Drones for crop monitoring & mapping

[IHateWeeds]

I've just started playing around with drones to check on field health. For those of you who use them regularly, what mapping software or flight patterns have you found to be the most effective?

 

[IHPower]

I've had great success with DroneDeploy for mapping. The interface is user-friendly, and the NDVI tools are really effective. I found that using the lawn mower flight pattern gives you the best coverage overall.

 

[Garrin]

Absolutely. I think DroneDeploy’s NDVI tools are really impressive, and the lawn mower pattern ensures even coverage every time.

 

[JD nc0k3]

if you're just starting and want to keep costs down, WebODM is a solid open source alternative that handles mapping nicely

 

[Shedmechanic]

I downloaded WebODM just out of curiosity and ended up using it way more than I thought I would. It’s straightforward, free, and gets the job done. For beginners, it’s tough to find something better especially if you’d rather invest in hardware than software licenses

 

[redpowerop]

if you're just starting and want to keep costs down, WebODM is a solid open source alternative that handles mapping nicely

I began with almost no budget, so WebODM was a real game-changer for me. I ran it on an old laptop and managed to process my first maps overnight, and to my surprise, it worked perfectly. It's not flashy, but it allowed me to start flying and mapping without wasting money on expensive software right off the bat