Drone Photogrammetry Coverage Calculator

Drone Photogrammetry Coverage

Drone mapping coverage depends on:

1. Flight altitude — higher = more ground covered per pass, lower resolution
2. Camera footprint — sensor + focal length give the ground swath per shot
3. Overlap requirements — typical 75% front overlap, 65% side overlap
4. Battery flight time — minus takeoff, transit, and landing reserves

Ground footprint per image: Footprint width = (Sensor width / Focal length) × Altitude

For a typical mid-range drone (DJI Mavic 3, Phantom 4 RTK):

• Sensor: 13.2 × 8.8 mm
• Focal length: 24 mm equivalent (8.8 mm actual on micro 4/3)
• Wide angle field-of-view ~84°

Effective swath per pass (after side overlap): Effective swath = Footprint width × (1 - Side overlap)

So at 100 m altitude with 65% side overlap, footprint ~110 m → effective swath ~38 m.

Coverage rate (ground area covered per minute): Rate = Effective swath × Flight speed

At 8 m/s with a 38-m effective swath: 18,240 sq m/min ≈ 4.5 acres/minute.

Battery flight time minus reserves:

• Manufacturer-rated time: 30-45 min for DJI prosumer drones
• Less takeoff/landing/transit: subtract 5-8 min
• Less battery reserve (always land at 25-30%): another 5-8 min effective loss
• Effective mapping time: ~17-25 min per battery

Resolution (Ground Sample Distance / GSD): GSD (cm/px) = (Sensor pixel pitch × Altitude) / Focal length

Lower altitude = higher resolution but smaller coverage. Standard tradeoffs:

• 60 m altitude: ~1.6 cm/px GSD
• 100 m altitude: ~2.7 cm/px GSD
• 150 m altitude: ~4 cm/px GSD
• 200 m altitude: ~5.5 cm/px GSD

Practical notes:

• Always check local altitude limits (US: 400 ft / 122 m AGL without waiver)
• Wind cuts effective speed and shortens flight times
• Battery mode (Sport vs Hover) affects mapping efficiency
• Plan 10-15% extra batteries for buffer