senseFly, working with another Parrot Group partner and another EPFL spin-off (with a similarly intentioned $2.5 million equity investment from Parrot to spur growth and development), Pix4D, has developed a suite of software which can create a flight path and take 2D geotagged images and then process them into 3D maps.

Below is an EPFL/Pix4D video displaying additional information about the process of filming, tagging and creating 3D maps and images.

As civilian airspace opens to drones like those from senseFly, the sky begins to offer unique perspectives to view and understand our environment. One can see a near-term future where images and data can be captured at low cost, anywhere, any time, and without complex infrastructure or long preparation time and transformed into useful management tools, maps and surveys.

“We are witnessing a revolution whereby flying drones are no longer exclusive to the military but are quickly spreading into the civilian world. In 2010, Parrot surprised competitors and fellow researchers alike when they hit the market with their iPhone-piloted quadcopter for filming and gaming. The same year, senseFly revolutionized the job of surveyors by providing fully autonomous flying cameras capable of producing precise 2D and 3D maps within minutes. Both companies are focused on developing very lightweight drones with the strong belief that this is critical to their use by the public at large – far beyond the military”, says Jean-Christophe CEO and co-founder of senseFly.