Mission planning is the process that decides whether the entire job is going to go smoothly or create rework later. Aerotas approaches drone projects by starting with a few simple questions: What do you actually need? What is the accuracy tolerance? What aircraft are you flying? What ground data will be collected? What constraints does the site create?
If those questions are answered upfront, the rest of the workflow gets easier. If they are skipped, the problems usually show up later as blown field time, weak accuracy, or a deliverable that does not really match the project.
What you should decide before the field day
- Whether the site is actually a good fit for drone capture
- Whether photogrammetry, lidar, or a hybrid approach is needed
- What final deliverable the project requires
- What accuracy target matters in practice
- What ground control, checkpoints, RTK, or PPK strategy will be used
- Whether airspace, access, or safety constraints change the plan
Requesting Mission Planning Help from Aerotas
Aerotas is happy to help plan missions for live projects in our web application. We offer this service at no cost to our processing clients because it is a critical step that supports downstream efficiency.
How it works:
- Create a project in our web app
- Go to "my projects" select "request mission planning" for your project.
- Fill out the form and set a due date for our team to reach back out with the plan
You'll get back project and site specific insights that include:
- FAA airspace checks and next steps if they're needed
- A suggested GCP layout in a KML/KMZ file
- Site analysis and explanation of any site specific issues such as elevation change or obstructions present
- General best practices and drone specific settings where applicable.
Ready to get started? Create a new project in the Aerotas web app and request mission planning from My Projects.
If the site has unusual geometry, active construction, poor imagery context, or likely airspace complications, surface that early. Mission planning works best when surprises are handled while the project is still a planning problem rather than an in-field problem.
What good mission planning buys you
Mission planning is where project efficiency is born. Good planning creates better data, less field waste, and fewer downstream corrections.