Why do I need Earth Observation/drone data from GLOBHE?

Earth Observation (EO) and geospatial data are essential to businesses, organizations, and researchers who want to see the change in the world and take action. At the moment, the majority of earth observation data is captured by satellites. The latter are great tools to see large areas but they lack the resolution to see the details that are sometimes needed.

Drones are able to provide a resolution of up to 1 cm/px, something that satellites cannot do at the moment. Commercial satellites are able to reach a maximum of 30 cm/px for a costly price, while open source data has a resolution usually around 5-10 m/px. The ideal use case for imagery taken by drones is to use it hand in hand with satellites by using the latter to look at very large regions and using drones to look at details in specific areas that need more resolution.

The simplicity of data capture

Before Crowddroning by GLOBHE, drone operations were very complicated. It was difficult to scale up the work in multiple countries or map larger areas. With Crowddroning, a client can now order data from anywhere in the world, easily scale up their operations, and avoid thinking about regulations or moving drones and teams around the globe. A true relief to clients! Data delivery and sharing are also very smooth as you can download all the data from the platform or get it automatically through an API to their system and share it with collaborators.

What used to be a lengthy and complex process involving multiple suppliers is now reduced to the simplicity of ordering an Uber!

Integrations and quick data transfer

We are big fans of automation at GLOBHE. The Crowddroning platform has an API that allows clients to integrate it with their own platforms. Imagine a case where you are using ArcGIS or your own geospatial platform and you really need this high-resolution topographic map. You can simply select the area where you want the data from, select the type of data, choose a deadline, and click submit. GLOBHE will receive the order and send out a drone operator to do that.

And just before your deadline, you get notified that the data is ready for delivery. So you go back to your application, click on a button to receive your data, and your data is now in your server and in your application. You can now start analyzing immediately and skip all the work related to downloading, uploading, and sorting of data before you even start looking at it.

Global coverage and rapid scale-up of operations

At the moment Crowddroning by GLOBHE connects thousands of drone operators in 134+ countries who collect drone data on demand when you place a data request. This means that no matter where you want the data from, there is always a drone operator ready to go and capture the data for you. The available local operators are experts in terms of local regulations and know their area very well. So you really don't need to think about regulations, don't need to move your crew and equipment overseas, and don't need to think about customs because a local operator with local equipment will do the work. Once the data is collected, it is stitched into digital maps (if the client selects the map option, raw data is also available) based on drone images instead of satellite images. What could have taken weeks to accomplish can now be done in days. Easy. As it should be.

The variety of products to support your operations

Unlike satellites, drones are extremely versatile and can provide more products than a simple image of the Earth. The high 1cm/px spatial resolution of drone imagery and products can be used to map flood risks, identify infected forests or potential malaria mosquito breeding sites, support reforestation efforts, inspect critical infrastructures, renewable energy, and crop health, among others. The maps or the finished product can be in different formats such as 2D maps/orthomosaics, 3D models of assets, elevation maps, heat maps, NDVI maps, etc. It all depends on your needs.

What are you waiting for? Create a client account and request your first drone data in just a few clicks here 🙌