Mapping of Academic Campus of MNNIT Allahabad (India) using ideaForge Q6 Quadcopter Small Category Drone/ UAV

Drones/ UAVs are modern technological advancements and have changed the mapping and surveying scenario by providing an accurate, efficient, time-saving and cost-effective approach. Small category quadcopter drones are highly stable, easy to fly and control and offer excellent maneuverability, thereby have become an invaluable tool for precision mapping, surveying, infrastructure inspection and surveillance. In the present study, mapping of academic campus of “Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad”, situated in Prayagraj Smart City of Uttar Pradesh State in India, is carried out using ideaForge Q6 ${ }^{\text {TM }}$ quadcopter drone/ UAV under small category with $6 \mathbf{k g}$ payload. The mapping payload used is a photogrammetric RGB camera having Sony CMOS Sensor with 20 MP resolution with electronic and gimbal stabilization. Drone flight planning and execution is done using BlueFire Touch as Ground Control Station software. The geotagging of drone images is performed in BlueFire Map Assist software. Agisoft Metashape Professional photogrammetric software is used to process the drone images and generate orthomosaic while open-source QGIS software is used for map generation. The methodology proposed and implemented in the study involves seamless integration of drone technology into the workflow showeasing the efficacy and reliability of the drone data collection process and subsequent data analysis which enabled generation of high-resolution orthomosaic and detailed map of the academic campus of the Institute.