Create a new project or enter a project you have already created.

Go to the Cloud processing module in the project.

Select the correct coordinate system for the project and the geoid model if needed. Cloud processing can be performed for coordinate systems in Sweden, Norway, and Finland. However, there is the possibility of using coordinate systems from other countries by contacting SkyMap support.
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For Sweden, make sure to select the correct SWEREF coordinate system and optionally a geoid model for your project if it hasn't been specified previously under Settings. The height system will be the same as your GCP (Ground Control Point) measurements (RH2000 is most common in Sweden). This is important to ensure that all coordinates are accurate later in the process.

Click the New cloud processing button to create a new upload of drone images.

The wizard for new cloud processing will be visible.
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Here you have several packages to choose from:
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​Standard - (3D model, point cloud, and orthophoto for SkyView)
When choosing this option, you have the option to add a GCP file containing coordinates for measured ground control points. This can also be added later in the process after uploading the images.
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​Point Cloud - Generates a point cloud for SkyView and an orthophoto. With this option, you have the opportunity to add a GCP file containing coordinates for measured ground control points. This can also be added later in the process after uploading the images.
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​Orthophoto - Generates an orthophoto for SkyView. If you choose this option, skip steps 2-4 in this instruction.
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​Premium - (3D model, point cloud, and orthophoto for SkyView) This option makes the 3D model visually cleaner and more attractive, but it also means that the representation of reality becomes more visually correct at higher zoom levels. When choosing this option, you have the opportunity to add a GCP file containing measured ground control points. This can also be added later in the process after uploading the images.
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With this option, the download of a 3D model in OBJ file format is added.
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Make your choice by clicking Choose under the option that suits you.
Here you will find the Swedish standard price list for cloud processing.

Here you choose the images you want to upload for cloud processing. Click the Add images button or drag and drop the images into the dialog. Note that you can choose a maximum of 2,000 images. If you want to upload more than 2,000 images, contact SkyMap support. The more images and the more complex the area you want to capture, the longer it will take before you can access the data. Normally, it takes about 40 minutes for 200 images.
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Here you add a file containing coordinates for surveyed ground support, called Ground Control Points (GCP). These points will later be tied to corresponding points in the aerial images to increase the accuracy of the generated data.
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Click on the Add GCP file button to select the file from your computer. If you don't have a GCP file, you can skip this step in the guide or upload it later after the images' upload is complete.

The Orthophoto package does not have this step in the guide.

Here you enter a description of the flight and make advanced settings.
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​Description
Here, you can enter a description for your flight. The text you enter here will appear as a description text on the timeline in SkyView. The text can also be changed afterward under the Timeline in the project.
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​Boundary polygon
If you want to limit the area in the Cloud processing, you can upload a georeferenced boundary polygon (.kml, .kmz, or .shp). The function does not affect the calculation but only the result.
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​Ground Sampling Distance (GSD)
The suggested value provides a pixel size of 2x2cm for the TIF file. For smaller areas of about 2 hectares, the file becomes manageable in most third-party applications. If you are working with larger areas, 0.08 (pixel size 8x8cm) is usually a standard that most programs, such as Autodesk Civil 3D, can handle well. The lower value you enter here, the larger the file size of the orthophoto will be. This can be crucial for using the photo in certain applications.
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​Lens compensation
Here, you mark whether the photos were taken with a rolling shutter to get the best possible result.
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​Export of 3D Model
If you have chosen Premium, you enter the maximum number of triangles to be exported for the .obj file format. The higher the number of triangles, the larger the exported file. The setting only affects the file and not the result in SkyView.
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Here are several additions you can choose for cloud processing. Here you can find standard prices for the additions, the standard price list for cloud processing.
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​Mark
Generates a ground model in DXF based on the classified point cloud. The model is created using AI, and SkyMap is not responsible for any deviations that may exist in the finished product. Otherwise, contact SkyMap support if you want manual quality assurance. The ground model will automatically be available in SkyView.
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​Order GCP adjustment
Save time by letting our partner perform GCP adjustment (also known as flag moving). You only need to upload the GCP file and photos, and you will receive confirmation via email when the flight is available in SkyView.
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​Sparse point cloud
Generates a reduced point cloud based on selected point classes and distances between them. The point cloud contains fewer points, and therefore the size of the downloadable file is smaller. Can be used, for example, to simplify loading into third-party programs.

