End-to-End Drone Mapping Solutions – Q&A on eBee X and ANAFI Work

With so many developments rapidly progressing in the drone industry, it can be hard to keep up with all the new companies and what it is they offer. This Q&A with one of the leading mapping solution providers is intended to demonstrate the broad applications of drones in various industries, and how they are being used to make the world a better, more efficient and productive place.

 

What standout features of the senseFly eBee X make it ideally suited to mapping?

At senseFly, it is our goal to develop professional, end-to-end drone solutions that help to meet the evolving needs of mapping professionals. The eBee X, part of the Parrot Business Solutions portfolio, was designed with this in mind, and is versatile and reliable enough to meet the exacting requirements of almost any project. In surveying specifically, the eBee X can be used for cadastral surveying, topographic mapping, construction surveying, corridor mapping and large-area mapping.

The eBee X comes equipped with features that make it truly unique and able to provide surveyors with efficiency and precision that is unmatched. Mapping professionals can, for instance, unlock a flight time of up to 90 minutes and achieve single-flight coverage of up to 500 ha (1,235 ac) at 122 m (400 ft) with the eBee X’s unique Endurance Extension technology. Surveyors can also activate the High Precision on Demand (HPoD) built-in RTK/PPK, when their project requires it, for high absolute accuracy on demand.

To deliver the highly detailed, accurate insights our customers require, we have also developed a range of new camera options for the eBee X to suit every mapping job—from land surveying and topographic mapping to urban planning, crop mapping, thermal mapping and environmental monitoring. The senseFly S.O.D.A. 3D, for instance, can be used to produce intricate, 3D digital reconstructions of vertically-focused environments like urban areas or coastlines, while the new senseFly Aeria X camera features Smart Exposure technology to enable professionals to map for more hours per day than ever before. Operators can also create geo-accurate thermal maps and digital surface models with the senseFly Duet T, a dual-camera thermal mapping rig. These innovative new payloads enable the eBee X to be ideally suited for professionals in a wide variety of mapping projects.

 

What types of applications is it best suited for?

This new solution has the coverage, data and accuracy capabilities required to work virtually every site, no matter the project, which is a major step forward both for senseFly and for the commercial UAV industry as a whole. As such, professionals in fields from agriculture, construction and surveying to real estate, mining and quarrying, and public safety can all benefit from what the eBee X has to offer.

We launched this solution with the promise that it’s not about the drone, and we truly believe that this is key to driving the UAV industry forward. It is, and should always be, first and foremost about the user, and creating solutions that overcome our customers’ everyday business challenges while also helping to boost the quality, efficiency and safety of their geospatial data collection.

 

What does it mean that the ANAFI Work is for every business? Can you give some examples of applications? When would a business choose the ANAFI Work vs. the eBeeX?

The Parrot ANAFI Work was designed help professionals from all industries capture images from the sky and make informed decisions on their projects. It was created to be an ultra-compact and ready-to-use drone solution for everyday business use in applications such as construction and site monitoring, inspection, site surveillance, public safety and video production.

While both the eBee X and the ANAFI Work help to enable operators to map without limits, the compact nature of the ANAFI Work is ideal for inspecting hard to reach areas such as roofs, bridges and buildings. This solution also features a 4K HDR video, 21 MP high-resolution camera with a three-axis stabilisation system, allowing the drone to shoot ultra-smooth videos and take steady, close-up photos without compromising on quality. This, combined with its ability to fold and unfold in three seconds and be charged on-the-go, makes the ANAFI Work the ideal mapping tool for busy professionals.

 

What are some of the features of the ANAFI Work that make it stand out among other competitors on the market?

With ANAFI Work, we are bringing an easy-to-use yet advanced flying imaging system to the professional market, enabling our customers to achieve accurate aerial insights with ease. Aside from being ultra-compact, highly capable and safe, the ANAFI Work also features a controllable +/- 90° tilt camera that allows professionals to inspect under structures such as balconies or bridges with the Zenith view (+90°) and roofs with the Nadir view (-90°). This is truly unique to the market, and makes mapping hard to reach areas easier than ever before.  

With the Parrot ANAFI Work, professionals can also achieve industry-leading flight performance with a 25-minute flight time per battery. Furthermore, operators can gain access to a one-year subscription to Pix4Dmodel processing software. With this system, ANAFI Work users can take accurate measurements and perform post-flight 3D inspections to create photorealistic 3D models quickly and easily.

 

How was the European debut of the eBee X and the ANAFI Work at INTERGEO received?

Events like Intergeo are always an excellent opportunity for us to touch base with customers and maintain our on-the-ground presence in the geospatial industry. We received a fantastic response at the official launch of these Parrot Business Solutions innovations at InterDrone 2018 in the US, and we are delighted to report that the European debut was just as successful.

Such positive feedback indicates that our solutions and commitment to providing world-class customer service and support sets us apart from the competition. We anticipate that professionals in the mapping industry will rely on the Parrot Business Solutions’ robust range of products as the tangible benefits of integrated drone solutions become more widely known, and we are excited to play a part in setting new standards for our customers and the industry alike.

 

Were there similar models already in use in Europe? How are these models a step up from what was already available?

senseFly has been producing industry-proven drones for our customers in Europe since 2010, and we continue to fine-tune our product offering by bringing solutions to the market that are ever more efficient, safe and easy-to-use. The eBee X is a giant step forward from its predecessor, the market-leading senseFly eBee Plus; it has been designed to fly longer, map more and land more accurately in less space. It also offers an even wider range of camera options to help our customers overcome everyday business challenges.

The Parrot ANAFI Work, meanwhile, features the highly acclaimed consumer ANAFI drone, which was launched in June 2018. The launch of the innovative, advanced ANAFI Work system has helped to solidify Parrot’s position as the leading European end-to-end drone group, and enables us to better meet the needs of customers in a range of commercial verticals. By continuing to develop innovative solutions that will strengthen and synchronise the Parrot Business Solutions portfolio, we look forward to making integrated, end-to-end solutions more accessible to our customers across the globe.