Work out drone coverage area instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
The ground footprint of a frame is sensor width times altitude divided by focal length. Sidelap between adjacent flight lines reduces the useful swath, so effective coverage per line is the footprint multiplied by one minus the sidelap fraction — this is what sets total flight distance for a survey.
Photogrammetric swath
footprint = sensor width x altitude / focal length; effective swath = footprint x (1 - sidelap)
Structure-from-motion matching needs every point seen in several images from different angles. 60-70% sidelap is typical, and more for featureless or vegetated ground.
Flying higher covers more per line but coarsens ground sample distance proportionally, so resolution and flight time trade directly.