POICloud Documentation
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Before using POISuite and its applications, you must create a free account. You can access the registration page either via the previously installed app or via the link www.poicloud.de.
Account Creation
You can open an account here. First, click on the Create a new account button (1). After entering your details and setting a password, you must agree to the privacy policy and our terms and conditions (2). To do this, tick the respective boxes. Then click on the Create account button (3) to confirm your entries and complete the account creation process.
Set up organisations, sections and teams
The division into organisations, sections and teams forms the basis for the functions of POICloud. As a first step, it is necessary to create at least one organisation with one section and one team.
Organisations
First, a new organisation must be created. This could be, for example, an association for fawn rescue, an organisation for the protection of breeding birds, or a surveying office. Once registration is complete, the following application interface appears:
Under the menu item Organisation (4), you can either view existing organisations or add one or more new organisations. To do this, select the New Organisation field (5). In the window that opens, you can now add the name of the organisation (e.g. XY Wildlife Rescue Association), a description and an organisation image (e.g. the association or company logo) (6). Then click on Save (7) and the creation of the organisation is complete.
Add organisational members
Once the organisation has been created, new members can be added to it. To do this, select the New Member button (1) on the organisation overview page. In the window that opens, select the desired user in the Search for user search field (2). You then have the option of assigning administration rights to the new organisation member. This enables them to make settings for the organisation and teams. Click Save (3) to complete the addition.
Sections
The next step is to create one or more sections. These are used to divide the app into different areas of application. For example, you can create a section for fawn rescue, searching for people, ASP, etc. Each of these contains different categories for creating markers and POIs.
In the current overview of the organisation’s administration, you can create a new section by clicking on the New Section button (8). This also opens a window for adding a new section. You must give it a name (9). Then select the appropriate sectiontype for the respective area of application from several options. If necessary, a description can be added. Clicking on Save (10) completes the creation process.
Section-specific flight parameters
Note: This feature is currently still in the testing phase!
Depending on the area of application, different requirements are placed on the drone, and each drone has different characteristics. Depending on the respective section, standard flight parameters can be defined, which can then be applied to flight missions.
Standard flight parameters are defined in the section view (1). Here, the individual values for new flight missions can be adjusted by clicking on New flight parameters (2).
After choosing a name (3) for the mission, the drone (4) and mission type (5) are specified. Currently, you can choose between area and waypoint routes. By ticking the box under Save images (6), you can enable or disable image capture during the mission.
Note: When using POIStudio to evaluate thermal images, this function must be activated!
Under the item Calculate flight angle (7), you can choose from several options: Longest distance, Main axis, Short distances and Perpendicular to main axis. The appropriate option is selected depending on the area and personal preferences.
Depending on the nature of the area and the respective mission planning, it is possible to automatically add the starting point of the route at the beginning or end of the route, or alternatively to set it manually. This can be done using the corresponding drop-down menu (8).
Attention! If the terrain-following altitude mode relative to the starting point is selected, it is essential to select the Add starting point at the beginning option at this point, as this point is used to measure the starting altitude. If this option is not selected, collisions may occur.
Latest innovation: Altitude mode
Recently, it has also become possible to fly in areas with hills and mountains by selecting the appropriate altitude mode (9):
Constant altitude relative to the starting point
Here, the drone flies at a constant altitude, which is calculated based on the altitude of the starting point. The flight altitude remains independent of the terrain altitude.
Terrain following relative to the starting point
In this mode, the drone follows the terrain and adjusts its altitude accordingly. This makes it possible to fly over areas with significant terrain changes. Thanks to the use of accurate elevation models for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, there is only a deviation of 50 cm.
In addition, other important parameters such as flight altitude and flight speed can be set.
Under the items End action (10) and Action in case of radio loss (11), you can set how the drone should behave when ending a mission or in case of signal loss.
By default, the return function is set for ending the mission and the End action option is set for signal loss.
By clicking on Save (12), the standard flight parameters for the division are successfully set.
Teams
The final step involves creating one or more teams. These can be generated and managed depending on the respective area of application or the current order situation.
Note: Teams are created within the appropriate section and are independent of each other. This means that assignments, fields and statistics are only created for a single team and can only be viewed by its members.
In the administration view of the divisions, a team can be added by clicking on New Team (11). Within a team, orders can be created, fields can be marked and flights/searches can be planned and carried out. In addition, the app creates order statistics and summaries for each completed order for each team. After selecting the button, a new window appears in which a team name, description, suitable image/logo and, if applicable, an existing website can be added (12). Click on Save (13) to successfully create the new team.
Team Management
After creating a team, the following overview appears:
This is where the respective team is managed. There is an overview of existing members, new members can be added, and all orders processed by the team are displayed with corresponding statistics.
