Process Drone Data To Model A Construction Project

Imagery in Action
Exercise
Process drone data to model a
construction project
Section 3 Exercise 1
March 7, 2022
Imagery in Action
Process drone data to model a construction project
Time to complete
55 minutes
Software requirements
ArcGIS Drone2Map
Introduction
ArcGIS is capable of using imagery from many sources, including unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAV), or drones. With these sensors, high-resolution imagery can be captured and quickly
added to your GIS to provide an updated view of your study area or for use in advanced
analysis. Several Esri products can help manage your drone data, including Site Scan for
ArcGIS, ArcGIS Ortho Maker, and ArcGIS Drone2Map. Site Scan provides the ability to
program your drone's flight plan and then create imagery products in a cloud-based workflow.
Ortho Maker is an ArcGIS Enterprise web app used to create products from drone-based
imagery. Drone2Map provides a desktop-based workflow for creating imagery products from
drone data. Additionally, ArcGIS Pro's orthometric mapping capability can be used to create
orthorectified imagery. Depending on the origin of the input imagery and the organization
requirements, the choice of which application to use can vary.
Exercise scenario
In this exercise, you have been provided with recent imagery of a residential development,
collected by a drone. You are a GIS analyst with the company developing the neighborhood.
Your task is to use the data to create imagery products. These products will be used to show
progress on the development to city officials and the project design and construction teams.
You will use Drone2Map to create the imagery products.
Step 1: Install ArcGIS Drone2Map

Because you will be using Drone2Map, you will need to install the software before creating
imagery products.
a Open a web browser in private or incognito mode.
Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 1

Imagery in Action
Note: To learn how to enable private browsing, see this How to Enable Private Browsing on
Any Web Browser article. (https://links.esri.com/HowToBrowse | https://www.howtogeek.com
/269265/how-to-enable-private-browsing-on-any-web-browser).
b Browse to ArcGIS Drone2Map Help: Turn Your Drone into an Enterprise Productivity Tool
(https://doc.arcgis.com/en/drone2map) and sign in with your course credentials.
c In the upper-right corner of the web page, click Download Drone2Map.
d If prompted, sign in with your MOOC credentials.

ArcGIS Drone2Map requires 1.8 gigabytes of disk space to download. If the default download
location does not have enough space, you can change the location by following the steps in
this How to Change the File Download Location in Your Browser article (https://links.esri.com
/ChangeDownloadLocation | www.lifewire.com/change-the-file-download-location-4046428).
e After the download completes, double-click the .exe file.
f Follow the installation instructions, accept the Master Agreement, and then accept the
rest of the defaults.
g When you are finished, close the private or incognito web browser.
Step 2: Download the exercise data files

In this step, you will download the exercise data files.
a In a web browser, go to https://links.esri.com/SubdivisionDroneData and download the

Subdivision Drone Data ZIP file.
Note: The complete URL to the exercise data file is https://www.arcgis.com/home
/item.html?id=f467d134bf564bf3bc7dd7d57922c46f.
The size of this dataset is 333 MB. Be sure that your computer has enough space
to download the data.

Imagery in Action
b Extract the files to the C:\EsriMOOC\Data folder.
c When you are finished, close the web browser and File Explorer, if necessary.
Step 3: Input drone data

In this step, you will input the drone data that will be used to create your project.
a Start ArcGIS Drone2Map.
b When prompted, sign in to Drone2Map with your MOOC credentials.

The default project template is 2D Rapid. The 2D Rapid template is designed to quickly
create lower-resolution image products, which is sufficient for this project.
c In the middle of the Drone2Map Start page, click Next, as specified in the following
graphic.
Note: You may need to expand the ArcGIS Drone2Map window to see the Next button.

Imagery in Action
d For the project name, type SubdivisionProgress.
e For the project location, browse to C:\EsriMOOC, click the Projects folder to select it, and
then click OK.
f In the Add Images section, click Add Folder.
g Browse to C:\EsriMOOC\Data, select the SubdivisionDrone folder, and then click OK.
The Image Count should show 40 images to be added to the project.
h Click Create.

Imagery in Action
In Drone2Map, you will see 2D and 3D maps added to the display. The flight line pattern in
the 2D map will be visible based on the arrangement of the input data.
i Review the Contents pane on the left, which shows the layers that have been added to
the map.
1. What do the blue dots represent?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
j In the map, in the third column from the left, click the top blue dot for image DJI_0425, as
shown in the following graphic.

Imagery in Action
The Image Viewer appears in a new window, showing the image that you just selected from
the map. You can scroll through the images added to the project. The purpose of the Image
Viewer is to review input images before imagery products are created. You can add notes to
images, or even remove them if they are not needed for your project.
k Close the Image Viewer.

