This question is for those that have done 3d mapping. How much should I charge for a 3d map of a 33 acre parcel of undeveloped land? Using the E2P V1 no RTK module. Also what is the best software to use? I have used Pix4Dreact, but nothing else.
I do not own a license for any software, so I will be using a trial version or the most cost effective program. If this project goes well, I am considering getting into more mapping projects. THANKS IN ADVANCE!
I don't offer or know anything about 3D mapping but I can tell you that you should charge what you need to charge to cover your expenses and pay for your time both onsite and in post processing as well as the equipment use time and any additional fees (insurance, batteries, permits, airspace authorizations, etc.).
When I am approaching a project that I have never done before I first calculate how many hours onsite I will need to complete the project, I then calculate how many hours in post processing I will need to spend, then I add about 20% (or more) to that number in case of unexpected problems, then I multiply that number by my hourly rate for that type of project. For equipment use I look at the typical lifespan for that type of equipment (3yrs for drones, 2yrs for drone batteries) then calculate approximately how much time/stress will be placed on the equipment for this particular project as well as the risks to the equipment; and arrive at an additional number for the equipment use (i.e. a boat drone launch for a yacht commercial over open ocean will cost more hourly than filming a commercial warehouse building on dry land). Lastly, I calculate any time I would need to spend getting permits, airspace approvals, etc. as well as the cost of insurance.
All of those calculations add up to a number that should be your bare minimum to do the job. If you are unsure about some of the calculations (like how long you will need to be onsite or how long it will take to stitch the map together) then I would go through the whole mapping workflow using a test project on one acre then multiply that time by 33. The drone would have to land and take off a few times for the larger project so maybe you should probably multiply it by 35 or 36.
After you have done all of that and feel comfortable that you can shoot the project and produce the quality of results the client requires, and you have a financial number that would cover all of your costs and pay for your time, then and only then should you look around your area and try to see what others are charging. If they are charging way less than you would, then I just wouldn't do the project. Nothing worse than feeling underpaid on a shoot because you tried to compete with someone who is probably flying with no insurance, no license, etc or someone that does so much volume they can afford rock bottom prices, or someone that has way better software that can stitch the map in seconds vs hrs for your software.
One caveat to all of this is if you feel this could be a high volume opportunity or a new direction you want to take your business in and want to showcase this project to future clients. For that scenario you would need to decide if you are willing to eat some of the cost for advertising purposes.
I once had a customer who wanted me to livestream a golf tournament using the
EVO II 6K, they were offering
$1500.00 for two days of work at 6hrs a day. I am sure many college kids would have jumped on that opportunity and thought they were going to make easy money for what seemed like a simple job. I went through the calculations that I just recommended above:
- ($500) Battery rental fees - I calculated I would need about 10 batteries in addition to the 4 I have on hand to keep flying almost continuously for 6hrs like that.
- ($100) Smart Controller - To send the live feed to their broadcasting equipment I would have needed to rent the smart controller for the HDMI clean feed port.
- ($125) Event Insurance - For something like this with this high of a risk I would have obtained special Event insurance for additional coverage
- ($360) Spotter - golf courses have trees and plenty of people, I would have hired a spotter for an event like this
- ($150) Equipment Use - This one event would have been so stressful on the drone and batteries that I would estimate a pretty high equipment use rate. 12hrs straight in the air is probably more hours than I spend in the air in 3 months. Not to mention the risk of golf balls flying through the air.
- ($100) Gas/Car Use - Travel to and from the event, car insurance, gas, etc.
- $165.00 - Remainder
- Time spent: 2hrs (travel to from location), 1hr (setup), 2hrs (ordering equipment, shipping equipment back to rental house, coordinating with the spotter), 12hrs (filming) = 17hrs. $165.00/17hrs = $9.70/hr.
Obviously, I turned down the job. The client's budget of $1500.00 simply wasn't worth the risk to the drone to me, the coordination that was needed, and the final hourly rate after expenses was a complete joke. There also was zero advertising value to me to advertise live streaming services since almost no one else would have requested this. Of course the customer tried to say it would be great publicity and I would be their go to company every year after that; the only thing worse than shooting a project like this is shooting a project like this every year.