Adding new Members
There are several options available for adding new members to an existing team:
By clicking on New Member, a member can be added using the email address used to register in the POIApp. It is also possible to grant the respective member admin rights. Team administrators are able to make changes to the team and the assignments.
Further Options
The same options are also available in the map view (1). Here, you can select the currently existing organisations and the associated teams by clicking on the team icon (2). The Add team members button (3) displays all of the above options for inviting new members.
To scan the team’s QR codes or join via ID and code, click on the Join Team button (4).
Enquiries, orders & statistics
Enquiries
Active enquiries regarding orders or flights appear under the Enquiries section. Important data such as the flight date, the landowner or the size of the area to be flown over are also listed here.
Field Registration
To generate an enquiry, you can store a permanent link that external parties can use to fill in their fields and create order enquiries.
Note: This feature is currently in beta and available to users of the beta version of POICloud!
All you need to do is click on the button below the contact view and the link will be copied to the clipboard. This means it can be embedded on a club website or within a document, for example, or simply sent via a messenger service or email.
Orders
This view lists all active and inactive orders. These can be easily sorted by status and order date using the order filter. The search field allows you to search directly for orders, for example, those with the same contact person.
The POIs can be downloaded via the download icon and imported into other programmes or GPS devices. Clicking on the PDF icon creates a document with a summary of the respective order. All POIs marked on the area are also listed here.
If the order is to be reactivated, this can be done by clicking on the check mark next to the order.
Statistics
Order statistics are compiled for evaluation purposes and to provide an overview of all search orders completed. These statistics list all findings for a given year (e.g. number of fawns, number of clutches, etc.). In addition, the number of completed orders and the total area flown in hectares are also specified.
Drones
This overview lists all drones and controllers connected to POICloud, as well as the current licence status. Active drones are highlighted in green.
Clicking on the DJI button (1) takes you directly to the DJI device information query. After logging in, you can view information about the selected device and the current DJI Care status. Active repair requests are also listed here.
Note: DJI account required
Contacts & Downloads
Contacts – Organisational View
If you already work with landowners, hunting leaseholders, farmers, companies, etc., you can store the details of the relevant contact persons in the Contacts section. These can then be assigned to the relevant area(s) when creating an order, so that it is clear who is responsible for which area.
Clicking on the Add contact button (1) opens the window for adding a new contact with all the necessary data. After clicking on the Save button (2), the contact is successfully created.
Downloads
If required, all POIs generated on a given day can be downloaded as a GPX file in this section. In this format, they can then be imported into external programmes (e.g. QGIS, ArcGIS) for further use or for searching using GPS devices. The download is always available for the day on which the POIs were created.
Create Fields
This section explains how to create and edit fields.
Map View Management
We are now in the map view (1) of POICloud. Various options for field and order management are available here: at the top left, the map view can be changed using the Map (2) and Satellite (3) buttons. Furthermore, you can add or remove a terrain model in Map view and labels for map elements in Satellite view. You can search for locations using the adjacent search field (4).
Controls
The following controls are located on the right side of the map view:
The points of the fields can be moved or reset as desired, allowing for precise marking of the areas. The starting point (yellow S) can also be freely set and moved. It serves as the starting point for the mission, and you can navigate to it via Google Maps.
For a new field, assigning a field name (1) is required. If necessary, a more detailed description (2) of the area can be added. Clicking Save (3) creates the field and assigns it an individual field ID.
This function allows all existing markers on the area to be listed.
Clicking Set New Marker (1) creates a marker at the center of the map. This can be named as desired (2). If necessary, the marker’s coordinates can be adjusted so that it appears at the correct location (3). Clicking Save (4) successfully creates the marker.
Note: When using POIConnect, placed markers also automatically appear on the drone remote control – in real-time!
Edit Markers
If the marker is selected, various editing functions are available:
Edit Fields
Created fields can be edited and adjusted in several ways.
Option 1 – Field Selection
Clicking on the created area displays the following window, listing all information about the selected field:
For further use in external applications (e.g., GIS programs), the field can be exported here as a GPX or KML file.
Users of the Beta Version can also download an elevation model of the selected area in this section, which can be used for flights where the drone follows the terrain height.
Add Contact:
Clicking the button opens a new window where either a contact person (1) for this field with a corresponding role (2) can be selected from an existing contact list, or a new contact can be created (see Team Management – Contacts & Downloads). Clicking Save (3) adds it to the selected field.
Option 2 – Field Drawer
On the left side of the map view is the icon to open the Field Drawer (1). All areas belonging to the team are listed here. Individual fields can be edited/adjusted here even without prior selection. The editing functions are the same as in Option 1.
