This guide walks through the key settings to plan an aerial mapping or survey flight, and how to configure your camera for sharp, well-exposed images. Use it as a starting point, then adjust based on your project’s goals and the level of detail you need.
The ACSL SOTEN multispectral payload turns the SOTEN into a data-collection platform for agriculture, environmental monitoring, and research. Instead of capturing only what the eye can see, it records reflectance across multiple wavelength bands so you can measure plant health, spot stress before it’s visible, and analyze vegetation and land conditions with real precision.
Capabilities at a glance:
- Multispectral bands: captures green (550 nm), red (680 nm), and near-infrared (850 nm) — the wavelengths behind vegetation indices like NDVI for crop health, stress detection, and vegetation analysis.
- 20 MP, 1-inch sensor with a mechanical shutter, so fast-moving mapping flights stay free of rolling-shutter distortion.
- 28 mm equivalent field of view (H64° / V44° / D73°) and an f/2.8–f/11 aperture range for flexibility across lighting conditions.
- TIFF output, ready to drop straight into your photogrammetry and analysis pipeline.
- Pairs with the SOTEN RTK Module for centimeter-level geotagging on survey-grade maps.
One-Touch Swappable Payload System
One of the SOTEN’s biggest advantages is its one-touch swappable camera bay. You can switch between the multispectral payload and other SOTEN cameras, standard, thermal, or optical zoom, in seconds, by hand, with no tools. That means a single aircraft can fly a standard mapping mission in the morning and a multispectral crop-health survey in the afternoon. Build your platform around the mission in front of you, not the other way around.
Plan the Mission Ahead of Time or On the Ground
You don’t have to build your flight plan in the field. The SOTEN gives you two ways to plan a mapping mission:
- In the ACSL TAKEOFF app: lay out your survey area, set overlap, altitude, and speed, and preview the mission before you ever leave the office. Plan ahead of time, save it, and fly it when you arrive on site.
- On the TAITEN controller: create or adjust a mission right on the ground station — define the flight area, tune your parameters, and launch, all from the controller. It’s ideal for planning ahead of time or making last-minute changes on site.
Either way, the mission is mapped out before takeoff, so the aircraft flies a consistent, repeatable grid — which is exactly what clean, stitch-ready multispectral data depends on.
Step 1: Choose Your Image Overlap
Image overlap is the percentage each photo shares with the next, and it determines how much your images can be stitched together into a complete, accurate map.
Step 2: Choose Your Flight Altitude
Altitude should be based on your site’s environment and obstacles, as well as how much detail your project requires.
- Lower altitude: captures more data and finer detail, but covers less ground per flight.
- Higher altitude: covers more ground more quickly, but captures less fine detail.
Consider any obstacles (trees, structures, terrain) in the flight area when selecting an altitude, and choose the lowest altitude that safely clears them while still meeting your data needs.
Step 3: Choose Your Flight Speed
Flight speed depends primarily on the size of the area you’re covering.
- Speeds can range from 6 mph up to 22 mph.
- Larger areas typically call for faster speeds to keep flight times reasonable.
- Higher speeds work well as long as the camera settings below are used to avoid motion blur.
Step 4: Set Your Camera Settings
The following settings are recommended for bright, daylight flight conditions. They help ensure consistent exposure and sharp focus across your entire image set.
| Setting | Recommended Value |
|---|---|
| Exposure Mode | Shutter |
| Focus Mode | Manual |
| ISO Mode | Auto |
| Shutter Speed | 1/2000 |
| White Balance | Auto |
| Exposure Compensation | 0.0 |
| Metering Mode | Multi |
| Photo Resolution | 20M |
| Photo Quality | SuperFine |
| Image Format | JPEG |
Where to Find These Settings
- Open your flight app and go to Settings > Still Image.
- Set Exposure Mode to Shutter.
- Set Focus Mode to Manual.
- Set Shutter Speed to 1/2000 (adjust if lighting conditions change).
- Confirm the remaining settings match the table above.
Step 5: Set Focus to Infinity
Once your camera settings are configured, set the focus to infinity so distant ground detail stays sharp throughout the flight.
- Open the focus slider on the live camera view.
- Move the slider all the way to the mountain icon on the right.
