The steps below outline the process for acquiring and processing drone imagery through the MAPEO platform. In order to start the below process, the user should contact their MAPEO Business Developer to activate their demo account. Please follow the links below to find out more information on each step.

Step 1. Define new field and order new products

Once a new user is activated in MAPEO, they can define their fields of interest by selecting a point or polygon in the region. When a field is defined, the user can then order new products depending on their crop. By ordering a new product, the user is requesting a quote for that specific field size and the products requested. When ordering a new product, the user can also define the date(s) on which they would like a drone flight.

Step 2. Quotation Process

After the user orders new products for their field(s), the MAPEO Business Developer will deliver a quote for the total price, broken down by product type and the costs for acquisition and processing. If the user accepts this quote, they can proceed to finalizing the field location and confirming the flight.

Step 3. Place and measure GCPs

In order to ensure the drone imagery is displayed correctly, we use ground control points (GCPs). These should be placed permanently in the field for the duration of the flying season, and can be placed either by the user, site manager or pilot, depending on the agreement reached between the user and the MAPEO Business Developer. Detailed instructions on which types of GCP to use and how they should be placed can be found here.

Step 4. Fly drone

If drone imagery is being acquired by VITO, we will arrange the drone flight with our pilots together with the site manager assigned by the user. If the user is acquiring the imagery, it is their responsibility to upload the imagery and associated metadata through the MAPEO field software. Once the imagery is uploaded correctly, it will be processed in the processing workflow to produce the ordered products.

Step 5. Drone imagery processing and view results

Once drone imagery is uploaded to the MAPEO system via the field software, it will be processed according to the products ordered by the user. After the processing is complete, the user will be able to see their products for each location in the MAPEO viewer (mapeo.be). These products will be updated after the drone imagery is processed for every flight.