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first published week of: 12/04/2017
Building an accurate geographic information systems requires significant technological assets. GIS is not just the pretty map on the screen -- many would argue that is the easy part. The key to it all, is data collection -- finding, storing and retrieving the data you want to render on your screen
Among the latest technologies to enter the GIS field is the drone or UAV, or unmanned aerial vehicle. Oddly, the drone itself is the least important piece of the tech. The key is the equipment it carries to take images, videos, topology and volume, among others.
That still isn't enough. You need software to render it all useful. What used to require fixed wing aircraft, large and heavy equipment and a significant amount of post processing is now in a light weight drone; a joy stick and you quite affordable laptop.
There are many options for processing the data. But a significant use of that data will most likely wind up in ArcGIS.
That's where Esri's Drone2Map for ArcGIS comes in. If you are curious about Drone2Map, spend a few moments with Esri's FAQ page.
In November of 2017, released Drone2Map for ArcGIS 1.3 with these new features, provided by Esri.