idea Terrain following using client elevation data in ArcGIS Flight Ideas

Terrain following using client elevation data

GregoryEnglishAAAE — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 00:48:06 GMT

We would like to use Site Scan at our mining operations however Site Scan Flight currently only supports terrain following using the free ESRI elevation service. The ability to reference client or custom elevation data has become a minimum standard for flight planning applications, is supported by several competitor products and is limiting our adoption of Site Scan.

The ESRI elevation service is of varying quality, and in any case out of control of the pilot, so I would be cautious when using for any flight planning. It is good for context if you have nothing else available, but this wouldn't be accepted in a RPAS safety case.

At mining operations terrain is constantly changing so we need to reference an up to date elevation service. Maintaining a constant flying height AGL is critical for safe operation as well as photo scale/overlap and reducing ground control. Typical nadir terrain following operations are conducted at 100-120m AGL. High resolution and oblique terrain following missions are conducted at 50m AGL or lower. Operating from a mine lookout the remote pilot is often above the drone and so visually ensuring ground clearance whilst the drone is in flight can be challenging. The ability to flight plan based on accurate elevation data that has been quality assured by the client is essential.

Site Scan should be configurable to reference an ESRI elevation service from enterprise ArcGIS or AGOL. We can then configure this to be a bare earth DEM or DSM if there are above ground obstructions we wish to plan around.

Re: Terrain following using client elevation data

Dan_Wilkins — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 03:20:41 GMT

Excellent idea. With our Antarctic operations, we often work in areas where the standard elevation surface is not suitable.

Re: Terrain following using client elevation data - Status changed to: Under Consideration

NicoBonnafoux — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 20:47:38 GMT

Re: Terrain following using client elevation data

ChristopherRatcliff — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 16:50:22 GMT

100% agree with this idea. We're flying a landslide flight next week and having the ability to upload and terrain follow an updated DEM would be invaluable. I'm fairly certain the World Terrain Service is using data from 2009-2011 in our AOI. We have a more recent 2018 DEM that would be more practical.

Re: Terrain following using client elevation data

SalomonVielmaP — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 15:17:38 GMT

Excellent explanation from Gregory. There are currently several platforms that support client elevation models. It would be great if Site Scan had that functionality. The DEM should be uploaded from the Ipad to the cloud or locally. This application should not be missing in future updates.

Re: Terrain following using client elevation data

VassilisTrigkas1974 — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 10:07:48 GMT

Do you have any updates on the progress of this idea's implementation?

Re: Terrain following using client elevation data

AustenThum — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 18:19:45 GMT

Hi All,

Thanks for your patience.

Our ArcGIS Flight team is strongly considering working on supporting users custom elevation models for terrain following within ArcGIS Flight. We are currently working on the specifications for this capability.

We would love more information from our customer base who have reached out regarding custom elevation support. This will help us ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers who will take advantage of this feature, and that the feature will work as they expect.

We are looking for customers to provide information on their elevation data. Such as, how are customers storing their elevation data? What file formats do you need ArcGIS Flight to support? How is the elevation data being collected originally?

Please feel free to reach out with feedback through this thread or a DM. Thanks!

Re: Terrain following using client elevation data

oregonparksgis — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 23:01:48 GMT

This is a must, especially from ESRI.

We typically acquire elevation data from airborne lidar and utilize the derivative raster DEM data for analysis and reference. Data is served to customers using ArcGIS Server but we store the tiles as GeoTiff which would be the preferred format for sideloading to Flight.

The ability to have Flight deal with any datum transformation of the custom DEM rasters is preferred.

Re: Terrain following using client elevation data

JamesHead-Mears1 — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 02:28:26 GMT

Hi @AustenThum , I was wondering if there was any update on this feature request or if there is an ArcGIS Flight beta that does support user Web Elevation Layers?

I'm interested in using ArcGIS Flight for asset inspections but similar to other users are working in areas that the default elevation layers do not have the accuracy we are chasing.

Re: Terrain following using client elevation data

AustenThum — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 03:40:29 GMT

Hi @JamesHead-Mears1, thanks for reaching out. I am happy to say that custom elevation for terrain following missions will be supported in our next release, which should be available in May.

Re: Terrain following using client elevation data

JamesHead-Mears1 — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 04:19:46 GMT

That's great news. Thanks Austen.

Is a change log for the next release available?

Re: Terrain following using client elevation data

AustenThum — Wed, 20 May 2026 20:28:59 GMT

ArcGIS Flight 2026.1 is now available!

We’re excited to introduce the latest updates to ArcGIS Flight. Our 2026.1 release focused on helping you fly smarter, safer, and with greater confidence.

What’s new in 2026.1:

Custom elevation terrain following – Plan flights using your own high-resolution elevation data to improve safety, consistency, and data quality in dynamic environments.
View ArcGIS layers during flight – View your 2D and 3D GIS layers in real time for better situational awareness and in-flight decision-making.
Refreshed map experience – Enjoy a modernized user interface with improved usability and consistency across Esri mobile apps.

These enhancements make it easier to operate in complex environments, maintain accuracy, and stay connected to your GIS throughout the entire mission.

Check out the full details of our 2026.1 release in our What's New Blog. Share your feedback below on our Esri Community page, we’d love to hear how these updates improve your workflows!