The platform

One record for every flight

DroneLink runs every job on one project record per site: the order, the estimate, each flight, every deliverable, the reviews and the invoice. Your team works from the same place instead of chasing email attachments and shared folders.

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Why a platform

Drone work creates a paper trail. Most of it gets lost.

A single drone job touches more people than most clients expect. A listing shoot involves the realtor, the seller, the stager, the photographer and the marketing team. A construction progress flight involves the owner, the builder, the site super, the engineer and sometimes the lender. Each of them needs something slightly different, and each of them keeps their own copy.

The usual result: files in three shared folders, a final version that is not final, feedback scattered across emails and texts, and an invoice nobody can match to the work. Six months later someone asks for the March flight and nobody knows which folder has it.

The DroneLink platform, part of the StudioLink system that also runs our sister studio BDM3d Studios, fixes that with one idea: every site gets one project record, and everything about that site lives on it. The order, the estimate, the flights, the files, the comments, the approvals and the invoices.

Drone work creates a paper trail. Most of it gets lost.: Illustration

Live and coming

What works today and what is on the way

Feature	Status	What it means for you
Order online from the service catalogue	Live	Pick the service, describe the site, get an estimate and book.
Estimates, orders, invoices and payment	Live	The paperwork sits on the same record as the work it pays for.
Project record per site	Live	Every flight and deliverable for that address, filed by date.
Deliverables by link	Live	One link your team can open, instead of a folder someone has to manage.
Review and approval with pinned comments	Live	Comment on the exact spot in a photo or frame, with version history.
Choosing the shots you want from a set	Live	Pick your selects from a proof set, like choosing camera views.
Mapping deliverables as standard files	Live	GeoTIFF, LAS/LAZ, OBJ, DXF and PDF reports that open in CAD and GIS.
Interactive site map viewer with measurements	Coming	Distance, area and elevation measured in the browser.
Stockpile volumes and cut/fill in the browser	Coming	Calculated in the viewer. Today these are delivered as reports and files.
Progress comparison between flights	Coming	Side-by-side dates in the browser. Today, compare delivered files in your own software.
Accuracy reports in the viewer	Coming	Checkpoint results shown next to the map.
Client portal with all sites and history	Coming	Every site you have ordered for, in one account view.
Operator network portal	Coming	Where vetted local operators receive and deliver assigned jobs.
Transport Canada compliance records for operators	Coming	Crew recency, aircraft records, site surveys, occurrence reports.

How a job runs

From order to invoice on one record

Order

Choose a service from the catalogue, give the address and tell us what the work is for. Upload what helps: a site plan, a listing sheet, a boundary, access notes. Read preparing a site for a flight before you book.

Estimate and confirmation

You get an estimate on the project record. We explain what drives it: site size, travel, airspace, number of deliverables and processing. Once you accept, the order is confirmed and scheduled.

Flight

On Vancouver Island, flights are flown by Elite Drone Solutions, a Transport Canada certified operator with Advanced-certified pilots. Elsewhere, tell us where; we confirm a certified local operator before you commit. Each flight is logged on the project with its date.

Review

Photos and video arrive as a proof set. You and your team comment on the image, choose selects and approve. See review and approve.

Deliverables

Final files are delivered by link on the same record: edited media, or mapping files and reports that open in your own software.

Invoice and payment

The invoice sits beside the work it covers. Your accounts team can see exactly which flight and which files they are paying for.

From order to invoice on one record: Illustration

What goes wrong

Problems the project record removes

Wrong version sent out

The listing goes live with the unretouched photo, or the lender gets last month's progress map.

How we handle itVersion history on every file, and approvals recorded on the record. →

Feedback everywhere

The seller texts, the agent emails, the marketing lead leaves a voicemail. Two notes contradict each other.

How we handle itComments pinned to the image, visible to everyone invited, in one thread. →

Unclear scope

The client thought twilight was included; the pilot did not.

How we handle itThe estimate and order list the deliverables, and the record shows what was delivered against them. →

History that disappears

The contractor who held the files leaves the project.

How we handle itThe owner keeps the project record, with every flight filed by date. →

Invoices that do not match work

Accounts cannot tell which flight an invoice covers.

How we handle itInvoices live on the same record as the flights and files. →

The people around the job

Who you invite, and why

Realtor and seller

They need from you: Photos and video they can approve quickly.
You need from them: Clear selects and one person with final say.
On the DroneLink record: Invite both to the proof set; the agent approves.

Builder and site super

They need from you: Progress captures on a schedule.
You need from them: Site access and a safety orientation.
On the DroneLink record: Recurring flights filed on one record per site.

Surveyor or engineer

They need from you: Files in standard formats, with method notes.
You need from them: Control, datum and their review.
On the DroneLink record: Mapping deliverables by link; see how drone mapping works.

Property manager or strata council

They need from you: Inspection records they can show owners and insurers.
You need from them: Access, notice to residents and approvals.
On the DroneLink record: Inspection reports kept by building, by date.

Accounts payable

They need from you: An invoice that matches the order.
You need from them: Their billing contact and PO numbers.
On the DroneLink record: Estimate, order and invoice on the same record.

On the record

What a project record holds

The site address, access notes, contacts and any site rules or orientation requirements.
The estimate, the accepted order and the list of deliverables it covers.
Each flight with its date, the service flown and the operator who flew it.
Proof sets, comments, selects, versions and approvals for photos and video.
Final media and mapping files, delivered by link, with processing notes and reports.
Invoices and payments, matched to the work.
The people invited to the project and what each of them can see.

Operators

The platform for drone operators is coming

The same record system is being built out for drone operators: quoting, scheduling, job records, invoicing and the compliance records Transport Canada expects operators to keep. The operator network portal and the compliance records are coming, not live. Operators can read more and register interest on platform for operators.

DroneLink is also preparing a licensed operator program for trained operators who want to run DroneLink services in their own territory, starting with exterior cleaning. That program is coming as well; see operators.

The platform for drone operators is coming: Illustration

Questions

How do I order drone photography or mapping online?

Choose the service from the DroneLink catalogue, enter the address and describe what the work is for. You get an estimate on your project record, and the job is scheduled once you accept it.

How will I receive my drone photos and files?

By link, on the project record for your site. Photos and video go through review first; mapping files arrive as GeoTIFF, LAS or LAZ, OBJ, DXF and PDF reports.

Can my whole team see the drone deliverables?

Yes. Invite the people who need access, such as your agent, builder, engineer or property manager, to the project record, and they see the same files and comments.

Can I comment directly on drone photos?

Yes. Review and approval with comments pinned to a spot on the image is live, with version history so you can see what changed.

Can I measure a drone map in the browser?

Not yet. The interactive site viewer with measurements, volumes and cut/fill is coming. Today, mapping files open in your CAD or GIS software.

Where do my old flights go?

Each flight is filed by date on the project record for that site, with its deliverables and reports. A client portal showing all of your sites together is coming.

Is DroneLink available outside Vancouver Island?

Tell us where. DroneLink takes the order and confirms a certified local operator before you commit. The operator network is being built.

Do I pay through the platform?

Yes. Estimates, orders, invoices and payment are live on the platform, on the same record as the work.

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