Field Notes - Platform: DJI Matrice 600

Unlike the previous session, when the UAV batteries had some issues, there were no incidents this time. This day we left the Yunecc H520 UAV at the lab and instead brought the DJI Matrice 600. We split up into two groups, one that lay out the Ground Control Points while the second group stayed with Professor Hupy and the platform and went through assessment of altitude and the pre-flight steps. Two flights were involved this day. Below is some initial metadata.

Location: Martell Forest
Date/ Time: 4/2/2019, 11:00 am EST
Platform: DJI Matrice 600
Sensor: Zenmuse X5
Aperture: Auto
Shutter speed: 800 fractions of a second, not automatic
GCP: AeroPoint markers
Altitude: 90 meters
Weather/conditions: Clear skies, calm wind, 52 degrees F, 0% precipitation
Pilot: Jaspar Saadi-Klein

The first flight was carried out by a camera angle of 60 degrees oblique and the pattern was crosshatched. The second flight was flown with Nadir view.

Figure 1: The DJI Matrice 600 sitting on the launch pad.

When laying out GCPs, one should always have eyesight to the last GCP and remember to have some variances on elevation. Each GCP had an identifier and the last 3 digits of each GCP were unique.

Figure 2: One GCP. The ID for this unique GCP is 491.

1. ID 217 was located by the pile 

2. ID 943 was located by the shed on the west side 

3. ID 491 was located by the cages 

4. ID 142 was located southwest corner 

5. ID 500 was located southeast corner 

6. ID 360 was near the southeast corner 

7. ID 205 was located on the east side by dead grass 

8. ID 420 was in the very center of the area of interest 

9. ID 034 was almost in the middle of the east side 

10. ID 747 was almost at the northeast corner where we parked the cars.

Figure 3: Courtesy to my friend and fellow schoolmate Jaspar Saadi-Klein.

The process after the flight was done was to pick up the GCPs in reversed order.

Figure 4: The video shows the initial phase of the first flight.