The latest step in 3D photography is Pix4D’s UAV hands-free imagery. In this video, Christoph Strecha, of Pix4D and École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, talks about the technology he helped create. Strecha is one of the experts that develop the process of using UAVs to take millions of photographs from hundreds of angles and then using the cloud and their proprietary software, convert those images to create the most detailed and most realistic 3D images of cities and other topographical targets ever made.

Besides making the coolest Google Maps ever, there are other uses for this new technology. Here, Strecha also talks about how the EPFL’s new process can help farmers by creating the most accurate maps and images of their growing fields, crop progress, and soil erosion ever possible. This can help identify problematic regions of soil drainage and identify insect problems, among other uses.

To find out more about cloud computing and Pix4D’s new UAV-assisted 2D to 3D imaging technology, read Ron Spann’s article “Cloud Technology and 3D Models/Aerial Photos Now in Grasp of Most Businesses.”