Overview
We have all experienced the notification "You are offline" and know how frustrating it can be, even more so when you rely on it for your job...
Here at Hammer Missions, we have developed our products to operate in offline mode so that you can still execute your mission in the field even though you have no active data connection or internet access.
In this article, we will be looking at the importance of offline mode and how to plan and action your mission whilst offline.
Why offline modes are important
Offline mode gives you the ability to plan and action your missions whilst having no active data or internet connection, so why is this important?
Fieldwork can often mean collecting data in remote locations where data connections are very scarce or not available making it very difficult to activate your mission while you struggle to obtain a signal, this is where having an offline mode is a huge advantage.
Offline mode enables you to still use Hammer Missions in those environments where you are unable to obtain solid data or an internet connection, letting you continue to work even though you have no access to the internet.
So how is this possible?
Caching Map Tiles Before Leaving the Office
Hammer Missions is a software application that allows you to plan your missions in the Hammer Hub (Cloud) before taking your mission into the field via the Hammer App (App)
Where Hammer Missions really comes into its own is that once you have planned your mission with Hammer Hub your mission can be synced to your mobile device, tablet, or controller so that your mission is ready to be taken out into the field.
For more information on syncing your missions please see the post below:
If you are aware that the area you are going to may suffer from signal issues where they may be no data connection you can easily cache your mission map so that when you are on-site you do not have to worry about any loss of information.
To do this simply sync your mission using the method in the link above and make sure your mission map is active when you are connected to the internet at your office or home before you leave for the site.
This will cache the map and your mission so that you can still actively use it when you are in the field.
You will see from the example above that we have downloaded our mapping mission to our mobile tablet (offline) and then turned off the active internet connection.
We have then gone to another part of the map to show you that it is not available or blurred out then back to the mapping mission we have created to show you that it has actively cached that part of the map.
Hammer Apps: iOS and Android
Hammer Missions is available on both iOS and Android giving you the ability to be versatile when it comes to which operating system you use in the field.
Hammer Hub syncs with both seamlessly enabling you to use either application to execute your missions.
Android
For more information on our Hammer Missions Android App please see the link below:
iOS
To download our iOS App please visit the Apple App Store to download to your device or click the link below:
Offline Features In Hammer Missions
Once your map and mission are cached in the Hammer App (iOS / Android) you are able to utilize almost all of the features in offline mode.
For example, you are able to change your mission parameters in the same fashion that you would if you were online which allows you to configure your mission even though you have no active data or internet connection.
As you can see from the above example, the active internet connection has been disabled and we are still able to change the parameters in our mission.
This can come in very useful when you are in the field especially when you may need to change some parameters of your pre-planned mission.
If you have other missions planned and saved you are also able to open these missions as long as you have cached them with an active internet connection prior to going to the field.
This can be very advantageous when you have multiple missions planned for one site.
Planning Missions in the Field
As discussed above you can use many features whilst in offline mode, this includes planning a new mission.
If you already know the area you want to plan your mission in but you are unaware of the surroundings and possible risks you can cache the area on the map you wish to execute your mission in before you leave for the field.
Once you are in the field with your cached map you can plan the mission on the Hammer App as if you were using the Hammer Hub in your office or home.
As shown in the video below, you can plan your mission even in offline mode.
Fly-To-Draw
Fly-to-draw is also an option that can be used in offline mode to enable precise planning when you are unable to physically determine the correct distances, for example, the height of a tower or facade.
Please see the video below for further information on fly-to-draw:
Terrain Follow
This is a feature that allows the collection of more accurate data for mapping, 3D mapping, and magnetic survey missions' challenging terrain by adjusting the mission's altitude to maintain a constant GSD (ground sampling distance).
For the offline terrain follow feature you would have to obtain a custom DEM/DSM file. This requires you to import the data into the Hammer App in a GeoTIFF format.
For more information on custom DEM/DSM files and how to import them into the Hammer App please see the link below:
Summary
All that is left now is to fly your planned mission, whether that be online or offline...
We hope this guide has helped you understand how to work offline with Hammer Missions.
If you'd like to learn more about how to produce high-quality data and get the most out of your drone missions, please feel free to visit our learning resources
If you haven't got a Hammer account as of yet and would like to try Hammer Missions you can get started on our free trial.
To learn more about our enterprise solutions, including mission collaboration, data processing, and AI solutions, please contact us at team@hammermissions.com
We look forward to hearing from you.
- Team at Hammer Missions