How a laser rangefinder improves drone operations and mission functionality
Each platform and payload innovation from DJI Enterprise offers more capabilities for first responders, inspection teams, surveyors, and other industry users. These mainly focus on flight time, megapixels, or thermal resolution. In this blog, however, we are going to talk about one of the most versatile and influential tools: the laser rangefinder. This is integrated into the Zenmuse H-series hybrid payloads and the new Matrice 30 (M30).
Each platform and payload innovation from DJI Enterprise offers more capabilities for first responders, inspection teams, surveyors, and other industry users. These mainly focus on flight time, megapixels, or thermal resolution. In this blog, however, we are going to talk about one of the most versatile and influential tools: the laser rangefinder. This is integrated into the Zenmuse H-series hybrid payloads and the new Matrice 30 (M30).
How does a laser rangefinder work?
With a laser rangefinder, you measure – how could it be otherwise – distance. It emits an infrared laser that reflects off the surface of your target and then returns to the rangefinder. Since the speed of light is constant (c = 299,792,458 metres per second), the rangefinder analyses the travel time of that electromagnetic wave to accurately calculate the distance to the object.
These instruments are commonly used in hunting, sports, surveying, and construction. Long-range rangefinders can be used to take accurate measurements in a variety of scenarios, especially when added to a drone.
One of the reasons why drones and laser rangefinders are such a powerful combination is that the drone is already connected to GPS. In addition to accurate distance measurements from above and accurate GPS coordinates of that object, location information is included in the metadata of all photos taken by the drone. During inspections and public safety missions, this capability offers precision not only in the moment but also afterwards.
Pilots flying a DJI Matrice 300 RTK or M30 can use the laser rangefinder to make markings around key locations that can be saved later. We call them PinPoints.
What are PinPoints?
PinPoints is a feature of DJI drones with laser rangefinders. You’ll find this feature in the Pilot 2 and Flighthub 2 apps as part of Live Annotations. It allows teams to coordinate their work in real-time. You can put down pins, draw lines, mark shapes and generally pinpoint points of interest.
The PinPoint feature is designed to help teams keep track of everything worthwhile. You mark locations on a shared operational map and provide them with GPD coordinates. In dynamic operations, certain key elements can remain static. With PinPoints, on the other hand, teams can share information from the air and ensure that nothing is left behind or overlooked.
Laser rangefinders in action
Read below about some of the ways laser rangefinders are used by pilots worldwide.
1. Marking at-risk properties during forest fires
After a raging fire in Cleburn, Texas, several local fire departments were faced with a smoking expanse of 20 hectares. From the ground, they could not see where the blazes were or in which direction the fire was heading. Fortunately, the North Central Texas Public Safety Unmanned Response Team (NTXPSURT) was on the scene. This team had early access to the new DJI M30T and was able to use its thermal capabilities and laser rangefinder to track the spread of the fire and coordinate the operation from above.
The 2D Cloud Mapping feature quickly created an orthomosaic map of the fire. The laser rangefinder was then put to work to place PinPoints at precise coordinates. These were labelled, colour-coded and structures at risk were marked – as were the boundaries of the fire. Points of interest were then communicated to team leads. The PinPoint capability allowed the incident commander to share this information with different teams, track the progress of the fire and deploy resources where they were needed.
2. Managing the aftermath of a fire
When fighting a wildfire, the role of the fire service is twofold. The first objective is to tackle and extinguish the fire before lives are lost or property destroyed. On the other hand, it is equally important to prevent smouldering areas from reigniting and causing a secondary fire.
This is where thermal imaging from above combined with a laser rangefinder can help responders work safely and efficiently. Incident commanders can use PinPoints and the thermal sensor to mark detected hotspots and then share that information with the ground team.
3. Ensuring nothing is left behind during a police operation
Police chases are dynamic operations, often in multiple locations. In fact, it is common for suspects to discard weapons or evidence during their flight. This sometimes leaves officers with a choice: continue the pursuit or search for the items. With a laser rangefinder and PinPoints, interesting locations or discarded objects during the flight can be marked for later. Officers can return to those locations once the suspect is apprehended or they can share that information in real-time with colleagues in the field.
4. Damage assessment after a storm
In the aftermath of a storm or natural disaster, efforts begin to restore communications and other vital services. An effective damage assessment provides emergency responders, telecom companies and insurance companies with the information they need to reconnect people and start rebuilding.
The accuracy of these surveys is essential. With a laser rangefinder, inspection teams can supplement maps and orthomosaics with PinPoints marking key locations and infrastructure. From fallen electricity poles to damaged structures. This capability combines visuals with accurate metadata, enabling better collaboration and more effective damage assessments.
5. Information sharing in search and rescue
Successful search and rescue missions rely on information sharing. When ground teams have aerial information, they can work faster and smarter. PinPoints can be invaluable in this context. Incident commanders can annotate maps with accurate markings, communicate priorities and pinpoint objects of interest.
The ability to accurately mark locations and communicate from above can reduce overall mission time and avoid unnecessary searches that can put crews at risk.
Which DJI drones have a laser rangefinder?
Want to integrate a laser rangefinder into your aerial operations? Then fly the M300 RTK or the M30. The laser rangefinder on both has a measurement range of 3-1200 metres and an accuracy of ± 0.2 metres + D x 0.15% (where D is the distance to a vertical surface).
The $ 14,700 M30 and M30T combine ease of use with portability and power. The laser rangefinder is built into both models. The $ 13,700 M300 RTK, on the other hand, is a robust and customisable platform with industry-leading flight time, charging capabilities and safety features. The drone is compatible with the H20, H20N and H20T sensor payloads, all of which include laser rangefinders.