Here, the Field View (2) must first be selected. Fields can be searched in the Search Field (3) using field names or field IDs. Additionally, it is possible to import externally created fields via the Import Fields (4) button.
Flight Plan Creation
Exporting fields as a KMZ file is possible once a field is opened via the drone remote control using the DJI Pilot App and transferred to the POICloud. This allows a flight mission with the appropriate flight parameters to be generated directly from the previously created field.
For this, first open the Field Drawer (1) and then the Missions (2) tab. If flight parameters for the respective selected drone were defined during the creation of the category, some values are already pre-set.
If a field is selected as a mission, it appears on the map with the flight lines calculated in the cloud. The routes can, of course, also be adjusted and edited afterwards.
Clicking the Download Button (4) exports the field as a flight plan, which can then be used on any DJI remote control.
Create Missions
Once a field has been created, a mission can be generated from it. The most important steps for creation are presented here.
If a field is selected, the following window appears at the bottom right of the screen:
Clicking New Mission (1) opens another editing window where all important information for the new mission is entered.
If multiple teams are set up in the organization and category, the corresponding Team (2) is selected for the mission during its creation.
Under Date/Time (3), the exact date for processing the mission is set, and the Comments (4) field provides space for further useful information about the respective mission.
By pressing the Save Button (5), the new mission is successfully created.
Field Color Coding
For clarity, fields are color-coded differently depending on their status. This allows you to see which fields have missions, which fields have already been successfully searched, and which fields are currently inactive:
Mission Management
After a mission has been created, it is listed with the corresponding mission number in the Drawer Menu (1) on the left side of the screen.
In the Mission View (2), all important information can also be reviewed at a glance. This includes, among other things, the name of the field, the date and time of processing, and the number of POIs marked on the area.
Here, too, individual missions can be searched for by name or ID/mission number. This is done via the Search Field (3).
The following functions for editing and managing are available for all listed missions:
This allows the download of all POIs stored on the selected area in various file formats.
Further Mission Management Options
If an active mission is selected, additional icons with mission management functions appear on the right edge of the map:
A POI can be manually created by the user here. This always appears directly in the center of the map. For example, if an object is found during the search that was not previously visible via the drone, it can be added subsequently and in real-time. When using POIConnect, this marker also appears directly on the drone connection and can be re-checked.
The following window appears when the button is clicked:
A Name (1) can be defined for the POI. When setting the POI, the coordinates always correspond to the center of the current map section. If the coordinates are to be set manually, this is possible in the fields for Latitude and Longitude (2). Clicking Save (3) successfully creates the POI.
Add POI via QR Code
Additionally, DJI drone remote controls offer the option to output a marker as a QR code. To add such a marker to the current mission, a scan can be performed via the device’s camera by selecting the QR Code Symbol (4):
All information about the mission can be viewed here.
Export POIs
All placed POIs can be downloaded in various file formats via the Download Button (1). This allows for their use in external programs or on external devices not connected to the POICloud.
Download Report
Via the Download Report (2) button, it is possible to generate and download a summary of the current mission in PDF format. This can be used, for example, as proof of the completed flight.
Connecting drone remote control – POICloud
In order to use services such as POICloud or POIConnect/EasyPOI, all drones involved in the operation must be connected to our cloud service. How this works is explained in the following section.
DJI-PilotApp User Interface
First, the following view appears on the drone remote control screen. Under Cloud Service (1), you have the option to add a cloud service. By default, the message ‘Not logged in’ appears here.
Clicking this button opens the menu for cloud services. Since POICloud is a third-party service, you must select the Open Platforms control panel (2) here.
Next, you need to enter the corresponding web address/URL (3). In the case of POICloud, this would be https://poicloud.de/cloud. Click on Connect and the drone remote control will establish a connection to POICloud.
Registration POICloud
In the login window that appears, enter your email address (4) and password (5). These details are the same as the POICloud login details you used when creating your account. Click on the login button (6) to log in.
Selection Organization & Team
After logging in, the POICloud user interface home page opens. Here, you must first select the appropriate organisation (7). If one has already been created and the specified account is a member of it, the selection is made automatically.
In addition, this overview offers the option of activating a 14-day trial access for POIConnect. To do so, simply click on the Start free 14-day trial button (8). Once activated, functions such as the automatic transfer of POIs from the drone to the POIApp will be available for a limited period of time.
After selecting the organisation, a window opens in which the default settings for data synchronisation can be configured. It is important that both options are ticked (9). Click OK (10) to confirm the settings.
All teams included in the organization are now displayed in the overview. After selecting the appropriate team (11) and uploading, all currently created areas are visible on the drone remote control. Markings made with the drone also appear only in the team to which the drone is currently linked.
When you return to the remote control’s start screen, the selected organization and active team will now appear in the cloud services overview (12) and the link will be complete.
