Mission

Creating Flight Mission

You can plan your mission in advance from the Drone Operation Center and from the Ground iOS & Android applications as well. Missions can be planned ahead of time with the aim of booking the drone flights, including all the details of flyzones, pilot, location, weather forecast, geography, and risks. If the mission is recurrent, you can save it as a template to be used in the future. Once the mission takes place, the flight will be automatically logged in the logbook, providing details of all incidents, successes, or damages to the drone or the environment. Below are the steps outlining the details of creating missions via the Drone Operation Center and the Ground Control Applications.

Drone Operation Center

The Drone Operation Center enables users to create missions and set flight details while also monitoring area warnings.

1. To create a new mission, click on the “New Mission” button located in the top-left menu on the dashboard. Alternatively, you can navigate to the “Mission” tab in the left menu on the dashboard and then click on the “New Flight” button situated in the top-right corner of the Mission page.

2. The mission planning page will appear. You should include as many details about the mission as possible to maintain a record of the flight for future reference. There are four tabs available: Mission, Flyzones, Waypoints, and Map markers. These tabs are briefly described in the following point and are also discussed in detail in separate sections.

3. On the left side, input the general information for the mission, which includes details such as the assigned crew, pilot’s name, flight name, type, start date & time, end date & time, altitude, equipment required for the flight, any checklists, and any associated risks. Additionally, you can add notes and/or tags for filtering purposes within the logbook. You have the option to save the flight without specifying the end date; however, please note that the flight will only be saved in the logbook if the end date is provided.

4. On the right side of the new mission page is the map where you can manually outline the flyzone and review any saved warnings pertaining to the flight over the corresponding area.

5. There are three distinct menus (2, 3 & 4) on the map that allow you to create a flyzone, check for warnings, access local advisories, and more. Below, you’ll find a brief description of each menu.

a. In the menu at the top of the map, there are four icons:

1. Select & Move: When you select this icon, you can move the map freely by clicking on the map and dragging it to your desired location. The map will adjust accordingly.
2. Draw Flyzone: To create a flyzone, select the second-left icon from the menu, which is represented by a fly-zone symbol. Click on the map to commence drawing the flyzone boundary. Simply outline the desired area and press “Enter” to confirm and finalize the drawing. Additionally, within the same icon-menu, there is an option for a no-fly zone, indicating a restricted area. Creating a no-fly zone is as straightforward as drawing a flyzone. Click on “no-fly zone” in the icon-menu, draw the restricted area, and press “Enter” when you’re finished.
3. The third icon from the left in the menu allows you to draw waypoints.
4. The rightmost icon in the menu represents map markers, which users can utilize to add custom markers for obstacles and other items to the map.

b. On the top-right menu, you will find an option to search for a location on the map, as well as zoom in and out buttons for navigation.

c. In the lower-right corner of the map, there are three icons, and a brief description of each is provided below.

1. Weather forecast: The top-most icon provides detailed weather information and forecasts, including temperature, wind data, cloud coverage, visual distance, and more, for the selected location on the map.
2. Map Layers: The second icon allows you to access various map layers, providing a comprehensive view of your fly-zone. These layers include options for municipality boundaries, waterways, railroads, wind turbines, bridges, power lines, road networks, and more.
3. Geoposition: The last icon will show you specific coordinates for the location of your fly-zone.

6. Once you have entered all the relevant mission information, created the flyzone, added waypoints, and inserted map markers, you can proceed to publish the mission. Click on the “Publish” button located in the top right corner. You will have three options: publish in planning, logbook, or save as a template.

a. Publish in Planning: All missions can be saved in planning. These are future missions that will be executed by the specified team at the designated time, following the mission details.

b. Publish in Logbook: A mission can only be published in the logbook if it includes an end date and time. The logbook stores records of all previous flights. To view the details of any flight, simply click on it, and comprehensive information will be displayed. A detailed explanation of the logbook is provided in a separate section.

c. Save as Template: If you intend to use the same mission repeatedly, you can save it as a template. This template can be accessed and used to plan future missions with identical parameters. Publish the mission once you have uploaded all the required information.

Ground Control IOS App

To create a mission using the iOS app, please follow the steps below:

1. Log in to the application. It will direct you to the fly-zones with a map displayed and a menu at the bottom of the screen.
2. Use the top bar to search for the location you’re interested in. After finding the location, click on the “Fly Here” button on the map. This action will take you to the location where you can create the flyzone and set waypoints. Detailed instructions for these steps can be found in the respective sections for flyzones and waypoints. Once the location is mapped out, click on the “Next” button.
3. The flight plan will open. Add all the relevant details of the drone flight, including crew members, drone, equipment, and any additional notes.
4. If you want to start the flight immediately, click on the “Start” button. This will redirect you to the workflow page, where you can review the details of the live flight. If you are planning the flight for a later time, click on the three-dot button located at the top-right corner of the screen. It will prompt you to save the flight in the logbook. If you choose this option, the flight will be saved in the logbook.
5. You can access the flight details through the “Mission” button in the bottom menu on the screen. All the saved flights, along with their respective details, can be accessed from this section.

Ground Control Android App

Missions can be created in the Android application in the same way as in the iOS app. Here are the steps:

1. Log in to the application. It will direct you to the fly-zones with a map displayed and a menu at the bottom of the screen.
2. Use the top bar to search for the location you want and then click on the “Fly Here” button on the map. This action will take you to the respective location.
3. Create the fly-zone and draw waypoints. Detailed instructions for these steps can be found in the respective sections for flyzones and waypoints. Once you have mapped out the location, click on the “Next” button.
4. The flight plan will open. Add all the relevant details of the drone flight, including crew members, drone, equipment, and any additional notes.
5. Click on the “Start” button to initiate the flight. If you want to save the flight in the logbook, click on the “Log Flight” button on the screen. The mission with all its respective details will be saved in the logbook.
6. You can access the logbook through the “Mission” button in the bottom menu on the screen. Here, you will find all the planned, logged, and templates saved in the workspace displayed for your reference.