Service Categories

And All About Orthomosaics

Categorical Summary

  • We are often asked to describe AirMac's services categorically.

  • Here it is:
  • AirMac Aerial Imaging creates the following: 1. High-Resolution Aerial Videos 2. High-Resolutions Aerial Images 3. 2D and 3D Orthomosiacs*

  • *Defined: An Orthomosaic is a single image comprised of numerous images, seamlessly combined, to create a single large and/or highly-detailed image. The process of capturing the multiple images used in creating an orthomosaic image is called "Photogrammetry."

  • Orthomosaics created using correctly-captured photogrammetric images and assembled properly will produce an aerial image of higher quality and greater detail vs. any other type of aerial image, including images from satellites or fixed-wing aircraft.
  • See below for a recent AirMac photogrammetry mission creating a wall-size orthomosaic image for a public water utility. Each of the dots shown represents an image that was captured and later combined with all the others into a seamless single high-resolution image.

  • Along with the images, elevation data for a water drainage map and other types of data are captured. All of our photogrammetry flight plans are permanently saved so that they can be repeated to create multi-generational images which show changes over time via layers with times/dates.
  • Orthomosaic deliverables are provided digitally and also via a web link that allows clients to quickly view the output online.

Orthomosaics Explained - Use Cases - Service Levels Provided

When a publicly-available satellite image isn't (i) detailed-enough, (ii) current-enough, (iii) lacks critical tools such as measuring elevations or volumes, or (iv) can't be combined with common GIS project platforms (example ArcGIS Pro, etc.), an Orthomosaic is typically the least-expensive yet most-powerful map/image you can acquire. Photogrammetry (the proccess of shooting the images used to create the Orthomosaic) allows us to provide our clients the most-detailed aerial image possible, generally for mapping and planning purposes. See below for our Orthomosaic Service Levels and use cases.
AirMac Provides 3 Levels of Orthomosaic
Level 1: Standard Orthomosaic. Level 1 is the perfect solution for 95% of our clients' requirements. Our level 1 orthomosaic is cost-effective, can be performed by a single pilot, provides at least 9 image and data layers, including an elevation and drainage heat map, plus renderings in 2D and 3D. Our Level 1 Orthomosaic platform uses standard GPS and ground control points for referencing elevations. Our Level 1 Orthomosaic is exponentially superior to any publicly-available aerial or satellite image. See below for more infomation about our Level 1: Standard Othomosaic. Level 2: RTK. Adding our RTK (Real-Time Kinematics) to the mission increases the granularity/detail of the the image data from approximately 6"/pixel to 0.25"/pixel. RTK missions require a minimum flight team of 2 people, more planning vs. Level 1 and are higher-cost. A separate, free-standing ground control RTK GPS module is placed in a designated spot in the mission area and communicates with an RTK module mounted on the aircraft. From the relatonship between the two RTK units, the positioning data is captured via the relationship betweeen the ground control RTK GPS unit and the RTK unit on the aircraft - not from standard GPS positioning. Level 3: LiDAR. LiDAR orthomosaics utilize lasers and cameras to produce an image that is 3D and more granular than RTK. LiDAR is often capable of capturing images despite visible vegetation, such as tree cover, etc. AirMac Aerial Imaging's LiDAR images are produced by our Oklahoma-City-based partner, then provided to AirMac for final analysis, processing and delivery. For All Level 3 LiDAR missions, a Level 1 mission is also flown and provided to the client.
Example Use Cases for Photogrammetry-Othomosaic Images
  • You want a map or aerial image with superb detail and more-recent currency (example, yesterday vs. 2 years ago) than a satellite image.
  • You want to know exactly what direction water will drain across a piece of property.
  • You want to know the height and/or or diameter of someting (ie structures, vegetation) on a piece of property vs. the rest of the property.
  • You want to accurately measure the size of a parcel of land or an object or structure on a parcel of land.
  • You want to survey the land to consider changes in the land, moving of trees or structures, in a way that would be impossible on the ground.
  • You want to measure the volume of a stockpile.
  • You want to create a multi-chapter record of how a piece of land changes over time, maybe during a construction process, or to document a development's phases.
  • You want a detailed digital map layer of a piece of land that can be layered onto common platforms like Google Earth Pro or ArcGIS Pro for any reason.
  • You want to capture exactly what a property looked like on a specific day and time with great detail.
  • You want a 3D rendering of a property.
  • You want multiple data layers and a web-hosted access point for the map.
  • You want a map that can be updated precisely and systematically.
All of the above is standard with every AirMac Orthomosaic Project.