Unmanned aerial vehicle control point selection system

A system comprising

• one or more computer processors;
• and
• one or more computer storage media storing instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to:
• obtain a plurality of images captured by a first UAV positioned above a second UAV during implementation of a flight plan, each image including the second UAV and one or more landmarks representing fixed features of a real-world geographic area;
• obtain time data associated with the capture of images by the first UAV, location information recorded by the second UAV while proximate to the one or more landmarks and time data associated with the recorded location information;
• assign, for each image using time data associated with the capture of each image and the time data associated with the recorded location information, the second UAV included in the image as a ground control point associated with determined location information of the second UAV included in the image;
• obtain a resulting image from one or more of the images and associated information describing the assigned ground control points, wherein one or more points included in the resulting image are associated with location information;
• and
• determine location information of the landmarks included in the resulting image, and assigning the one or more landmarks as ground control points for use in subsequent flight plans.

A system comprising:

• a first unmanned aerial vehicle comprising one or more processors;
• a second unmanned aerial vehicle comprising one or more processors;
• one or more computer processors;
• and
• one or more computer storage media storing instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more processors to:
• navigate a first unmanned vehicle within a first area during a first time period;
• capture, by the first unmanned vehicle, location information of the first unmanned vehicle while being navigated within the first area, using a high precision, high accuracy satellite navigation receiver;
• store in memory, by the first unmanned vehicle, location information of the first unmanned vehicle in association with timestamps indicating when a given item of location information of the first unmanned vehicle was determined;
• navigate a second unmanned vehicle within the first area during at least a portion of the first time period, the second unmanned vehicle comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle, a camera, and a satellite navigation receiver of lower precision and accuracy then the satellite navigation receiver of the first unmanned vehicle;
• capture images of the first area by the camera of the second unmanned vehicle, wherein one or more of the captured images are captured when the second unmanned vehicle is flying above the first unmanned vehicle and which include the first unmanned vehicle and one or more landmarks;
• store in memory, by the second unmanned vehicle, the captured images in association with corresponding location information and timestamps indicating when a given image was captured by the second unmanned vehicle;
• receive from the first unmanned vehicle, at a first system, the location information of the first unmanned vehicle in association with the timestamps indicating when a given item of location information of the first unmanned vehicle was determined;
• receive from the second unmanned vehicle, at the first system, the captured images in association with corresponding location information and timestamps indicating when a given image was captured;
• correlate, by the first system, a first captured image of the captured images that includes the first unmanned vehicle and a first landmark, with first location information of the first unmanned vehicle by using a time stamp associated with the first captured image and a time stamp associated with the first location information;
• select the first landmark as a control point;
• and
• store an identification of the first landmark in association with the first location information.