https://copterware.com/blog News, release notes, and articles from the Copterware team. en-us Sat, 22 Nov 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://copterware.com/blog/photogrammetry-mission-planning-in-ugcs-step-by-step-guide https://copterware.com/blog/photogrammetry-mission-planning-in-ugcs-step-by-step-guide Sat, 22 Nov 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team UgCS is a professional drone flight planning and control application built by SPH Engineering. It supports DJI, ArduPilot, and PX4 platforms and includes a dedicated Photogrammetry tool that calculates flight lines, camera trigger intervals, and terrain-following waypoints based... https://copterware.com/blog/aerial-mapping-with-drones-a-comprehensive-guide https://copterware.com/blog/aerial-mapping-with-drones-a-comprehensive-guide Sat, 01 Nov 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team This guide is written for surveyors, GIS professionals, engineers, and drone service providers who need to understand the full drone mapping survey workflow, from mission planning through data delivery. We cover the decisions that actually affect your output quality: flight param... https://copterware.com/blog/what-is-gsd-in-drone-mapping https://copterware.com/blog/what-is-gsd-in-drone-mapping Mon, 01 Sep 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team Drone GSDCalculator https://copterware.com/blog/lidar-vs-photogrammetry-for-aerial-surveying https://copterware.com/blog/lidar-vs-photogrammetry-for-aerial-surveying Sun, 03 Aug 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team For surveying and mapping professionals, LiDAR and Photogrammetry have long been necessary tools of the trade. But recent advances in drone technology have changed the way that data is captured for the better. https://copterware.com/blog/smarter-crop-scouting-pinpoint-plant-stress-with-ndvi-drone-mapping https://copterware.com/blog/smarter-crop-scouting-pinpoint-plant-stress-with-ndvi-drone-mapping Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team First light breaks across central Kansas. In minutes, a compact quadcopter has traced a grid above 200 acres of soybeans. By the time the grower tops off his coffee, a color-coded NDVI map glows on his tablet, flagging an odd stress signature in the southwest corner—an early hint... https://copterware.com/blog/faster-fault-detection-thermal-drones-for-solar-farm-inspections https://copterware.com/blog/faster-fault-detection-thermal-drones-for-solar-farm-inspections Thu, 19 Jun 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team Solar power is surging worldwide, with more than 100 GW of capacity now installed in the United States alone—enough to power roughly 18.6 million homes. As utility-scale solar farms continue to sprawl across thousands of acres, keeping every photovoltaic PV module operating at pe... https://copterware.com/blog/6-major-benefits-of-aerial-thermography-for-solar-inspections https://copterware.com/blog/6-major-benefits-of-aerial-thermography-for-solar-inspections Mon, 05 May 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team Solar energy is growing in popularity all over the U.S., from residential solar panel installations to utility-scale solar farms. Today, over 100 gigawatts GW of solar capacity are installed nationwide, enough to power 18.6 million homes! We’re living in the #SolarDecade, with as... https://copterware.com/blog/rtk-vs-ppk-choosing-the-right-gps-correction-method-for-drone-mapping https://copterware.com/blog/rtk-vs-ppk-choosing-the-right-gps-correction-method-for-drone-mapping Fri, 25 Apr 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team These days, high-accuracy mapping has become commonplace, but it's still easy to get lost in all of the different acronyms and concepts.  https://copterware.com/blog/what-is-a-digital-elevation-model-dems-dsms-dtms-from-drones https://copterware.com/blog/what-is-a-digital-elevation-model-dems-dsms-dtms-from-drones Sat, 05 Apr 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team Creating Digital Surface Models and Terrain Models for Real-World Analysis https://copterware.com/blog/rtk-drones-a-comprehensive-guide-to-centimeter-level-accuracy https://copterware.com/blog/rtk-drones-a-comprehensive-guide-to-centimeter-level-accuracy Wed, 12 Mar 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team Drones have rapidly become indispensable tools for professionals in surveying, construction, GIS, and other fields that demand precise spatial data. While most UAVs can capture images and basic location information, not all can achieve the centimeter-level accuracy required for c... https://copterware.com/blog/ten-ways-to-assess-coastal-erosion-with-drone-mapping https://copterware.com/blog/ten-ways-to-assess-coastal-erosion-with-drone-mapping Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team Coastal environments are in constant flux, influenced by tides, storms, and human activity. Understanding these changes is critical for managing coastal erosion, assessing storm impacts, and informing conservation efforts. Drone mapping provides a powerful way to track these chan... https://copterware.com/blog/rtk-ground-control-points-and-gps-accuracy-explained https://copterware.com/blog/rtk-ground-control-points-and-gps-accuracy-explained Tue, 11 Feb 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team When using drones to create a map, you have different options to achieve different levels of positional accuracy. The best choice depends on your specific requirements and what equipment you have available to you. https://copterware.com/blog/drone-mapping-101-a-step-by-step-beginners-guide https://copterware.com/blog/drone-mapping-101-a-step-by-step-beginners-guide Sun, 24 Nov 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team Many industries use drone photogrammetry—from land surveying and construction to archaeology, real estate, insurance, and forensics. As technology advances, aerial mapping is becoming increasingly affordable and accessible. https://copterware.com/blog/skyplan-pro-21-adds-terrain-following-for-corridor-missions https://copterware.com/blog/skyplan-pro-21-adds-terrain-following-for-corridor-missions Tue, 05 Nov 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team Version 2.1 brings SRTM-based terrain following to corridor and polygon missions, plus faster mission upload for DJI Enterprise aircraft. https://copterware.com/blog/using-drones-in-agriculture-and-capturing-actionable-data-output-examples https://copterware.com/blog/using-drones-in-agriculture-and-capturing-actionable-data-output-examples Sun, 20 Oct 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team Applications https://copterware.com/blog/drone-photogrammetry-an-in-depth-guide https://copterware.com/blog/drone-photogrammetry-an-in-depth-guide Wed, 16 Oct 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team Drone photogrammetry is the science of using aerial images captured by drones to create detailed and accurate maps—including 2D maps and 3D models—of physical landscapes and structures. https://copterware.com/blog/monitoring-coastal-erosion-with-drones https://copterware.com/blog/monitoring-coastal-erosion-with-drones Tue, 17 Sep 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team News https://copterware.com/blog/drones-and-dems-vs-dtms-vs-dsms https://copterware.com/blog/drones-and-dems-vs-dtms-vs-dsms Tue, 17 Sep 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team News https://copterware.com/blog/photogrammetry-vs-lidar-in-surveying-construction-which-is-right-for-you https://copterware.com/blog/photogrammetry-vs-lidar-in-surveying-construction-which-is-right-for-you Tue, 02 Apr 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team Surveying and construction professionals have more advanced tools at their disposal than ever before, with drones revolutionising data collection across the industry. Two of the most powerful methods used today are photogrammetry and LiDAR, each offering unique advantages dependi... https://copterware.com/blog/understanding-drone-survey-outputs https://copterware.com/blog/understanding-drone-survey-outputs Sun, 07 Jan 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Copterware Team Drone survey outputs are the visual and spatial datasets generated from aerial drone surveys. These outputs may include orthophotos, digital terrain models DTMs, point clouds, and 3D surface models used for construction planning, earthworks analysis, progress tracking, and survey...