3DR launches ground control point app

Commercial drone pilots want to use ground control points (GCPS) as often as possible because it helps improve the accuracy of their drone maps and models. But shooting GCPs can be time-consuming and expensive: It requires dedicated surveying equipment, hours of work in the field, and having to export and manually upload points to your drone software for georeferencing.

3DR introduced 3DR GCP, an Android app that’s integrated with the Trimble Catalyst platform. Now, with 3DR GCP and Trimble’s low-cost digital antenna, what used to be an expensive, time-consuming workflow for shooting accurate GCPs is now as simple as just the press of a button.

Trimble Catalyst is a software-defined GNSS receiver and on-demand positioning service for Android phones and tablets. Developed by Trimble, a global leader in geospatial positioning solutions, the service uses a small, lightweight, plug-and-play digital antenna to deliver high-quality satellite data to the 3DR GCP Android app. This makes it easy for 3DR customers to quickly capture GCPs and automatically transfer them to their corresponding projects in the Site Scan cloud for georeferencing and processing.

The app offers a range of precision levels, from a meter down to only a couple centimeters. Customers simply go onsite, plug the Catalyst DA1 antenna into their Android device, launch 3DR GCP, and capture GCPs at the level of accuracy they need.

3DR GCP is the perfect solution for engineering and construction firms looking to make their GCP workflow faster and more streamlined. “It’s important that our drone data is accurate so we can rely on it for grading, volume reporting, and more,” said Caleb Stratton, Project Engineer at Bogh Engineering. “By making it simple to capture ground control points, 3DR GCP helps us improve accuracy across all of our projects.”

“3DR GCP provides our customers an end-to-end, cloud-based ground control point workflow from the field to the office,” said Chris Anderson, CEO, 3DR. “With this app, we’ve closed the loop on ground control points by making one simple, connected workflow from start to finish.”

“Trimble is excited for 3DR to join our ecosystem with the launch of 3DR GCP,” said Gareth Gibson, business development manager for Trimble Catalyst. “With this innovative ground control app, 3DR is making it easier than ever for their customers across the world to create accurate, reliable drone maps and models and better capture their projects.”

Learn more about Site Scan GCP, pricing, availability, and more; set up a demo; or contact 3DR at sales@3dr.com.