You have added images to a new project and are now ready to configure processing options.
Step 4: Select processing options

In this step, you will choose options for the imagery products necessary to monitor the
progress of the building construction.
Drone2Map is capable of producing many different imagery outputs. Your specific study
requirements indicate that you must create an orthomosaic, a digital terrain model (DTM), a
3D point cloud, and a 3D mesh.
a On the Home tab, in the Processing group, click Options.

In the Options dialog box, you can choose the products that you want to create and the
parameters to use during the processing.
b On the 2D Products tab, confirm that the Create Orthomosaic, Create Digital Surface
Model, and Create Digital Terrain Model boxes are checked.
Your 2D Products tab should look like the following graphic.

Imagery in Action
c On the 3D Products tab, for Create Point Clouds, check the LAS box.
The LAS point cloud is a set of points that represents coincident locations in the project area
where several pixels from various input rasters are the same. These keypoints are then used to
create a point cloud that can be used to model different elevation imagery products.
d For Create Textured Meshes, under Multi LOD Mesh, check the SLPK box.
The textured mesh option will create an object that can be viewed in three dimensions. The
mesh can be used to model what the project area looks like as if you were on the ground
looking around at the features.
Your 3D Products tab should look like the following graphic.

Imagery in Action
e On the Initial tab, update Keypoints Image Scale to Full.

The Keypoints Image Scale is related to the number of coincident areas per input raster. The
scale indicates the quality of the processing—the more keypoints, the more refined the
output, and the longer the processing time.
f For Matching Image Pairs, confirm that Aerial Grid Or Corridor is selected.
This option is based on the input data. When the drone collects the data, different flight plans
may be used. For this set of input rasters, this option is correct.
Your Initial tab should look like the following graphic.

Imagery in Action
g On the Dense tab, check the Run Dense box.

This option relates to point cloud densification, which will delay the processing but create
more refined results.
h Click OK.
For more information about the specific options, see ArcGIS Drone2Map Help: Processing
options.
You have selected the products that you want to create and set their processing parameters.
To further refine your output, you will provide ground control points.
Step 5: Add ground control points

In this step, you will add ground control points (GCPs) to improve the output by linking it to
precisely measured locations.
a On the Home tab, in the Control group, click the Control down arrow and choose Import

Imagery in Action
Control.
b In the Import Control window, choose the Import From Drone2Map Control Export
option, and then click OK.
c In the Import Control dialog box, for Drone2Map Control Export, browse to C:\
EsriMOOC\Data, select the GCP_Subdivision.zip file, and then click OK.
Three GCPs will be added to the dialog box.
d Click OK to add the GCPs.
The new GCPs will appear in the map as green plus symbols.
In this step, you added GCPs, which will be used during processing to improve the accuracy
of your drone data. This in turn improves the quality of your imagery products.

Imagery in Action
Step 6: Produce imagery products

In this step, you will create the 2D and 3D imagery products that you specified in the
processing options. These imagery products are what you will use to share the progress of the
residential development.
a On the Home tab, in the Processing group, click Start to create the imagery products.
Note: The progress for the project will be indicated at the bottom of the Manage pane on the
right. Depending on your computer system, processing times may be lengthy.
The 2D map still shows the original project data, such as the images and flight lines, but now
it also includes the 2D products and 3D products.
b In the Contents pane, turn off visibility of the Project Data and 3D Products group layers.

Imagery in Action
The 2D imagery products are displayed in two group layers: the Imagery Products group layer,
which contains the Orthomosaic layer, and the DEM Products group layer, which contains the
Digital Surface Model and Digital Terrain Model layers.
Step 7: Review the Processing Report

In this step, you will review the imagery products in order to assess their quality and fit for
your analysis. There are several ways to evaluate imagery products, including visual review,
coverage area review, and output statistics.
a On the Home tab, in the Processing group, click Report to open the Processing Report.

Imagery in Action
The Processing Report includes information about the process and the resulting products.
Ground sampling distance (GSD) is the distance between the center points of adjacent pixels.
It is related to pixel size and spatial resolution.
2. In the Summary section, what is the average GSD reported?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
One measure of successful processing performance is if all input images were used to create
the imagery products.
3. In the Quality Check section, how many images were calibrated in the project?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
b Minimize the Processing Report.

Imagery in Action
c In the Contents pane, in the Imagery Products group layer, double-click the Orthomosaic
layer to open its properties.
d On the Source tab, expand Raster Information.

One of the advantages of drone data is that the sensors are capable of extremely high-
resolution data. With such a fine spatial resolution, you are capable of recognizing small
features within the orthomosaic.
4. What is the cell size reported?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
When you configured the processing options for your 2D products, the automatic resolution
was set at 4 x GSD, which is reflected in the cell size, or spatial resolution, of the new
orthomosaic.
e Close the layer properties.
f Restore the Processing Report.

