The Essential Tools a Drone Pilot Can’t Live Without

A drone is a powerful piece of technology, but there’s only so much that it can do. The best drones are paired with intelligent software and apps that let them do the heavy lifting for you. From tracking flight data to ensuring legal compliance, these are the essential tools a drone pilot can’t live without.

A good drone app should be easy to use and offer many features that can help users learn how to operate their drones. Ideally, the drone software should include an intuitive user interface (UI) and a simulator. Additionally, it should allow users to easily share photos and videos from their drones. It should also have a secure cloud-based storage system to keep flight data in case of a loss or break.

Another feature to consider is the ability to easily record flight data for later analysis and processing. This is especially useful if you’re a professional drone operator or have multiple drones. The drone app should also support a variety of file formats so that you can export and import flight data for processing or analysis.

Developing a drone control app requires expertise in programming for mobile platforms. Fortunately, there are several software development tools that can reduce the learning curve for developing drone apps. Using these software can make it easier to write a drone control application that works on both Android and iOS devices. Additionally, developing a drone control app using native software can improve performance and security. Native apps are developed with the operating systems’ strengths in mind, leveraging technologies like Java and Kotlin for Android and Swift for iOS.

If you’re a DJI drone owner, you’ll want to download the official DJI Go app for your smartphone. This app is designed to work with the Phantom, Matrice and Mavic series of drones. In addition to enabling many automated intelligent flight modes, the app also provides a live HD view and tracks flight data.

The UAV Forecast app is a great choice for drone operators who are looking to understand the weather conditions in their area. It offers information about wind speed and direction, temperature, precipitation, visibility and more. It also includes a map that displays ‘no-fly zones’ and identifies them with a color-coded status.

PhotoPills is a powerful photography app that can help you plan sunrise and sunset pictures for optimal lighting. It can even tell you the moon and sun’s position throughout the day. The app can help you delve into complex arithmetics to calculate the amount of light available for your shot. It’s a must-have for photographers.

DroneDeploy and Pix4D are two leading mapping services that enable you to fly an automated drone mission over a specific area and capture the imagery for later analysis. Both services provide robust tools for analyzing and putting drone-captured data to work, but the level of benefits you receive depends on which monthly paid plan you choose. Another popular mapping service is AirMap.