OpenDroneKitGeometry, from the planner
Planned by OpenDroneKit with these inputs: 180 x 120 m rectangle, 40 m. The drawing is the planner’s actual output for that test site in Aukerman Park, Ohio, not an illustration.
How is the magnetic mission laid out?
A grid of main lines is followed by tie lines at 90 deg to them, spaced more widely (50 m by default). Line ends are smoothed with a turn radius (8 m by default).
The flight geometry is planned here; the magnetometer itself is a payload the operator fits.
Also accepted by the planner as: mag, magnetic.
Inputs
| Parameter | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|
altitude_m | Flight altitude in metres, relative to the take-off point unless an AMSL terrain model is loaded | 60 |
front_overlap_pct | Forward overlap between consecutive photos; with the camera footprint it sets the capture spacing | 80 |
side_overlap_pct | Overlap between neighbouring lines or rows; with the camera footprint it sets the line spacing | 70 |
speed_m_s | Planned cruise speed, written to every export | 5 |
camera | Camera profile used for footprint and ground-sample-distance estimates | mavic2pro |
gimbal_tilt_deg | Camera pitch; left blank, the template's own default is used | -90 |
flight_direction_deg | Bearing of the survey lines | 0 |
magnetic_tie_line_spacing_m | Spacing of the perpendicular tie lines | 50 |
magnetic_smoothing_radius_m | Turn smoothing radius at line ends | 8 |
Footprint, line spacing and GSD come from the camera profile; the GSD calculator uses the same formulas.
What survives each export?
- QGroundControl .plan and .waypoints: every point carries a DO_MOUNT_CONTROL gimbal command; all points are NAV_WAYPOINT; no heading locks; 205 DO_DIGICAM_CONTROL captures.
- DJI WPML .kmz: gimbalRotate on every waypoint; headings use followWayline; takePhoto at capture points; speed limited to 1-15 m/s.
- Litchi CSV: 245 waypoints exceed the exporter's 99-waypoint split, so the export is written as 3 consecutive files, each starting where the previous one ended.
Each format has known issues, listed on its page: QGC .plan · .waypoints · DJI WPML · Litchi CSV.
Limits
- Planned without a terrain model the plan assumes flat ground at the launch elevation, and it says so in a warning.
- In this example 24 of 245 points fell outside the geofence (the drawn area) and were projected back inside it; the plan reports that count.
- Not flight-tested on an aircraft as part of these pages; the numbers above are the planner’s estimates.
Source and tests
Compiled by _compile_magnetic_mapping_primitive in mission/planner.py. The function is on public main (1ef6351); this drawing was planned with the development branch (0ae10e4), whose planner is ahead of main.
Tests in the development branch that exercise it:
tests/test_mission_constraints.pytests/test_mission_exports_carry_the_plan.pytests/test_template_inventory_is_derived.py
Related templates
Nadir or near-nadir lines over a drawn area, for orthomosaics, DSMs and coverage.
- Grid: A nadir lawnmower survey of a drawn area, for orthomosaics and elevation models.
- Double grid: A cross-hatched survey: the grid flown twice at crossing bearings, for 3D reconstruction of an area.
- Corridor: Parallel lanes along the long axis of a drawn strip, for roads, rails, pipelines and riverbanks.
- Solar: Row-aligned passes over a solar array, for RGB or thermal capture.
- Smart adaptive: A uniform grid plus a finer, lower, cross-hatched pass over regions that warrant a closer look.
- Roof inspection: A stop-and-shoot grid over a roof: the aircraft halts at each point to photograph it.
All 22 templates: mission templates · mission planning.