Installing and Using Measure Ground Control

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 Introduction

During the transition of UAVs from a hobby to an actual profession and commercial use, there has been an apparent need for integration within the National Air Space (NAS) and how it fits within the professional world. Mission planning has become an apparent need within the different applications of UAS. Measure Ground Control (MGC) is a mission planning software that integrates flight plans, NAS map, and the ability to fly freely with DJI drones. 

Methods

To better explore the functionality of MGC, this lab explored the different features that it has to offer. For the flight planning aspect of Measure, the NAS map feature was explored first. Figure 1 shows the map opened and what is first seen initially. 


Figure 1 shows the NAS map; the caution symbol is to inform that location of the user was within the Class D airspace of KLAF.

As mentioned, the caution symbol is to inform the user that they are within a restricted airspace and that approval is needed to fly within it. MGC has directly integrated a function to request authorization to fly within restricted airspaces. This tool is important because it allows for the crew to become aware of the airspace around them and if they will need authorization to fly within the area they are located within. Once the NAS map is referenced, the crew can create a flight plan. Flight plans can be based on the type of drone being used and the altitude at which it flies at. There are two types of flight plans that can be used when planning: grid and waypoint.  Depending on the drone, as the altitude is increased, the amount of sweeps and images needed to be taken for grid flight plans is decreased. Figure 2 shows the flight plan created for a Mavic 2 Pro.


Figure 2 shows the grid flight plan for a Mavic 2 Pro.

The best part about the flight planning page is that you are able to adjust settings relating to the flight, such as sidelap, frontlap, altitude, speed, and the gimbal angle. This gives the user more control over the parameters of the flight. Besides the grid flight plan, the other option users can use is the waypoint plan. The waypoint allows the user to drop points and add certain functions to those points for the drone to complete. Figure 3 shows an example of waypoint plans.


Figure 3 shows what the waypoints planning looks like and how it is possible to add however many points the user desires; points three through six have actions associated to them.

For waypoint plans, some of the actions that can be added to the points are change altitude, hover, panorama, start recording, or stop recording. The integration of these functions for waypoints make this type of flight plan more usable in terms of what the user is capable of creating. 

Discussion

The need to flight plan and UAS to be integrated within the NAS has exponentially grown in recent years. Measure Ground Control does a great job in tying both of those needs into one, simple solution. The ability to look at the NAS helps to try and integrate UAS within it, and the ability to request authorization helps to further that integration. Creating flight plans within MGC is exceptionally useful; the ability to directly change and alter the flight plan allows for the user to have more freedom on how the flight plan is executed, along with the ability to directly change the shape of the grid/waypoint plan. MGC proves to be next generation in terms of thinking ahead and creating software that will be used by UAS professionals for various missions and needs for years down the road. 

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