Welcome to AeroCartwright. I started this in 2019 because I wanted to get better at web-based geospatial tools, and building something real was the fastest way to learn. It began as a Django server I coded from scratch. It’s grown a lot since then, but the goal hasn’t changed: a place to work through what I’m learning about maps, drones, and geospatial data, in public.
My Background
I spent a decade as a firefighter, earning a Master’s in Geographic Information Systems along the way. That led to five years as a Geospatial Analyst, then to a Program Manager role on a federal geospatial program. Drone data is my current focus, and it’s the reason this site exists.
Each stage taught me something that still shows up in how I work. Firefighting is where I learned to make quick decisions on data I trusted, because bad information has real consequences. GIS grad school is where I learned what spatial analysis can actually do. The analyst and program-manager years are where I learned data management and visualization at a scale where the deliverables affected real policy decisions, not just a slide deck.
Why Drone Mapping
Drones changed what’s practical to capture. They get you data from angles and altitudes that used to require a manned aircraft or a survey crew with a lot more time, at a fraction of the cost. That’s what pulled me into this field, and it’s what this site is about: figuring out how to use that capability well, and writing down what I learn so it’s useful to someone else running into the same problem.
How I Approach This
Get it right. Drone mapping is technical enough that sloppy advice is easy to write and easy to believe. I try to be honest about what I’ve actually tested versus what I’m inferring, and I correct things when I find out I was wrong.
Keep learning. The field moves — new sensors, new software, new regulations. I write about what I’m currently working through, not just what I settled a long time ago.
Stay upfront. This site is primarily about the writing, not about selling you something. Where there are commercial angles (tools, affiliate links, whatever), they’ll be clearly labeled as such.
The Library is where all of that lives — years of field notes on drone mapping and geospatial work, written as I figure it out.
If you’re just getting started, these three articles are the best place to begin: What Is Drone Data? explains the products photogrammetry actually produces — from orthomosaics to point clouds. Ground Control Points covers how accuracy is established in the field. And the Drone Mapping Checklist walks through the full workflow from pre-mission planning to deliverable handoff.
Once you’re past the basics, two flagship guides go deeper. The photogrammetry software comparison lays out Pix4D, Metashape, WebODM, and RealityCapture side-by-side — pricing, processing speed, GCP workflow, and which one fits your situation. And drone survey accuracy breaks down RMSE, CE90, LE90, and the ASPRS standards that define what your deliverable can actually claim.