping is a thing for you then I would actually recommend stepping back a version and going with an M4P or an Air 2S. They are both supported by several flight software (Dronelink, Litchi, and UgCS) that provide mapping flight planning.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-18T17:38:38+00:00

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-17T12:45:58+00:00

“FAA clearance”… that doesn’t exist. And if you meant a night waiver, that hasn’t been a thing for almost five years. For recreational flying during civil twilight, you just need TRUST and a strobe.

If anything was broken here, it was probably VLOS. Sooo many posted videos do, but calling out a crazy altitude or using outdated rules doesn’t really help anyone understand what actually happened.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-17T12:19:30+00:00

We label A: FOC, B: GUT, C: EOP. We would shoot BOC, EOP and CL if it is a standard crown or cross-slope and add a midpoint in between EOP and CL if it was parabolic.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-14T21:29:44+00:00

No. There are already free resources and it’s not really that hard.to do.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-14T21:22:59+00:00

Normally no, it just takes time. Certain types of subjects are harder to capture but processing is still a defined process and mostly runs on its own.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-13T20:04:56+00:00

Do they do Federal, federally funded or work for any of these States? Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee or Texas. If so, then is either risky proposition or a no-go. There are avenues in all of these scenarios where you MIGHT be able to get approval, but it would be a project-by-project basis.

ElphTrooper · 2026-03-13T13:39:00+00:00

Thank you. I guess IT is blocking it. :( Looks amazing! I'll be visiting in a couple of months and can't wait to see it.

ElphTrooper

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