Mavic 2 Pro - Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)

My wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas.

I told her that I wanted to test out the Mapir Survey3 camera that was designed to capture NDVI images.

This camera fit the budget that was set aside for my Christmas gift. I gave her the specs and this is what showed up under our tree.

It was smaller than I thought it would be and light which was a good thing.

The next thing was to figure out how to mount in on one of my drones. I chose the Mavic 2 Pro as my first subject.

I designed a mount that would keep it low, and balanced around the CG of the drone as well as out of the way of the props and prop wash.

After several 3D print iterations and design changes, I zeroed in on the final design.

I tried printing it all in one unit but it turned out to be problematic. I then separated it into four parts that would be glued together.

I glued the parts together then mounted the camera and GPS unit.

I initially had the GPS connecting wire underneath the drone but it messed with the downward sensors. I could have just turned the sensor off but decided to loop the cable over the top. This made it easy to put on and take off of the drone for swapping the drone battery.

Next came the flight test.

The Mapir Survey3 camera was set to 3 second intervals. I flew the drone like I normally do for survey mapping.

I use Litchi as my main flight management app. I can control the flight speed so that the 3 second interval is in sync with the desired front overlap.

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" I cover the Litchi app in Book 8 of my Survey Mapping Made Simple book series. "

" I will be covering Flight Parameters for many drones/cameras/sensors in my next book. "

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I downloaded the images and deleted the extra ones that I didn't need such as taking off and landing. You have to start the camera taking pictures while on the ground. There is no connection to the flight app to start the Mapir Survey3 camera.

The drone flew perfectly just like it normally does.

The weight of the drone with the second camera is right at its maximum takeoff limit of 1100 grams.

The images from the Mapir Survey3 camera are Red-Green-NIR.

I used Metashape Pro to come up with the color LUT you see below.

I am still working on the perfect color scheme.

Here is the default color LUT for NDVI in Methashape Pro.

Here is my custom LUT.

Here are the camera/sensor specifications.

Conclusion

I am really impressed with this little $400 camera. It performed exactly as I had expected.

This is my first experience with NDVI mapping. I will get the process perfected as I get more into this type of mapping.

I have done some research and will continue to learn more so that I can offer this type of mapping to my clients at a professional level.

"I fly drones for a living and write DIY surveying math/mapping books for fun!"

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