Here is a summary of the choices you made in the guide before starting the upload via Next button. When the upload has started, wait for all photos to be uploaded before leaving the page, otherwise, the upload will not be able to be completed and will be interrupted.
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You are now finished with Step 1. Your images will be prepared for further processing, and you will be informed via email when you can start the next step or when the Orthophoto is available in SkyView.

When the images are uploaded and ready, you will receive an email with a link that will take you to the GCP adjustment page. You can also access the GCP adjustment page by clicking on the Add GCP button on the project's cloud processing page.

On the GCP adjustment page you find several controls, the first step if the customer has not added the GCP file is to upload a file with the Upload GCP file button at the top left of the screen. If the file has been uploaded will the points already be available.
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​Tip! Use the Link Local Images button to link aerial images with local images in a folder on your computer. This will speed up the loading of the images.
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There are also some other more advance controls in the UI. The function Pictures for example. Here, you can choose whether RTK data should be used for each photo or not. This feature is only available for photos that have stored GPS data. You can also see the accuracy of each photo, which can be useful to check if any photo has a very high value that might affect the result. You also can see the standard deviation per photo, which is displayed whether there is GPS/RTK data for photos or not.
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You also have the Flags button that list all the photos in the upload where you can see if a photo has a pinned flag or not and it’s reprojection error.
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Under Alternative button you have an option to Reset image positioning that can be helpful if the first alignment by some reason gets incorrectly. This option will initialize a new optimization and reset the image positioning.
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Choose a CSV-formatted (comma-separated) file that contains your surveyed ground points. Note that these coordinates must also be in the same coordinate system that you selected for the project. For example, if the project is set to SWEREF 15 00, the coordinates in the GCP file must also be specified in SWEREF 15 00.

​Please note! The first value on each line in the file will be designated as the GCP name. The subsequent values are read as N, E, H coordinates. If the N and E values happen to be in reverse order, the system will automatically recognize and correct this. It is also important that the N, E, H coordinates have decimals.
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Example of correctly formatted GCP file.
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When the file is loaded, you will see information about your ground points in the list on the left and represented in the form of blue dots in the overview view.
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You are now ready to put out your first flags and do your first optimization.

If the GCP file you uploaded is incorrect, you can click on Options. Start by checking Remove all flags to then be able to check Remove loaded GCPs.
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If you want to delete a single GCP point from the list, hover your mouse pointer over the name in the list and click on the trash can icon that appears.
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​Tips! Use the full screen mode button to gain space on the screen while moving flags.

Once the GCP file is loaded, we can match the initial ground control points with the photos. This is done by placing markers in the form of flags in the photos. In this way, the accuracy of the later generated data will increase. Initially, we need to place at least 3-4 flags for 3-4 of the points. After manually placing the first flags, we can use the optimization function to automatically estimate the positions, which facilitates the placement of the remaining flags.

Identify the GCP points for which you want to place the first flags. It's recommended to choose 3-4 points in the corners. By selecting points on the outer edge, it becomes easier for the software to estimate the points within the area framed by the outermost points.

Select one of the GCP points either by clicking on it in the list on the left or by selecting the point in the overview.

By clicking on one of the nearby photos in the overview, we can find a photo that contains the corresponding ground control point.

​Tips! Sometimes you may need to search to find the initial ground control points, but usually, the easiest way to find a photo with the correct ground control point is to first look at the photos closest to the GCP point.
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Find the ground control point in the image. You can zoom in and out by scrolling with the middle mouse button. Pan the image by holding down the left mouse button.
If the image is blurry, you can choose to disable the photo via the Disable photo button.

Left-click with the mouse in the center of the crosshair to place a flag marker (green). The image below shows an example of a well-placed flag marker.
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You can also remove a flag in the picture with the right mouse button.

Note that the photo you put the flag on is also visible in the photo list on the right side. There is also a green flag added. This is to show that a flag relocation has been completed.​

Using the photo list on the right side, you can quickly navigate to the next image, which is also likely contain the same ground control point. You can also use the PageUp and PageDown to change the image. The selected image is highlighted with a yellow frame in the list.

You can also return to the overview view at any time by clicking on the Overview view button in the upper left corner.

Continue to place flags for two more pictures for the same ground control point. That is, put out flags on three images in total for GCP1.

Repeat the procedure with at least 3 flags for the remaining points.
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​Tips! To speed up the work, it may sometimes be sufficient to place flags for fewer GCP points. Note that in this example, we are content with the corner points GCP1, GCP2, GCP7, and GCP8 because they are the outermost points that best surround the area.
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Once you have placed at least 3 flags for all of your corner points, you can press the Optimize button.
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When you click on Optimize, the system attempts to find a common geometry between the GCP points you have marked and the points that match in the sparse point cloud created after you have uploaded the images.
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The optimization process uses the coordinates of your already placed flags to automatically estimate approximate positions for the remaining flags in all images. The GCP page is inactive during the optimization and the optimization time may vary in time. You will automatically return to the GCP page as soon as the optimization is complete.