Hint: In the bottom-left corner of the app, right-click Processing Report and choose
Maximize.
g Scroll down to the Overlap section of the report.

Imagery in Action
The graphic indicates the coverage relative to the number of overlapping images. Areas in
green indicate more coverage. Due to the number of overlapping images in the green areas,
the quality of the product is greater in those areas.
h Close the report.

You have reviewed the Processing Report and are now ready to review the imagery products.
Step 8: Review the 2D imagery product

In this step, you will review the recently created 2D imagery product.
a In the Contents pane, right-click Orthomosaic and choose Zoom To Source Resolution.
b Pan the display to the right until you see the cul-de-sac shown in the following graphic.

Imagery in Action
Drone imagery data is collected at low altitudes and is capable of creating high-resolution
imagery.
5. In the bottom-left corner of the map, what is the reported scale?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
At this scale, you can clearly see many features. This orthomosaic will allow the project team
to visually inspect the construction site.
c On the Analysis tab, in the Measure group, click Area.

The orthomosaic is orthorectified and can be used to accurately measure features.
Orthorectified images have been corrected to mitigate errors and distortions caused by the
sensor and the terrain.
d Measure the area of the driveway indicated in the following graphic by clicking the outline
of the driveway.
Note: If you need to pan the map, hold the C key to temporarily activate the Explore tool.
e Finish the measurement by double-clicking the last point.

Imagery in Action
6. What is the area reported?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
7. What is the perimeter reported?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
f In the Mensuration Results pane, select the measurement listed in the table, click the
Delete button , and then click Yes to delete the results.
g Close the Mensuration Results pane.

You reviewed the 2D imagery product. You will be able to use this orthomosaic image to
visually assess the progress of the development and to take accurate measurements of
property features.
Step 9: Review the point cloud

In this step, you will review the 3D products created for the project, which include the LAS
point cloud and textured mesh. The LAS point cloud is visible in the 2D map, while the

Imagery in Action
textured mesh is only visible in the 3D scene.
a In the Contents pane, turn on visibility of the 3D Products group to see the LAS Point
Cloud layer.
b Right-click LAS Point Cloud and choose Zoom To Layer.
You can use the LAS point cloud to create elevation models and other lidar derived products,
such as an LAS dataset.
For more information about LAS datasets, see ArcGIS Pro Help: LAS datasets.
c In the Contents pane, turn off visibility of the Orthomosaic layer and the DEM Products
group layer.
d On the Home tab, in the Layers group, click Basemap and choose Dark Gray Canvas.

Imagery in Action
Each point is assigned a category—such as ground or building—according to a preset

classification scheme.
e In the Contents pane, open the LAS Point Cloud layer properties.
f In the Layer Properties dialog box, click the LAS Filter tab.
You can see the classification codes, return values, and classification flags on this tab. You can
filter the point cloud by classification code, depending on which aspect of the data you want
to visualize and work with.
8. What are the classification codes reported in the dialog box?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
g Close the layer properties.
h In the Contents pane, turn on visibility of the DEM Products group layer and turn off
visibility of the 3D Products group layer.

Imagery in Action
The digital surface model (DSM) is created from the LAS point cloud and indicates the surface
elevation throughout the raster. Buildings, trees, and other features are visible. The values in
this raster can be used for measuring the height of features.
i Turn off visibility of the DEM Products group layer and turn on visibility of the 3D Products
group layer.
j Right-click LAS Point Cloud, point to LAS Filter, and choose Ground.
When the LAS point cloud is filtered by Ground, all points that are not classified as Ground

Imagery in Action
are no longer visible. LAS Ground points were used to create the Digital Terrain Model layer,
which represents a bare earth surface.
k Turn off visibility of the 3D Products group layer.
l Turn on the DEM Products group layer and turn off visibility of the Digital Surface Model
layer.
The digital terrain model (DTM) shows what the area would look like if surface features such as
buildings and trees were removed.
This visualization is a representation of a bare earth surface and should not be

considered more than an estimation.
You have reviewed the point cloud and the products derived from it—a DSM and a DTM.
Step 10: Review imagery products in a scene

In this step, you will view the 3D Mesh layer and the drone flight lines in a local scene. This
allows you to visualize the data in three dimensions, providing a unique perspective of the
area.
a At the top of the map view, click the 3D Map tab to view the data in three dimensions.

Imagery in Action
Note: It may take a moment for the data to load.
b In the Contents pane, in the 3D Products group layer, right-click the Mesh layer and
choose Zoom To Layer.
The flight lines should be visible above the 3D mesh.
c Zoom in closer and tilt the scene.

To tilt the scene, click the scroll wheel on the mouse or use the on-screen navigator located in
the lower-left corner of the view. For more information about how to use 3D navigation, see
ArcGIS Pro Help: Navigation in 3D.
d Rotate the scene until the flight lines are aligned, as shown in the following graphic.

