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Working on really large project sites can result in drone data files being separated as tiles of data, i.e., you end up with multiple DSM and ortho files that are organized into a grid of blocks. Virtual Surveyor is designed to handle and work efficiently with large amounts of data all at once and can manage large data sites with relative ease, which allows you to start making progress on the actual work as quickly as possible. If the blocks of drone data touch or overlap, Virtual Surveyor will combine the DSM and ortho files to form a single Elevation Terrain and Image Terrain, respectively. 


Importing files into Virtual Surveyor. The process for importing the files into Virtual Surveyor—whether using .tif or .las files—creates the same result. If you import multiple .tif/.las files at the same time, they combine to form as a single terrain.

  • While the principle for importing multiple files works the same for all file types, Lidar (.las or .laz) files do require some additional input before you can add them to your project. You can read more about importing Lidar files in our Import and Convert Lidar Point Clouds article.


Overview


Create a Single Terrain Item by Merging Data Tiles

This is our recommended method for adding data tiles to Virtual Surveyor.

  1. Add all the data tiles simultaneously into Virtual Surveyor. Import all your .tif or .las files at the same time to merge them as a single terrain item. Select all the files you want to import and use the drag and drop function to import them as a group of files all at once.
    Drag and drop all .las/.laz files as a group into Virtual Surveyor to merge them as a single elevation terrain and orthophoto.
  2. Virtual Surveyor processes the data. Once the drone data is imported, Virtual Surveyor analyzes and recognizes when the ground data overlaps or touches, then immediately starts merging all the DSM files into a single Elevation Terrain and all the orthophoto files into a single Image Terrain. If your data does not overlap or touch, Virtual Surveyor creates the Terrain Items as separate tiles, the same as if you had imported them separately.
    Virtual Surveyor processing a group of drone data files into single ei.tif and ii.tif files.
  3. Finish adding the data to Virtual Surveyor. After it is done processing, click Insert to add the files as Project Items in the Project View.
    Recently processed ei.tif and ii.tif files are ready to be inserted into Virtual Surveyor.
  4. View the added DSM and Orthophoto. Once the Terrain Items are inserted, you can see that there is only one DSM and one Orthomosaic. You can control which ones you want to show in the Viewport by toggling them on or off in the Project View.
    Image showing the results of merged data tiles into a single Elevation Terrain and orthophoto.


Understanding Data Tiles

Data tiles are created from large data sets being separated into a grid-like pattern of terrain models. This is usually a byproduct of software limitations or as an attempt to handle drone data more efficiently by breaking it up into smaller chunks of information. You typically encounter data tiles when using point clouds and other photogrammetry. Here at Virtual Surveyor, we strongly believe that all the data should be handled in the simplest way possible. Part of the concept behind the Virtual Surveyor desktop app, is its capability to quickly handle large amounts of data as a single elevation terrain and orthophoto respectively, allowing you to spend more time working on the actual terrain instead of trying to organize the data. 


Terrain Creator photogrammetry output. To complement our surveying software, our photogrammetry software (Terrain Creator) can take large amounts of drone data and quickly create a single elevation model and orthophoto image. Using Terrain Creator to process your photogrammetry ensures a smooth transition of drone data to a cohesive virtual terrain and completely avoids creating data tiles altogether.


Merging data tiles together is different than creating a virtual mosaic. A virtual mosaic is created by manually clipping separate drone flights together into a comprehensive terrain model, which aligns the individual DSMs and orthophotos to fit together as a single image (like putting together pieces of a puzzle). When creating a virtual mosaic, there should be some overlap of the drone data so you can clip the elevation terrains and orthophotos to be flush up against one another and have a cleaner fit. This allows you to have the entire project site appear and be used as a single terrain model but still be capable of managing each section of terrain individually. You can read more about virtual mosaics in our Create Virtual Mosaics article.