WHat is Esri's plan for the potentially forthcoming DJI ban regarding Site Scan and Drone compatibility?

AndrewGibbs1

We currently use a Mavic 3e and Site Scan and while it functions flawlessly for our needs, there are folks in the company nervous about the DJI set to likely go into effect Dec 23 2025. With that in mind, does ESRI plan to expand compatibility to other brands than just Freefly? Ive seen chatter about Skydio and Wingtra being added to the mix, but I dont see them officially listed on the Site Scan requirements page. 

Granted, I doubt DJI will be banned outright-ultimately grounding all DJI drones, but in the event that it does come to that, it would be nice to have some semblance of an idea what drones we will be left with as far as choices go. 

NicoBonnafoux

Hi @AndrewGibbs1 

Site Scan supports RGB images from virtually any drone, including Freefly, Skydio and Wingtra drones, as long as they are georeferenced. It also support thermal images in standard .rjpg format (e.g . from FLIR sensors or older DJI thermal sensors) and multispectral images. 

ArcGIS Flight on the other hand does have a specific list of supported drones to plan and perform automated capture missions. At this time, we do not expect a ban of existing DJI drones in the US, but it is likely that no new DJI drone models will receive FCC certification required to be sold and operated in the US. 
We're monitoring feedback from our users and partners on what drone platforms they are opting for in lieu of DJI. Many are using Freefly aircraft (Astro and Astro Max are supported in ArcGIS Flight today) or Skydio (integration between Skydio Cloud and Site Scan to automate data processing is available) for quadcopters, and Wingtra or Quantum Systems for fixed-wing drones. 
Please propose or vote for specific drone support on the ArcGIS Flight Ideas board so we can prioritize drones you are using and work with the drone manufacturers to ensure they offer what we need in terms of SDKs to support their drones.