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DroneField

First project in 10 minutes

This guide assumes DroneField is already installed and that you are signed in. If not, start with Installation. The flow below — for an average ~100-image farm project — takes about 10 minutes on a Mac M4 (24 GB RAM, macOS 26) or an Intel i9 (16 GB RAM, Windows) machine.

What you need

Section titled “What you need”
  • The memory card from your drone (or the images already copied to your computer).
  • The MRK file on the memory card, if the drone writes one (the DJI Pilot 2 app puts it next to the images on RTK flights). The MRK carries the RTK refinement and image timestamps — it is not required, but gives the most accurate result.
  • An active subscription or project licence on the portal. Trial users get one free project credit to try the whole workflow.

1. Create a new project

Section titled “1. Create a new project”

From the main screen click Create new project (or press ⌘N / Ctrl+N).

A panel opens with the following fields:

  • Year — e.g. 2026. Used for project-folder organisation.
  • Region — e.g. Norfolk. If you have prior projects in the same region, DroneField suggests it from the dropdown.
  • Client — the ordering partner’s name, e.g. John Smith.
  • Project name — a descriptive name for the survey, e.g. Field-A12.
  • Field ID — optional, e.g. A12 or F-A12. The identifier used in your partner’s system.
  • Target GSD — a slider from 4 to 20 cm/px in 1 cm steps. Default: 5 cm/px. See Processing for details.

At the bottom of the panel the generated project path is shown — e.g. ~/DroneField/2026/Norfolk/John Smith/Field-A12/. If it looks right, click Create project.

2. Import the images

Section titled “2. Import the images”

In the Actions section on the left click Import images. A folder picker opens.

Navigate to the drone memory card’s 100_0001/ (or similarly named) folder — this contains the JPEG images and the *.mrk file. If you have already copied the imagery to your computer, choose that location.

DroneField automatically detects the drone model, RTK status and runs a quick survey. If everything is fine:

  1. A mini-summary appears: image count, approximate area, expected GSD.
  2. Click Start import.
  3. Importing takes ~30 seconds per 100 images on an M3 Mac.
Section titled “3. Field boundary (optional but recommended)”

A summary flight path appears at the centre of the map — you can see where the drone flew. Now sketch the field outline:

  1. Click the Field boundaries layer in the left sidebar, then the Add icon in the toolbar at the top of the map.
  2. Click on the map to lay down vertices along the boundary. When done, click Close polygon (or press Return).
  3. Give it a name and click Done & save.

If you already have a KML or SHP boundary file (e.g. from the client’s software), use the Import button in the same toolbar — see Field boundaries for details.

4. Start processing

Section titled “4. Start processing”

In the Actions section click Process. A panel opens — here you can set:

  • Target GSD — starts from the value set at project creation, but adjustable.
  • Multispectral processing — switched on automatically when the project contains multispectral (M3M or P4M) images. No calibration panel is needed — reflectance comes from the sunlight sensor.
  • Terrain mode — turn it on if the field is hilly. More accurate registration, slower processing.

Click Start process. Processing a 100-image Mavic 3 M RTK RGB survey takes less than 40 seconds on an Intel i9 / 16 GB RAM / Windows machine (6 cm GSD), and less than 30 seconds on a Mac M4 / 24 GB RAM / macOS 26 machine (5 cm GSD); multispectral processing adds roughly 40-60% to the runtime.

During processing a progress indicator shows the current processing step and the elapsed time.

5. Results

Section titled “5. Results”

When processing finishes the layers appear on the map:

  • Flight path (green line)
  • Orthomosaic (the finished RGB image)
  • DSM (the surface model — with contour lines)
  • MS index (multispectral projects: NDVI, GNDVI, NDRE, EVI, VARI) or RGB index (VDVI, NGRDI, ExG, VARI — generated from the orthomosaic the first time you open it)
  • Field boundaries (those you drew)

The Project information panel shows area, average GSD, RTK statistics, and the drone model in use.

6. Export

Section titled “6. Export”

Now you can export:

  • PDF report — the Report generation button in the project detail panel. See Survey report.
  • Vegetation index GeoTIFF — the bottom-right Vegetation index panel’s Save as GeoTIFF (QGIS) button.
  • Application map — the boundary toolbar’s Application button opens a new panel. See Application map.
  • Field boundary DJI Agras / ISOXML — the boundary toolbar’s Export button.

What’s next?

Section titled “What’s next?”

You now know the basic workflow. For details:

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