OpenDroneKit

GSD calculator

Ground sample distance, photo footprint and line spacing from your camera and flight height, using the same formulas as OpenDroneKit's mission planner. It runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere.

Updated 2026-10-02Formulas: mission/cameras.py at 1ef6351

Camera
Manufacturer geometry from OpenDroneKit's camera database. Edit any field.
mm
mm
mm
px
px
Flight
m
m/s
%
%
1.60cm per pixel at 60 m
Footprint (across)
84.5 m
Footprint (along)
63.5 m
Line spacing
29.6 m
Photo spacing
15.9 m
Photo interval
2.0 s
Shutter, ≤ 0.7 px blur
1/714 s
cm/px

Fly at 75.0 m above ground for 2.00 cm/px with this camera.

What is ground sample distance?

Ground sample distance (GSD) is the size of one image pixel on the ground, usually given in centimetres per pixel. A GSD of 2 cm/px means each pixel covers a 2 × 2 cm patch of ground. It sets the smallest detail a survey can resolve: a crack narrower than about one pixel is usually not measurable at that GSD. Lower is finer, and costs more flight time and more photos.

How is GSD calculated?

GSD [cm/px] = 100 × height [m] × sensor width [mm]
              ÷ (focal length [mm] × image width [px])

height [m]  = GSD [cm/px] ÷ 100 × image width [px]
              × focal length [mm] ÷ sensor width [mm]

This is the standard nadir relation (GSD = height × pixel pitch / focal length; see Ground sample distance), and it is the one OpenDroneKit’s camera code uses (CameraProfile.gsd_cm, altitude_for_gsd_m).

Check: a DJI Mavic 2 Pro (13.2 mm sensor, 10.26 mm lens, 5472 px wide) at 55 m gives 1.29 cm/px, the GSD the planner reports for the Aukerman Park grid on the grid template page.

How are footprint and spacing worked out?

  • Footprint across track = sensor width × height / focal length; along track uses the sensor height (footprint_m).
  • Line spacing = across-track footprint × (1 − side overlap), as in the planner’s grid layout.
  • Photo spacing = along-track footprint × (1 − forward overlap); divided by speed it gives the photo interval.

These follow directly from the GSD definition; they assume the camera’s long side is across the flight line.

Which shutter speed avoids motion blur?

The planner limits motion during the exposure to 0.7 of a pixel: shutter = 0.7 × GSD / speed, clamped between 1/2000 s and 1/250 s (_recommended_shutter_s). The calculator shows the same figure.

Limits

Plan a full mission with these numbers in OpenDroneKit’s mission planner.