Permissions
| Task | Viewer | Editor | Site Admin | Org Admin |
| Creating measurements | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
In OpenSpace Air, you can create various measurements on your drone processing results—including linear distances, 3D distances, slope, areas, and volumes—without the need for additional tools or data export.
Distance measurement tool
The distance measurement tool is located on the menu bar at the top center of your screen.
- Select the distance measurement tool.
- Click to select any number of points on your orthomosaic image to calculate the distance between them.
- Double-click to stop indicating points.
OpenSpace Air will then display the linear distance, the 3D distance, and the slope. It will also generate a surface profile of the path covered by the measurement line.
Measurement options
The information window for a distance measurement displays the following:
- The name of the user who created the measurement
- The date on which it was last updated
- An option to delete the measurement
- (Note: Only the creator of the measurement and site admins can delete a measurement.)
- An option to label the measurement
- The ability to change the measurement's color to help differentiate it from others and contrast with the background
Private and public measurements
- New measurements default to private so that you can validate work before sharing, and to minimize clutter.
- Turn on the Make public toggle to make the measurement public and available to everyone on the project. (Note: Only the creator of the measurement can make a measurement public or private.)
Area and volume measurement
The area and volume tool is located to the right of the distance measurement tool. This tool is typically used to measure stockpiles.
- Select the area and volume tool.
- Zoom in on the stockpile.
- Drop points around the stockpile to draw a polygon that covers the area.
Once the polygon is complete, the information window will appear, displaying the following:
- The square footage
- The cut and fill values
- The net volume calculated from the stockpile
- The user who created the measurement
- An option to rename the measurement
Choosing a comparison surface
When calculating volume, OpenSpace Air compares the terrain inside your polygon against a flat reference plane—the comparison surface. The comparison surface determines what counts as "cut" (material removed) and "fill" (material added), so choosing the right one for your workflow matters.
To select a comparison surface:
- Select a polygon measurement to open the measurement dialog.
- Expand Measurement settings at the bottom of the dialog.
- Click the Comparison Surface dropdown and choose one of the following:
| Comparison surface | How it works |
| Best fit plane | A mathematically derived plane fitted to the terrain within your polygon. This is the default. |
| Minimum elevation | A flat plane set at the lowest point within the polygon. Useful for measuring total material above a known low point. |
| Maximum elevation | A flat plane set at the highest point within the polygon. |
| Custom elevation | A flat plane at an elevation you specify—useful when you have a target grade to compare against. Enter the value in the field that appears. |
| Reference capture | Compares the terrain from the current flight against the terrain from a previous flight—useful for tracking how much material has been moved between flights. Select the earlier capture from the list that appears. |
Cut, fill, and net volume values update automatically when you change the comparison surface.
Note: If you select Reference capture and choose the same capture you are currently viewing, volume stats will not be available. Select a different capture to calculate cut and fill.
3D View and customization
- View in 3D: Select View in 3D to open a split screen that enables you to inspect what the polygon is covering within a 3D environment. This view helps you ensure the measurement doesnt]’t include unwanted objects or surrounding site elements.
- Volume display: Choose to display only the net volume, cut, or fill.
- Color scheme: You can change the color scheme of the stockpile if desired.
- Information location: The bottom of the screen displays area, cut, fill, and net volume information.
Measurements report
You can export measurements in a CSV format.
- Navigate to the measurements menu on the left side of the screen.
- Select date ranges to define how many flights you want in the report.
- Select all the measurements you want to include in the report.
- Click Export measurements CSV.
Accurate measurements over time with virtual control points
To ensure that volume polygons and distance measurements align correctly across all flights, we recommend using virtual control points (VCPs).
- VCPs ensure that all resulting orthomosaic images and elevation models fall on the same location.
- If VCPs were used, a distance measurement will appear in the same location on all aligned flights.
- Any flight that is not aligned to the same location as the others will likely show discrepancies in the location of measurements created on other flights.
See our Support article to get started with Virtual Control Points.
If you have any additional questions please reach out to the OpenSpace Support team at support@openspace.ai.
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