DENVER - Propeller, a cloud-based drone analytics company, today announced a partnership with DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, to create the Propeller PPK Solution leveraging the DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone. This solution provides customers in the civil, mining, aggregates, and waste management industries with a reliable and fully integrated drone mapping system, helping them collect highly accurate data from any worksite, without the challenges of traditional workflows.
The Propeller PPK Solution is a fully integrated software and hardware system that reliably provides photogrammetric model outputs in geodetic, projected, or local coordinate systems. This solution provides accuracy of 1/10ft (3cm) from independent checkpoints across small and large survey areas (checkpoints up to 1km from GCPs). To capture surveys of this accuracy, all that is needed is one AeroPoint on the ground (over a known point if working in local coordinates). The Propeller PPK Solution has been shown to reduce the time required to complete a drone survey by 70% as compared to a traditional workflow using multiple GCPs across a worksite.
“DJI has led the drone market with their reliable and innovative products, and quickly demonstrated the ability for these machines to become useful tools in the heavy civil and natural resource industries,” said Rory San Miguel, CEO of Propeller Aero. “Globally, these industries are seeing real cost savings and efficiencies through cloud-based analytics and using innovative new technologies like PPK drones combined with AeroPoints. Accurate data is paramount to worksite analytics and Propeller has always been obsessed with helping teams achieve this. We introduced the world’s first smart ground control point, AeroPoints, and now we’ve partnered up with DJI to build an end-to-end PPK solution.”
On today’s construction sites, lack of project data costs businesses more than $177B annually. To help solve this problem, Propeller developed a tightly integrated PPK workflow across the DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone, an AeroPoint, and Propeller’s cloud processing platform that visualizes real-time site data. Surveyors and contractors across construction, mining, aggregates, and waste management industries are leveraging the Propeller PPK solution to gather verifiable, trustworthy data to help make data-driven decisions and prevent costly mistakes.
“Propeller’s deep expertise in aerial mapping and analytics coupled with DJI’s industry-leading open-platform drone hardware creates a highly accurate turnkey solution,” said Jan Gasparic, Director of Strategic Partnerships at DJI. “We are excited about this partnership because it broadens the use of DJI drones to deliver accurate data at a cost-efficient price point, helping teams better answer questions about site progress and productivity.”
The complete PPK solution will be distributed through channel partners, including Trimble‘s SITECH® distribution network. Trimble Stratus, a 3D cloud-based visualization platform developed by Propeller, along with AeroPoints, is already integrated with Trimble® Connected Site® solutions.
“The advent of drones in the construction industry has improved efficiencies, and Trimble Stratus users are already benefiting from the ease-of-use and scalability of drone-based surveys,” said Scott Crozier, general manager, Trimble Civil Engineering and Construction. “With the new Propeller PPK Solution and Trimble Stratus software, we’ve seen first-hand how surveyors and contractors can collect aerial survey data in a fraction of the time it used to take, and get repeatable and reliable results.”
ABOUT PROPELLER AERO
Propeller’s world-class worksite mapping and data analytics solutions help people measure and manage their sites themselves. Heavy civil construction and resources operations trust Propeller to track site changes safely and accurately, with 3D visualization tools that everyone can use. Propeller gives teams the full picture, empowering people to go deeper, do more, and work together better. For more information, visit: www.propelleraero.com
ABOUT DJI
DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, was founded and is run by people with a passion for remote-controlled helicopters and experts in flight-control technology and camera stabilization. The company is dedicated to making aerial photography and filmmaking equipment and platforms more accessible, reliable and easier to use for creators and innovators around the world. DJI’s global operations currently span across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and its revolutionary products and solutions have been chosen by customers in over 100 countries for applications in filmmaking, construction, inspection, emergency response, agriculture, conservation and other industries.
ABOUT TRIMBLE
Trimble is transforming the way the world works by delivering products and services that connect the physical and digital worlds. Core technologies in positioning, modeling, connectivity and data analytics enable customers to improve productivity, quality, safety, and sustainability. From purpose-built products to enterprise lifecycle solutions, Trimble software, hardware and services are transforming a broad range of industries such as agriculture, construction, geospatial and transportation, and logistics. For more information about Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB), visit: www.trimble.com.
