The Impact Part 108 Will Have on Aerial Photogrammetry

Since the introduction of the first commercial aerial photogrammetry drones somewhere around 2012, the mapping industry saw an opportunity to create cartographic products from the air at affordable prices. Land surveyors around the world bought small multicopters and fixed-wing platforms, installed photogrammetry software on their computers and began offering products that were completely out of reach before. Digital terrain models (DTM), contour lines and orthophoto mosaics were now affordable and relatively easy to fly and produce.

Eventually the reality of becoming an aviation company hit some of them and the industry reached a plateau that coincided with the release of the Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 in the summer of 2016. This federal regulation severely restricted flights to a height of 400 feet in the National Airspace System (NAS) and most importantly, all flights had to be conducted within the visual range of the operator.

For the past nine years land surveyors who entered the world of aerial photogrammetry have been living in a reality where the amount of area that can be covered in each mission is restricted by this limitation, constraining drone mapping to small jobs and relatively modest acreage per flight. Lately the FAA has awarded an important number of waivers to companies which can demonstrate appropriate safety protocols and field expertise that makes BVLOS (Beyond visual line of sight) operations safe.

When photogrammetry drone missions must be conducted within visual line of sight (VLOS) of the operator, the maximum area coverage is significantly constrained by both regulatory limits and practical visibility.

Under optimal conditions (flat terrain, clear skies, no obstructions) and conservative flight planning to stay within VLOS, the following acreage is possible using multiple take off, landings and redeployments:

These numbers cab vary greatly if we take into consideration the sensor, the lens and a few other variables, but for the sake of comparison we have used a standard configuration for all flights.

There are some strategies to increase acreage, such as:

• Use of Visual Observers (VOs): Deploying trained observers at strategic points can extend VLOS coverage.
• Segmented Missions: Break the area into overlapping zones, repositioning the operator between flights.
• BVLOS Waivers: Apply for FAA authorization to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations under Part 107. This requires robust risk mitigation, detect-and-avoid systems, and safety protocols.

Now, let us imagine the world after Part 108, when uncrewed aircraft, both fixed-winged and multicopters could fly their entire battery potential in one flight, instead of multiple repositions. According to the technical specifications of the different manufacturers, the following results are possible.

These figures are calculated using ideal terrain, flat and free of obstacles, minimal wind conditions, and conventional overlaps of 80% longitudinally and 60% laterally. The use of Real Time Kinematic (RTK) reduces considerably the need for ground control points (GCP) but that is an issue that affects both VLOS and BVLOS equally so, we are not taking it into account for this analysis.

As you can see, the increase in acreage is dramatic; in the order of 100% in some cases and that is a purely a comparison in terms of area. How about the other considerations, monetary for example?

In today’s Part 107 reality, safe operators are forced to use visual observers to extend coverage and in some cases are required to physically redeploy the entire team multiple times to cover the same area, and in some cases circumventing rivers, highways and many other topographic obstacles that require tens of miles of deviation. In other words, mapping in the area of Part 107 is just a nuisance and not always profitable.

No wonder, the entire industry of uncrewed aviation and in particular the mapping sector is eagerly awaiting the release of Part 108 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). This regulation will incentivize manufacturers to add better batteries and will greatly expand the practical uses of uncrewed aerial photogrammetry.

The FAA has already missed two deadlines for the publication of the NPRM, and the current administration seems to be very interested in advancing the cause of American leadership in the drone industry, so we believe a publication is imminent. The time to prepare is now!

By Juan Plaza on GEO Week News