Drone mapping with PIX4Dmatic for a sustainable future
The Atlantic Forest in São Paulo stretches over roughly 3.46 million hectares—about 14% of the state's land—and includes the Great Atlantic Forest Reserve, the largest continuous forest in the biome, spanning 50 municipalities across São Paulo, Paraná, and Santa Catarina.
The Atlantic Forest in São Paulo is under threat
Despite its immense ecological value, deforestation in São Paulo skyrocketed by 406% between 2019 and 2020, largely due to both regulated and unregulated real estate expansion and tourism.
This rampant destruction puts immense pressure on this irreplaceable natural treasure. This remarkable ecosystem not only shelters countless unique species found nowhere else—it also plays a vital role in climate regulation, soil erosion control, and water quality maintenance.
Recognizing the urgency of this crisis, innovative solutions are emerging to help safeguard this ecosystem.
Drones for good
Flying Labs Brazil empowers communities through digital literacy and STEM education, partnering locally and internationally to deliver tailored solutions that boost quality of life, promote sustainability, and foster diversity and gender equality in tech. By leveraging drones and orthomosaic imaging, they offer a powerful toolset for preserving the Atlantic Forest—particularly in Águas da Billings State Park—enabling enhanced monitoring, assessment, and management of this vital environment.
By capturing high-resolution aerial imagery, drones provide a bird's-eye view of the park, enabling park rangers to identify potential threats such as deforestation, poaching, or illegal construction. Orthomosaics, created from these images, offer a detailed and accurate representation of the park's terrain, aiding in long-term monitoring and change detection.
Flying Labs project objectives
- Generate actionable insights from photogrammetric products such as orthomosaics, digital surface models (DSM), and point clouds
- Raise community awareness about the importance of forest preservation and the transformative role of drone technology in conservation efforts
Project scope
- Executing drone flights
- Processing images to generate photogrammetric products
- Analyzing the resulting data
- Organizing community engagement initiatives
- Keeping stakeholders informed at every project stage
- Documenting key activities to meet project objectives
These efforts enabled the project team to achieve their goals while strengthening relationships with stakeholders and community members.
Efficient drone mapping with PIX4Dmatic
The software offered easy installation on both Mac and Windows, with automatic GPU detection across all platforms. Flying Labs Brazil found its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface and straightforward processing options streamlined the workflow. The team mapped an area of 187 hectares (1.87 km²), capturing 2,800 images over four flights in two days. They generated both the point cloud and the orthomosaic, and the final report provided a clear summary of the processing time for each stage.
Teams can leverage PIX4Dmatic’s versatile capabilities for critical initiatives like those in the Atlantic Forest, where detailed insights are essential for safeguarding our natural heritage.
Brazil Flying Labs’ “Fight for the Forest” project is a prime example of this innovative approach. The Atlantic Forest is essential—it regulates our climate, protects water sources, and preserves unique biodiversity. Drone mapping and data analytics transform conservation by providing information that empowers decision-makers to safeguard the forest.
