Over the last couple of months, the Sphere Drones development and flight operations teams, with support from YellowScan have been working on a custom solution for YellowScan LiDAR payloads. This module simplifies and automates the data capture process, sending captured data directly to the cloud for processing.
No more manual uploading of data.
What is the solution?
Without going into too much detail, our custom solution mounts to the YellowScan payload and drone, allowing our remote pilots to remotely run through the data capture sequence and then upload the data automatically without needing to physically plug anything into the payload.
How does it work?
Simplifying the data capture process
Using an external remote controller, our remote pilots' power on the YellowScan payload. This initiates the warmup process, getting the payload ready for data capture. After a few minutes the payload is ready to go, our remote pilot can now remotely start data capture.
The mission can now be undertaken as normal.
Automating the upload process
Once landed, the YellowScan payload is remotely stopped, allowing the data captured to be finalised and transitioned into a shareable folder. Once ready to share, the data is transferred to the cloud via an onboard and independently powered micro-computer and 5G module.
The benefits of our solution
Uploading and processing LiDAR data takes time, so we’ve decided to tackle both. Our solution uses 4G, 5G, or Wi-Fi connectivity to instantly upload data once the data capture has finished and the drone has landed. This allows the upload process to begin while still out in the field.
By the time the pilot is back in the office, the data will be done, or close to being done uploading, depending on the data size, allowing the post-processing flow to begin straight away. An added benefit is that a person in the office can begin processing data while the pilot is in a remote location without access to powerful enough hardware.
