Trimble Business Center

Hello,

I am trying to post-process drone data. I am new to processing the drone data. I'm using an assumed 10000 N, 10000 E for my GCPs. How do I import the UAS Data and the control points using local or arbitrary coordinates into TBC and make sure the drone data comes in correctly over the control points? I can't find any tutorials on how to. 

Thank you 

TBC runs drones only on projected coordinate systems, and does not support LSR.

I assume your drones are not geotagged? Or in case they are, are you trying to geotag them differently? Typically drones are geotagged using WGS84 geographic coordinates and the height is ellipsoidal.

I would recommend to try to transfer your ground control points into an existing projection (UTM is probably the easiest as you will find the most helpful content to solve your task).

I do not have a solution, but perhaps you can use in TBC the Trimble Maps background. Set your TBC project to your related UTM zone, activate the map, digitize one of your control points as close as possible in your TBC project as a "reference point" and grab as good as possible the correct height. Use Excel to create X,Y,Z coordinates for your all your GCPs based on your "reference point" translation parameters. Scale and rotation will not be solved, but it would be a first start. 

Perhaps some people tried it already and can correct my approach or help you with a better way.

Hi Thomas,

Thank you for your reply. 

Yes, my drone flights are geotagged. No, I don't think I am trying to change the geotag. We fly the missions with RTK base station. We don't set the GCPs on a known coordinate system. 

I will give your solution a try and see what results I get. I thank you for the help, I want to make sure I am doing it right.

What I end up doing as I was trying to figure out how to bring in the drone data and control points in the same spot to stay on my assumed 10000 control points. I noticed when I imported the drone data after setting my coordinate system to "default projection (Transverse Mercator)". Then a window pops up, wanted me to confirm my coordinates. I notice it was the first photo taken in the flight plan "......v001" in Lat and Long. As you said, the drone data are on WGS84. I took one of the control points #10, set the RTK over the point to get the Lat and Long. Then created two points in TBC using the Lat and Long. One for the RTK that was over the control point and one for the first photo taken. Then I imported my control point #10 keeping it on its 10000 coordinates. Then I moved the two points I created to the control point I imported. Bring the two points on my assumed coordinates. Then I set my coordinate system N and E to the point I moved for the first photo. 

I don't know if this is a good way to do it. I am open to any suggestions.