The Engineering Behind UgCS: Insights from Kristaps Brass on the Future of Drone Flight Planning

Drone technology is evolving at a rapid pace, and with it comes the need for more advanced, reliable, and user-friendly flight planning software. At the forefront of this innovation is UgCS, developed by SPH Engineering. To gain a deeper understanding of the engineering challenges and breakthroughs behind UgCS, we interviewed Kristaps Brass, the company’s Product Owner and an experienced engineer. Kristaps has been with SPH Engineering since 2014, leading field tests across the globe, training customers from Brazil to Australia, and even participating in a Greenland expedition. With degrees from the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga and Tallinn University of Technology, Kristaps now leads the UgCS development team, striving to make UgCS the premier choice for professional drone pilots.

Rethinking Terrain-Following: The Birth of Smart AGL

One of the most critical challenges in drone surveying is ensuring safe and accurate flights over complex terrain. Kristaps explained, “When doing drone surveying, pilots often have to make the drone follow very challenging terrain. This includes not only having to cover small hills and other terrain elevation changes but often even flying in mountainous regions and near cliffs.” He noted that traditional flight planning solutions typically use a fixed Above Ground Level (AGL) approach, which works well on gentle slopes but can be risky on steep inclines.

This challenge led to the development of the Smart AGL algorithm. As Kristaps described, “Smart AGL calculates the flight height taking into account not only what is below the drone but also what is in front of it. This innovation allows drone pilots to use UgCS flight planning software to plan safer flights that can even cover steep slopes, all while collecting accurate data.” The Smart AGL feature exemplifies UgCS’s commitment to addressing real-world issues faced by drone operators.

True Terrain Following: Precision Without Precise DEMs

Accurate terrain following is especially important for specialized surveys, such as those using ground-penetrating radar or echosounders. These missions often require drones to fly extremely close to the ground. Kristaps shared, “Our true terrain following (TTF) system features our SkyHub onboard computer as well as an altimeter which makes it possible for the drone to follow the terrain even as low as 1 meter above the ground. This is necessary when flying with sensors such as GPR, echosounders, metal detectors and others.”

He emphasized that this system is designed for larger drones carrying heavy payloads, such as the DJI M300, M350, and various American-made platforms. UgCS comes equipped with quality Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data, and for U.S. pilots, even higher-resolution DEMs are available. “It comes with other important features such as ability to adjust the resolution of terrain following, trajectory slope and many more,” Kristaps added.

3D Flight Planning: Managing Complexity with a Gaming Engine

Modern drone missions often require integrating multiple data layers, which can be computationally demanding. Kristaps explained, “UgCS is built on a gaming engine, giving it a unique advantage in the market of drone software. Because of this, UgCS can easily handle displaying multiple map overlays as well as digital terrain and surface models.”

He highlighted a recent advancement: “Recently we added the possibility to use a digital surface model (DSM) separate from the digital terrain model (DTM). This allows pilots to plan their missions with a constant altitude with respect to the ground level, all while ensuring that the drone will be at a safe distance above treetops and buildings.” This flexibility is crucial for safe operations in urban and forested environments.

Smoother Trajectories for Sensitive Sensors

Some drone surveys, such as magnetic and LiDAR mapping, require especially smooth flight paths. Kristaps discussed the engineering behind UgCS’s trajectory smoothing algorithm: “The trajectory smoothing algorithm allows users to set an exact slope angle as well as gaps that the drone should skip. This smoothes out the flight trajectory (especially when combined with Smart AGL). This is especially important when flying with sensitive sensors such as magnetometer, which are often hanging on ropes below the drone. Smoother flight for the sensor leads to better resulting data and less time needed for processing.”

Navigating Engineering Trade-Offs: Safety, Accuracy, and Efficiency

Developing terrain-following solutions for extreme environments requires balancing safety, accuracy, and efficiency. Kristaps explained, “What works best in these situations is giving the users the tools in their hands. When flying in extreme environments they can choose between using an altimeter with on-board processing or relying on a highly accurate DEM.”

He emphasized the flexibility UgCS offers: “Any route planned in UgCS can be converted into separate waypoints, giving the user full control around any part of the mission.” This approach ensures that pilots can adapt to a wide range of mission requirements and environmental challenges.

Handling High-Resolution Elevation Data

The accuracy of flight path calculations depends on the resolution of elevation data. Kristaps noted, “By default UgCS uses 1 arc second (30m) SRTM data worldwide. Recently we added ⅓ (10m) elevation data for our customers in the USA from the USGS database. Users can also load their own elevation data (DEM) with a maximum resolution of 1 m.”

He also pointed out the practical limits: “Datasets with higher resolution than 1 m get downscaled to 1 m since that is about the limit of accuracy needed for drone flights. Anything below that gives diminishing marginal returns when weighing increased flight accuracy against processing power needed for trajectory calculations for large missions.”

Integrating with Diverse Hardware

Integrating terrain-following features across different drone platforms and altimeter technologies presents unique challenges. Kristaps reflected, “When we started out with our true terrain following systems, we relied on laser altimeter technology. However, soon after that we learned that one size does not fit all. While laser altimeters allow users to very accurately fly even at higher altitudes, they do fall short when flying over reflective surfaces such as water, snow or dense fog. These downsides…are addressed by our radar altimeter.”

He added, “DJI and Ardupilot are two different beasts. DJI drones are great and allow us to easily integrate through their SDK. In this case the onboard altimeter works through our SkyHub computer. The mountings are standardized. Ardupilot drones, while being open-source, tend to be based on very different frames, each of which needs a separate mount for the altimeter. In the case of Ardupilot, the altimeter gets connected directly to the autopilot.”

Balancing Advanced Features with User Accessibility

UgCS has evolved significantly over the years, balancing technical sophistication with user accessibility. Kristaps explained, “UgCS has been in the market for around 12 years now and has gone through a lot of evolution and changes, all inspired by feedback from our users. With the release of UgCS 5.0 last year, we’ve gone through significant UI redesign compared to the previous version, making it more user-friendly for new users while retaining the features important for existing users.”

He also discussed the philosophy behind new features: “With the release of UgCS 5.11 we are making it faster and more effortless for users to get their planned missions delivered to them. With this version we are introducing UgCS Cloud. This feature allows all routes to automatically sync from the computer to the drone’s remote controller. Not only does this make fieldwork faster for pilots, it also makes it easier for teams to work together, sharing planned routes across devices.”

Looking Ahead: The Future of Drone Flight Planning

The world of drone surveying is dynamic and requires constant adaptation. Kristaps summed up the UgCS philosophy: “The world of drone surveys is one that is fast-moving and a team sport. We understand the importance of convenience, rapid deployment and quick teamwork. And this is what we are addressing next.”

UgCS continues to push the boundaries of drone flight planning, combining technical innovation with real-world practicality, and setting new standards for professional drone pilots worldwide.

Read more:

• SPH Engineering Releases UgCS 5.11: Cloud Sync, Small Drone Support, and New Mapping Tools
• Don’t Get Grounded: Why Multi-Platform Software Is a Must for Drone Operations
• AirData and UgCS Collaborate on New Integration