Imagery in Action
Note: The 3D mesh results look a bit distorted. There are methods in ArcGIS Drone2Map and
ArcGIS Pro to improve the level of detail and quality of the 3D objects.
With the flight lines visible, you can see the position of the drone during the collection of the
imagery.
e Save the project and exit ArcGIS Drone2Map.

You have learned how to create 2D and 3D imagery products with Drone2Map based on your
drone data. Many possibilities are available within ArcGIS to continue your analysis or
visualization projects.
If you would like to continue exploring your data, you can work through the stretch goal.
Stretch goal (Optional)

Throughout this course, you will have the opportunity to complete stretch goals. These goals
allow you to continue or enhance the work that you completed during the exercise.

Imagery in Action
Stretch goals are community-supported (meaning that your fellow MOOC participants can
assist you with the steps to complete the stretch goal using the Lesson Forum), and they are a
great opportunity to work together to learn.
1. In a web browser, go to the Subdivision Progress 3D Mesh scene layer.
Note: The complete URL for this layer is https://www.arcgis.com/home

/item.html?id=f4089c2d183542c0bb4f96d278043dcb.
2. Click Open In Scene Viewer.
3. Use the tools provided in the toolbar in the upper-right corner of the scene to answer all
or some of the following questions:
• What is the average height of the tallest home in the scene?

• Which house has the largest fenced-in yard?
• When the shadows are enabled, which houses have shaded backyards on August 25,
2021, at 4:00 PM, Central Time (UTC-6 CST - US and Canada), which is the time zone
that this Texas neighborhood is in?
• Which house has the driveway with the most area, and what is the measurement?
For more information about Scene Viewer, see ArcGIS Online Help: Get started with Scene
Viewer and Scene navigation.
Use the Lesson Forum to post your questions, observations, and screen capture examples to
identify which homes best represent the answers. Be sure to include the #stretch hashtag in
the posting title.

Imagery in Action
Answers to Exercise Questions
1. What do the blue dots represent?

The blue dots are the enabled images in the project.
2. In the Summary section, what is the average GSD reported?

The average GSD is 1.59 cm / 0.62 in.
3. In the Quality Check section, how many images were calibrated in the project?
There were 40 images calibrated, which are all the images in the folder.
4. What is the cell size reported?

The cell size is 0.06 meters.
5. In the bottom-left corner of the map, what is the reported scale?

The reported scale is 1:240.
6. What is the area reported?

The area should be approximately 50 square meters.
7. What is the perimeter reported?

The perimeter should be approximately 30 meters.
8. What are the classification codes reported in the dialog box?

All, Ground, Low Vegetation, High Vegetation, Building, and Road Surface are the
classification codes reported.

Process Drone Data To Model A Construction Project

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Imagery in Action

Process drone data to model a construction project

Step 1: Install ArcGIS Drone2Map

a Open a web browser in private or incognito mode.

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 1

c In the upper-right corner of the web page, click Download Drone2Map.

d If prompted, sign in with your MOOC credentials.

e After the download completes, double-click the .exe file.

Step 2: Download the exercise data files

a In a web browser, go to https://links.esri.com/SubdivisionDroneData and download the

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 2

b Extract the files to the C:\EsriMOOC\Data folder.

Step 3: Input drone data

a Start ArcGIS Drone2Map.

b When prompted, sign in to Drone2Map with your MOOC credentials.

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 3

d For the project name, type SubdivisionProgress.

f In the Add Images section, click Add Folder.

The Image Count should show 40 images to be added to the project.

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 4

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 5

k Close the Image Viewer.

Step 4: Select processing options

a On the Home tab, in the Processing group, click Options.

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 6

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 7

e On the Initial tab, update Keypoints Image Scale to Full.

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 8

g On the Dense tab, check the Run Dense box.

Step 5: Add ground control points

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 9

Three GCPs will be added to the dialog box.

d Click OK to add the GCPs.

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 10

Step 6: Produce imagery products

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 11

Step 7: Review the Processing Report

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 12

b Minimize the Processing Report.

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 13

d On the Source tab, expand Raster Information.

e Close the layer properties.

f Restore the Processing Report.

g Scroll down to the Overlap section of the report.

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 14

h Close the report.

Step 8: Review the 2D imagery product

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 15

c On the Analysis tab, in the Measure group, click Area.

e Finish the measurement by double-clicking the last point.

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 16

6. What is the area reported?

7. What is the perimeter reported?

g Close the Mensuration Results pane.

Step 9: Review the point cloud

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 17

textured mesh is only visible in the 3D scene.

b Right-click LAS Point Cloud and choose Zoom To Layer.

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 18

Each point is assigned a category—such as ground or building—according to a preset

g Close the layer properties.

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 19

Copyright © 2022 Esri. All rights reserved. 20