Skip to content
Why are proper cartographic skills essential in working with UAS data? Proper cartographic skills are incredibly important when working with UAS data because it allows for raw data to be illustrated and transformed into accurate and readable maps, helps contextualize and interpret the data. What are the fundamentals of turning either a drawing or an aerial image into a map? The main fundamentals of cartography are that the image must be georeferenced, have a certain projection, metadata, scale, north arrow, and a legend. What can spatial patterns of data tell the reader about UAS data? Farmers can use NDVI or other multispectral data that can identify unhealthy areas within fields. For example, lower NDVI values can reveal stress areas, deficiencies, or maybe even pest issues. Inspectors can use thermal maps to reveal isolated cold spots within infrastructures which can indicate water damage. Spatial patterns can also be used for disaster responses. For example, a map from a drone can help reveal the severity of a wildfire and show burn patterns. This data can be used to understand the fires’ behavior and cause. How does presentation format and cartographically correct maps relate to future projects and jobs? Correctly formatted and presented cartographic maps allow for repeatability and accuracy within your datasets. In the UAS industry, many companies expect correctly formatted maps, and having these past maps in a portfolio helps showcase its users’ skills and professionalism.
What key characteristics should go into folder and file naming conventions? File and Folder names should be consistent, descriptive, and brief. The important characteristics that should be used are dates, project names, and version numbers. Why is file management so key in working with UAS data? How does this relate to the metadata? UAS projects can produce large and complex datasets. It is important that the data is easy to find and understand, as this allows for correct processing. Metadata explains who, what, why, when, and how of the data. Good file management and metadata help keep UAS projects organized and reusable. What Basemap did you use? Why? I used the basic topography basemap for all the maps, excluding the locator map, which I used the light gray canvas basemap. I used the basic topography maps because it shows a foundational layer of geographic context and chose the light gray canvas for the locator map as it is easier to view without taking away from the data. What key forms of metadata should be associated with every UAS mission? Every UAS mission should have what tools were used to collect the data, GPS unit used, and which type of drone and sensor used. In addition, information regarding the drones’ flights like their altitude and sensor angle are important. The type of data set coordinate system, project, and the day and time the data was taken should also be associated with every UAS mission.
What is the purpose of these commands DSM represents surface elevation, and the values listed in the descriptive statistics can help determine the visibility of the terrain, elevation height range, and the average surface height. This data helps make the map look as realistic as possible. Why might knowing Cell Size, Units, Projection, Highest Elevation, Lowest Elevation be important? These values directly affect how the maps are generated. Cell size determines the amount of detail in a map; the units allow for consistency, and projection allows for correct alignment and scale. Furthermore, the highest elevation value is important as it is useful for determining which digital model to use, DSM or DTM, and altitude ceiling. The lowest elevation value is needed for slope and orthomosaics. What is the difference between a DSM and a DEM? The main difference between DSM and DEM is that DSM can capture everything on the surface, including elevation on all surfaces. Meanwhile DEM is mainly focused on the ground. DSM captures objects like buildings and trees, while DEM will have these objects removed. What does hillshading do towards being able to visualize relief and topography? Hillshading takes a light source, like the sun, to cast shadows on terrain which creates a 3D realistic map of an area. This allows viewers to be able to visualize relief and topography more accurately. For example, it highlights smaller terrain features such as depression and ridges. There are two types of hillshading multidirectional and traditional. Multidirectional hillshade is better for divots and depressions while traditional hillshade gives a softer look. This is because traditional hillshade calculates hillshade from a single light source while multidirectional combines multiple sources to enhance visualization. How does the orthomosaic relate to what you see in the shaded relief of the DSM? In the shaded relief of the DSM, you can see the elevation, slope, depressions, etc. In the orthomosaic map you can see a georeferenced photo map that allows you to see real world colors, buildings, and what the object is. When viewing these two maps together, you can verify the elevation changes in the DSM by looking at the orthomosaic. In addition, you can see in the orthomosaic that the red that shows up in the DSM can also correlate to the top of a building, which can represent temperature on the building’s rooftop.
Shaded DSM with transparent DSM on top Orthomosaic Map Orthomosaic image layout map with a reference grid
Building Maps with UAS Data Using ArcGIS Pro
Overview
Cartography is one of the most important tools used in the UAS industry. Cartography can turn raw data from the drone into visual, accurate, and meaningful geographic information. Furthermore, these maps are created to support many professions such as engineering, agriculture, surveying, and many more. In this lab, we were introduced to the cartography capabilities in the ArcGIS Pro software.
Part 1:
There are many insights from spatial patterns from UAS data.
Part 2:
From the data we copied over answer the following questions related to that data:
Descriptive Statistics for the DSM dataset
Table 17
Band Name
Minimum
Maximum
Mean
Std. Deviation
Band_1
281.0470886230469
323.0886535644531
296.96691083562587
4.178350237820167
There are no rows in this table
Part 3: Creation of Maps using the Wolf Creek Data
To create the maps below, I was provided with a variety of data. I was given a traditional and multidirectional hillshade layer, an orthomosaic layer, elevation values, and ground control locations. Using these layers, I was able to create the maps listed below.
Figure 1. Shaded DSM with Transparent DSM on Top Locator Map
Figure 2. Orthomosaic Main GCP Detail Map
Figure 3. Orthomosaic Map with Reference Grid Map
Summary
The maps that were created in this lab are some of the most important geospatial products in the UAS industry. Orthomosaics show accurate surfaces and map imagery, DSM illustrates elevation on every surface, and utilizing Ground Control Points on a map shows the exact position used to georeference the drone’s data. Throughout this lab, we learned how to use the cartography capabilities available in the ArcGIS Pro software while also learning the importance of metadata, file and folder formatting, and answered questions that dived deeper into cartography. These skills are incredibly important not only to the UAS industry but also to many other professions.
Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.
This is not the way.
Try clicking the ⋯ next to your doc name or using a keyboard shortcut (
CtrlP
) instead.