Surveying Large Areas

If you are surveying an area which is larger than your sUAS will be able to cover in one flight, there usually is a provision to split up the flight into sections. Many aircraft with return to launch (RTL) (also referred to as Return to Land (RTL), return to base (RTB), or return to home (RTH)) when the low battery level is reached. The flight is interrupted and the aircraft returns. The autopilot programs usually recognize this, and will remember the last waypoint reached and will begin with the next waypoint. However, depending on the mission planner, it may be necessary to reprogram to the prior waypoint to be sure that the images between the last waypoint of the last mission and first waypoint of the next mission are taken properly. Here is a visual example of how to map large areas using the DroneDeploy mission planning software.

1. Create a plan of the entire area you wish to map.
   When planning – there’s no need to create lots of small plans to join up at a later stage. You should create the plan as you normally would – but make the boundary large enough that it covers the entire area you are planning to map.
2. Begin your flight as usual.
   Start your flight as usual, but make sure to monitor the battery level. You can see the current battery level in the graphic below. Battery icon in the top left sidebar showing the current battery level. When the battery begins to get low, the remote control will start to beep to warn you, and the battery icon will turn red. You can press/click the red “Home” button in the bottom right of the screen, or press and hold the Home button on the remote control to bring the drone back to its takeoff location.
3. Switch out the batteries.
   Turn off your battery. Swap the flat battery with a fresh one to carry on mapping.
4. Continue the mission by selecting the same plan
   Open up your flight plans and select the one that you need to complete. Click ‘Fly’ to open up your incomplete plan.
5. Review Your Remaining Flight Plan
   A dotted line represents the part of the plan you have previously flown, and a solid line is the section you still need to fly. Your restart point is indicated by the ‘start’ point. Press the airplane icon button in the bottom right to start the checklist and then continue the flight.
6. Once the checklist passes, takeoff as normal.
   Once you start your unfinished flight, your drone will head back to the last completed waypoint and continue the mission from there. Repeat until the entire area is mapped! All of the flight data should be saved to the plan you were working on previously. The upload process will not change for these types of mission