A Beginner’s Guide to DJI Terra: Understanding Its Features and Capabilities

Industries and Applications

DJI Terra is no one-trick pony. Its multifaceted functionality shines through in a wide array of industries, changing the landscape and paving the way for a new era of efficiency, safety, and innovation. Just to give you an idea:

• Land Surveying and Mapping: That traditional time-consuming and labor-intensive processes of land surveying and mapping has been replaced by quick and accurate solutions. With DJI Terra you get to seamlessly create 3D models of landscapes, generate high-resolution, accurate topographic maps and cut down surveying time and reduce human error
• Power Transmission: The power industry can take a deep breath with DJI Terra on their side. Regularly monitor the condition of power lines and pylons, mitigating risks and preventing accidents. Identify hard-to-spot damages without putting workers at risk. Save time and resources with efficient inspections
• Emergency Services: In times of disaster, every second counts. DJI Terra aids in swift, efficient disaster management and rescue operations. Quickly map out disaster-stricken areas. Facilitate efficient rescue strategies. Gain situational awareness to ensure safety for rescue teams
• Construction: Say hello to cost-effective project monitoring with DJI Terra. Monitor construction progress regularly. Identify discrepancies and solve them at the early stages. Simplify the process of construction documentation
• Transportation: Planning, managing, and developing infrastructure is easier than ever. Map out traffic flow and infrastructure accurately. Inform city planning and road network design. Support asset management and maintenance
• Agriculture: Smart farming is no longer a distant dream. With DJI Terra, it's a reality. Monitor crop health accurately and regularly. Improve yield and reduce costs with precision agriculture. Create variable rate application maps to optimize resource use.

Understanding DJI Terra's Capabilities – 2D and 3D Reconstruction

With DJI Terra, you've got the power to reconstruct the world in high, medium, or low resolutions. Its AI technology does a fantastic job of optimizing water surfaces in the model automatically. That's right – lakes, rivers, or the ocean – you can map them all with surreal precision.

Here's the kicker - DJI Terra doesn't work alone. It teams up with DJI Enterprise drones and payloads to give you a full application solution that’s specifically tailored to your needs.

• Efficient, Large-Scale, Accurate 3D Models

DJI Terra isn't just about making pretty models. It's about efficiency, scalability, and precision. This mighty software allows you to process up to 30,000 photos in just 3 days on a single computer, giving you centimeter-level accuracy. Large project? No problem! DJI Terra's got your back.

Capabilities of DJI Terra's 2D Maps

Don't let the term '2D' fool you. DJI Terra's 2D Maps pack as much punch as the 3D Models. They provide detailed and precise measurement results for all your target objects and survey areas. Measure distances, areas, and volumes – all with the click of a button.

DJI Terra's Advanced Features

• LiDAR Capabilities

Pair DJI Terra with the Zenmuse LiDAR, and you've got a power combo! Process highly accurate point cloud data with just one click. Route calculations, point cloud optimizations – you name it, DJI Terra's got it!

• Multispectral Features

DJI Terra steps it up a notch with its multispectral features. You can generate vegetation index maps like NDVI and NDRE using multispectral data. What's more? You can improve crop yields and drive down costs with prescription maps for DJI's Agras drones. Say hello to smart farming!

• Real-time 3D Mapping and Real-time Mapping

Why wait when you can get results in real-time? Render and visualize a 3D model of your mapped area quickly with DJI Terra. Make decisions on-site based on the preliminary model, or plan 3D flights right there.

• Detailed Inspection Mission Planning

Automate inspection workflows with ease. All you need to do is select waypoints in a local 3D model or point cloud. And voila – it’s a breeze to select waypoints and plan efficient flight routes.

Planning Missions with DJI Terra

- Waypoints Mission Planning

Planning your drone missions with DJI Terra is a breeze, especially with the Waypoints mission planning feature. Let's explore how you can use it to design and simulate tasks on existing 3D models:

With DJI Terra, you can create a series of waypoints on the map, defining the drone's flight path, altitude, speed, and even the gimbal pitch.

Imagine you want to capture a beautiful sunset over a lake. Simply set your waypoints to fly over the lake, adjust the altitude for the desired perspective, and DJI Terra will take care of the rest.

Need to repeat a specific flight path for future missions? DJI Terra allows you to save your flight path and reuse it whenever you want. It's like having your own automated pilot!

You can also add points of interest (POIs) to your mission, instructing the camera to focus on specific locations during the flight. This is great for highlighting important areas or objects in your aerial footage.

- Area Mission Planning

Sometimes you need to automate more complex missions, covering a larger area. That's where the Area mission planning feature comes in handy:

DJI Terra allows you to automate missions by defining an area on the map. The drone will fly back and forth, capturing imagery that can be further analyzed and used for decision-making.

Let's say you're conducting a survey of a construction site. With the Area mission planning feature, you can program the drone to fly systematically over the entire site, ensuring complete coverage and accurate data collection.

This feature saves you time and effort compared to manually flying the drone over the area, as DJI Terra handles the flight path for you.

- Oblique Mission Planning

When it comes to capturing detailed 3D model data sets, DJI Terra's Oblique Mission Planning feature is a game-changer:

Oblique imagery refers to photos taken at a tilted angle, providing a more comprehensive and detailed view of the subject. With DJI Terra, you can adjust the camera angle and capture all the necessary details with precision.

Let's say you're inspecting a tall building. By using the Oblique Mission Planning feature, you can fly the drone at an angle, capturing images of the building's facades from multiple perspectives.

This allows you to create accurate 3D models with detailed textures, making it easier to analyze and assess the structure.

- Corridor Mission Planning

If you need to plan automated flight missions around roads, railways, or other linear features, DJI Terra's Corridor Mission Planning feature has got you covered:

With a few simple steps, you can draw a line on the map, defining the corridor you want the drone to fly along. DJI Terra will generate the flight path automatically.
This feature is ideal for infrastructure inspections or mapping projects that require accurate data collection along linear features.

You can adjust the mission settings to choose between going with the high-definition 2D maps and 3D models, or getting quick overviews of the corridor area.

Updates to DJI Terra – June 2023

Latest Firmware Updates

Stay ahead of the game with the latest firmware updates. The new updates (Version: 3.7.0 and 3.7.3) enhance your DJI Terra experience with additions like the Auto Identify Mark function in GCP Management and size reduction of models for improved loading speeds.

New Features and Fixes

The latest updates bring in a host of new features and fixes, including direct PDF export of DJI Terra quality report and an optimized aerotriangulation algorithm for increased photo calibration.

Important Notes for Users

Keep your NVIDIA graphics card driver updated to 452.39 or later to ensure proper reconstruction function. And remember, if a corrupted file is prompted, right-click and unblock the downloaded installation package.

Fly Higher, Plan Better: DJI Terra – Your Ultimate Drone Assistant

With efficient mission planning and impressive 3D models, DJI Terra is set to revolutionize a whole host of applications. Be it professional or hobbyist use, DJI Terra is a tool that's going to level up your game. We encourage you to explore the wonders of DJI Terra and its potential uses. There's so much it can do – it's just waiting for you to tap into its power! Got any queries? We're all ears. Don't hesitate to reach out to us at (805) 480-4033 or shoot an email to service@dronefly.com. We're always here to help!