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For our mapping, surveying, and inspection tasks, the DJI Mavic series drones have been indispensable, and we’re gearing up to utilize the DJI Mavic 4 Enterprise as the next evolution in this lineup. The Mavic series is known for packing professional capabilities into a portable form factor. Key features and capabilities of the Mavic 4 (as gleaned from DJI’s Enterprise line and leaks/rumors) include:
The Mavic 4 Enterprise is expected to come with a triple-camera system – likely a high-resolution wide-angle camera, a telephoto zoom camera, and a thermal camera . This is a major leap, as it means one drone can capture different types of data in one flight. For AFS, this is fantastic for inspections: the wide camera gives an overview, the zoom lets us inspect details (like a hairline crack on a structure) from a safe distance, and the thermal can detect heat signatures (great for finding hot spots in electrical inspections or heat loss in building roofs).
Building on the Mavic 3 Enterprise, the Mavic 4 should have a mechanical shutter on the main camera to eliminate distortion when capturing images at speed – critical for mapping accuracy. Additionally, it will support an RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) module . RTK allows the drone to achieve centimeter-level positioning accuracy by connecting to GPS correction data. For our surveying jobs, this means the images are tagged with extremely accurate coordinates, reducing the need for numerous ground control points and improving map precision. Essentially, it can produce survey-grade maps out-of-the-box.
Rumors suggest the Mavic 4 will push flight times possibly towards 45-50 minutes, slightly above the Mavic 3’s 45 minutes . It likely also has improved propulsion or power management. Longer flights mean more area covered per battery, improving our efficiency on large mapping projects. The Mavic series drones are also very quiet and have a low logistical footprint – one person can carry and operate them – which is beneficial when we need to hike into a site or operate near populated areas with minimal disturbance.
The Mavic 4 should retain the foldable, compact design. This is a huge plus for AFS because it allows us to deploy quickly and even operate in tight spaces (like urban areas or inside large indoor facilities for inspections). Setup is basically unfolding the arms and taking off. We can easily carry multiple batteries in a backpack. For example, if we’re mapping multiple small construction sites in a day, the Mavic’s portability lets us move site-to-site swiftly, as opposed to lugging larger equipment.
DJI’s enterprise drones often come with accessory support – like loudspeakers, beacons, or spotlights. The Mavic 4 Enterprise is indicated to have an expansion port for such accessories and a top-mounted beacon/RTK module . For our use, the beacon is crucial for night flights or visibility in the air (safety compliance), and we could use the loudspeaker for tasks like search & rescue operations (addressing a crowd or person on the ground through the drone). It just adds to the versatility of this platform.
The Mavic series essentially hits the sweet spot for many of our services: it provides high-quality data (imagery and video) while being cost-effective and flexible. We anticipate the Mavic 4 will allow us to do even more in a single flight – e.g., map a site and thermally inspect it without changing drones. We chose DJI’s Mavic Enterprise line because of their proven reliability in the field and DJI’s strong software ecosystem which we can integrate with (FlightHub for fleet management, Terra for processing, etc.).
Also, by having a drone that can do both mapping and inspection, we reduce the amount of equipment we need to bring to a job, passing that efficiency onto our clients. In essence, the Mavic 4 Enterprise aligns with our goal of maximizing value – one drone that yields multiple types of deliverables (maps, detailed inspections, thermal analyses).