Image count and survey size

Model: Published flight planning (Penn State GEOG 892) on the survey-grid sweep: lines = ⌈width / line spacing⌉ + 1, centered so the outer lines reach the edges; photos per line = ⌈length / photo spacing⌉ + 1, plus the extra photos past each end (2 by default)

Show your work

1. Area to cover

   the polygon you gave, in the plane the grid is flown on

   8 corners = 9.024 ha

2. Flight lines

   the area's width divided by the spacing between lines, rounded up, plus one so the outer lines reach both edges

   2,408 m of survey line = 4 lines

3. Photos

   each line's length divided by the distance between photos, rounded up, plus one, plus the extra photos past each end

   2,408 m along 4 lines = 104

The same steps an agent gets from the MCP server with explain: true.

Accuracy: Matches the published block counts exactly (Penn State GEOG 892: 10 lines, 430 photos; King Saud University SE 321: 45 lines, 6,120 photos) and the survey-grid pattern for the same settings. Photos a camera takes during turns are not counted.

When to use this: Use this when you are sizing a mapping job before you plan it in detail: how many photos the camera will take, how many flight lines it will fly, and how many kilometers of flying that is, so you can estimate batteries, storage, processing time, and a price for the work.

Limitations: It counts photos the way published flight planning does, with the outer lines on the edges and extra photos past each end, but your flight app may place lines, margins, and extra photos its own way, so its count can differ by a line or a few photos. It assumes a constant photo spacing over flat ground. It cuts lines at no-fly holes but does not count the detours around them; the survey grid plans those.

Worked example: A 602 m by 150 m field. Source: 4 lines (⌈150 / 52.5⌉ + 1) of 602 m, each with ⌈602 / 30⌉ + 1 = 22 photos plus 2 past each end: 104 photos. It is golden test vector v006, and every build checks the tool still gives its answer within its tolerance.

Review: Not yet independently reviewed by a Part 107 remote pilot.

Last verified: 2026-09-18, when a maintainer last confirmed this tool's sources at the issuer. See the sources ledger.

Status: version 1.1.0, core 0.1.0. See this tool in the verification report.

Changes

• 2026-09-23, fixed: The worked example was titled a 600 m by 150 m field, but its corners are 602 m apart along the lines, which is why it gives 22 photos a line and 104 in all. The title now says 602 m by 150 m. No results change. Changelog
• 2026-09-23, result change: Image count and the survey grid (version 1.1.0) now count the way published flight planning does (Penn State GEOG 892): ⌈width / spacing⌉ + 1 lines with the outer lines on the edges, and ⌈length / photo spacing⌉ + 1 photos per line plus extra photos past each end, 2 by default (a new input; 0 leaves them out). Most areas gain a line. The Penn State block now gives its published 10 lines and 430 photos, where 1.0.0 gave 9 and 342. The superseded vectors pinned the old line counts. Changelog

Checked against: 21 golden test vectors (download the test vectors, each with its source and tolerance). See how results are checked and every source.

Sources

• GEOG 892: Geospatial Applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems, Abdullah, Q., Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, online course text, retrieved 2026-09-23. Lesson 4, Designing a Flight Route (number of flight lines; number of images).
• Elements of Photogrammetry with Applications in GIS, Wolf, P. R., Dewitt, B. A., and Wilkinson, B. E., McGraw-Hill, 4th edition. Chapter 18 (flight planning: flight lines, photo spacing, number of photos). Read free.