When the optimization is completed will the deviation values be shown in the list to the left of the GCP names. The deviation values show the difference between the coordinates of your placed flags and your measured GCP points.
​After the optimization have, blue flags been added to the list on the right.
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If no deviation values are displayed, it means that the alignment of the images has failed, and you may need to go to Options and click on Reset image positioning.
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There are also more advanced features available. The Images function allows you to choose whether RTK data should be used for the photos or not. This function is only available for photos that have stored GPS data. Here, you can see the accuracy for each photo, which can be useful for checking if any photo has a high value that may affect the result. You can see the standard deviation per photo, displayed for both photos with GPS data and without.
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There is also the Flags function, which lists all photos whether they have a flag pinned or not, along with their deviation and reprojection (m) values.

Additionally, note that some of the images in the overview may have blue and green edges to indicate which ones contain flags. Depending on the GCP point you have chosen, these edges become thicker to help you easily find the related images from the overview.
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You have now completed step 3.​

For step 4, the goal is to place flags on all the photos. If step 3 went well then you will have many photos with blue flags. These blue flags are estimated positions for the GCP points that needs to be confirmed and adjusted if needed. The goal is to have as many green flags as possible when the step is complete.

Select a GCP point and press the Filter on… button. When the button is active (yellow), the thumbnail list with photos will only display those photos containing flags for the selected GCP point. The photos contain either blue (estimated) or green (placed) flags.

Select a photo with a blue flag icon in the thumbnail list and zoom in to the flag in the photo.

Adjust the flag with pressing the left mouse button to position it correctly or press spacebar to confirm the position. When the flag is placed is it green. You can also press spacebar again to toggle between confirmed or not confirmed flag. Remove the flag by clicking the right mouse button.
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Press the PageDown key to step to the next photo or click with the mouse cursor on the next image in the list.
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Adjust or confirm the position for the flags in all photos in the list. All photos should have a green flag when done.

Continue by selecting the next GCP point and repeat the flag adjustment for this GCP as well. Repeat the procedure for all remaining GCP points as well. When all flags are green are the GCP points fully adjusted.
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​Tip: Sometimes can it be an advantage to not place a green flag. For example, if the ground control point is obscured under a tree or behind house wall or if the image is too blurred etc. You can then leave the blue flag or alternatively remove the flag completely with the right mouse button. Only the photos that contain green flags will be used for optimization (and later also processing).
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​​Tip: If the blue flags are quite far from the ground control point you can set out about 3 flags for that GCP and try to optimize again. The blue flag will be adjusted, and it will be easier to adjust the remaining flags. You can optimize as many times as you wish. The green flag will not be affected at all by the optimization.
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When all flags are placed, start the optimization an extra time and then check the deviation column in the GCP list. As a rule, you want as little deviation values as possible and shall be below 0.025 meter (2.5 cm) to considered as good.
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If you check the checkbox View deviation details, you can get detailed information about the deviation divided in north, east and elevation. With this it is easier to know how the flags need to be adjusted.
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If the deviation value is very high: If the value is very high e.g. 0.1 or more may mean that more flags need to be adjusted for the GCP point or any flag for the point may be misplaced. If the value cannot be lower than it is recommended that all flags for the point are removed and not included.
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​If the deviation value is very low: If the deviation value is very low e.g. 0.003 or less, it may mean that you set too few flags for the GCP point. For example, if only 1 flag is set for a point, then there is no margin of error to calculate because that is the only flag to consider.

When the deviation values are acceptable and you have placed as many flags as you could, you can start the processing to SkyView by clicking on Start processing button.​

Confirm to start the processing data to SkyView with Start processing button.

When the processing is started you are done with the moving flags procedure for this Cloud Processing.

When processing is complete, you will receive an email containing a direct link to SkyView, where you can view the imagery in 3D, as well as a link to the cloud processing page where you can download a report on accuracy and also export the data for use outside the portal.
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Currently, you can export point clouds in .las and .laz formats and orthophoto in .tif format along with a transformation file.
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The model data (scan, point cloud, and orthophoto) will automatically be added in a new timeline based on the date the photos were taken. If there is a later flight, you may need to select an earlier flight from the timeline to view the desired model.