Homestead Tech: Using a drone to make better maps + topography

Water is a powerful and interesting force to deal with on the farm and homestead. Generally, we use the Permaculture A-Frame to get contour lines for digging swales, but what if we could use drone images from simple camera drones to generate surface maps?
With even bad quality photos, but enough of them, you can use ODM/WebODM to generate surface maps, point clouds, 3D views and more.
WebODM is a web interface to the opensource ODM software, and does these things for us.
I want to use this video to show you have we plan for water movement through the rubble-trench foundation, rain water flow, as well as greywater.
Remember, swales are on-contour, to prevent flow and retain water. For this you will follow the topographic lines. To facilitate flow, and get water moving to different areas, we can trench across contour lines. The more perpendicular and lower, the faster your flow will be.
This is not a how-to, as much as showing you how we use the data. If there's interest in how to do this, I will consider making such a video.
You can find ODM here: opendronemap.org/
Patreon members get extra stuff, and early too. It also helps me create new videos!
/ simple_earth
#simpleearth #selfsufficiency #homestead #webodm

[@gaius_enceladus]

Wonderful stuff!
The ability to generate contour maps using drones is great! That WebODM software sounds really powerful, being able to put together several hundred photos and organising them into a clear image of the landscape. Very cool!

[@insAneTunA]

That sure is good information to have 👍

[@agneslopez2579]

This use of a drone is very ingenious. We can imagine very well where the water will go. Well done Courage for the future

[@johnkossen4821]

I love the combination of technology and homesteading. Lots of opportunities going forward.

[@SimpleEarthSelfReliance]

😁 me too

[@lesliebrannon2191]

Quite clever bit of stuff. Makes planning and mapping out the area so much easier. Not sure why but when i clicked on your site for latest video this video did not show up, had to find it on play list.

[@SimpleEarthSelfReliance]

Hi Leslie. Thanks for your visit and comment. Always nice to hear from you. I'll look into that video issue now. 🤔

[@neelsscheepers8841]

Nice. Drones are very handy on a farm especially at night if the drone has a thermal camera.

[@SimpleEarthSelfReliance]

Santa clause bypassed me with the thermal camera last time. 🥴

[@neelsscheepers8841]

@@SimpleEarthSelfReliance Miskien die jaar.