WebODM is a free and open source software that I created and currently maintain. WebODM uses the free and open source ODM photogrammetry engine, which I actively maintained for several years. WebODM Lightning offers a cloud-hosted instance of WebODM, but processing on Lightning uses the LGT photogrammetry engine, which has been designed for highest accuracy outputs, support for arbitrary coordinate systems, higher quality 3D models and a few other features that are not available in ODM. WebODM Lightning also has permanent annotations, which are not available in the open source version.

Yes! Simply sign-up to receive free credits and try the service.

For standard RGB images, the vast majority of drone cameras are supported. For multispectral sensors, I officially support DJI, Micasense, Sentera and AeroVironment, but other cameras are also supported. The best way to find out if your sensor is supported is to process a test dataset (it's free).

No, but you can by purchasing a Business unlimited plan.

Currently the highest tier of service (Business plan) allows processing of up to 3,000 images in one go. You might need to split your dataset into smaller parts and process those parts individually.

You can later use QGIS with our QRasterMerge plugin to combine two overlapping maps.

Typically yes, but I understand it can feel wasteful to spend for a higher tier for the occasional dataset. Get in touch and tell me about your use case and situation, I might be able to offer you another option.

There's no catch, but there are some limits. You cannot send more than a certain number of tasks at the same time. For example, with the Pro plan, you can send up to 2 tasks at the same time, but you must wait for those to finish before sending additional ones. In practice, this puts a limit on the total number of tasks that you can send in any given period.

Also, make sure you don't rent / lease access to your unlimited processing to others outside of your company! It's not OK to do that. Read the rules on unlimited plans usage.

You need to buy more credits if you need to process larger datasets. Once you purchase a sufficient amount of credits you will be able to process up to 1,500 images.

Yes, contact me and make sure to describe your use case, number of students, budget, etc. Check also the Educational Institution FAQ

Check the Educational Institution FAQ

In some cases yes. To setup a different payment method a minimum commitment of 3 years to the Business plan is required. For shorter durations and other plans, credit card is the only payment method.

While I don't currently offer white-label options on WebODM Lightning, one can install WebODM on a server, customize the branding and connect to my Lightning processing nodes.

You can use the billing portal. First update your information, then click on an invoice to download it.

Visit this page to send a new confirmation e-mail. If you still haven't received an e-mail after 10 minutes, and your spam folder is empty, get in touch and I'll help you verify your account.

You can delete your account by going to My Account -- Account Settings -- Delete Account.

I recommend to process tasks via the cloud platform. Then, from the Map View or 3D View click the "Share" button to generate a link.

You can also upload existing tasks to the cloud platform by pressing the Import button.

To open the orthophoto/DSM/DTM (odm_orthophoto.tif, dsm.tif, dtm.tif) use QGIS.

To open the point cloud (odm_georeferenced_model.laz) use CloudCompare.

To open the textured 3D model (odm_textured_model.obj) use MeshLab.

If you submit a task using the cloud platform you can also view the results directly from your browser.

You need to use a specialized program such as QGIS to properly open GeoTIFF (.tif) elevation models. If you use a program such as MS Paint or some other image viewer you will not be able to open the file correctly.

In order to view the maps and 3D models online, you need to upload the images directly to the cloud platform, not from the dashboard. If you mistakenly sent the images via the dashboard, you can import those results into the cloud platform following the procedure below:

• Open the cloud platform
• Click the Import button next to a project
• Select Import from URL
• Copy/paste the URL to the all.zip file you received via e-mail
• Press Import

Yes! Check out my guide on processing video files.

Check my creating successful maps and handle missing map sections articles.

The desktop application and the cloud are separate products. There's no automatic syncing between the two. You can transfer tasks from one to another by downloading a task assets by expanding a Task → Download Assets → All Assets (.zip) and then importing the .zip file by pressing the "Import" button.

Only if you uploaded the images via the cloud platform and you have an unlimited plan (Pro or Business). Expand a task, then click Download Assets → Backup.

If you uploaded the images via some other channel, such as by using the dashboard Web UI, then no, images are not stored there.

• Temporary storage: when you process a dataset, whether via the cloud platform, the dashboard or via command line, results will be stored to a temporary URL for 14 days. This URL is sent via e-mail everytime you process a dataset. This URL eventually expires.
• Cloud storage: if you have a plan, this is the amount of disk space you can use on the cloud platform. You can upload datasets there and share them with clients. This storage space is permanent. Results will remain stored for as long as you keep your plan.

Yes, by default everything is private, unless you decide to share.

Data centers across Europe and the US. I do not store or process data anywhere else.

This error could be due to a few possible causes:

• Your account does not have sufficient credits or is not setup with a monthly plan. Check that you have sufficient credits, or subscribe to a plan.
• If you're connected to VPN or a mobile 3G/4G/5G network, try disabling VPN or use a landline connection instead. Many VPN and mobile network providers are known for dropping file uploads, which can result in a task with duplicate files, thus causing the error.
• If you're using the WebODM Lightning for Windows app, double-check that you are sending the task to the correct processing node and that the processing node's token is the same as it's shown on your account's dashboard.

Drones often store images in multiple folders on a SD card if they exceed 1000. Make sure you have selected all the images and that you didn't accidentally select just a subset from one folder.

The only time a task might get queued is during periods of high traffic on the network and only for larger tasks (more than 1500 images). It shouldn't take too long for the tasks to start processing. Smaller tasks (less than 1500 images) should always start processing right away, within the concurrency limits of your plan. Again, this shouldn't happen too often.

If you are sending tasks from WebODM desktop and you seem to be able to process only one task at a time, make sure that the tasks you are sending are going to the Lightning processing nodes, rather than elsewhere. When creating a new task, make sure "Lightning" is selected as your processing node.