What it is

The 2D Aerial Map (an orthomosaic) is a single seamless overhead image of your entire site, geometrically corrected so distances and areas are true — unlike a normal photo, where perspective distorts everything toward the edges. It's the flat, map-like view most people picture when they think "drone mapping," and it's where the practical measuring tools live.

When to use it

• Measuring distances (fence lines, driveways, setbacks) and areas (parcels, roofs, gravel pads).
• Marking up the site with notes and pins to point things out to your team.
• Comparing conditions across layers — standard color, plant health, elevation, and more.
• Printing a clean, to-scale site map for the field or a report.

How to open it

1. Open your project and (if needed) pick the flight date in the scan picker.
2. Click the 2D Map tab (the map icon) — usually the default landing view.
3. Pan by dragging; zoom with scroll or pinch. The map is oriented north-up.

Measuring

1. Open the measurement tools in the toolbar.
2. Choose Distance or Area.
3. Click point-to-point on the map. For distance, keep clicking to trace a path; for area, close the shape. Live totals appear as you go.
4. Use the toolbar to finish or cancel a measurement.
5. Export your measurements as GeoJSON, KML, KMZ, or CSV for use in other tools.

Adding notes

Switch to the annotate tool and click anywhere to drop a labeled note or marker. Your notes save to the project so your team sees them too, and you can filter between everyone's notes and just your own.

Switching layers

If your project includes extra data, the layer selector lets you switch between them — for example standard color (RGB), an elevation surface, thermal, or NDVI plant-health. A layer marked coming soon just hasn't been processed for that flight yet.

Tips

• Measurements are excellent for planning and estimating, but they aren't a substitute for a licensed land survey — exports carry that note automatically.
• Set your preferred units (feet vs. meters) once in the viewer settings and every tool follows.
• To see terrain shape and contour lines, open the elevation layer or read the companion guide on elevation and volumes.