The founder's story

Why I built GIJA MAPS

A personal account of SDU, open source, serious drone workflows and why pay-per-job processing can be the right model for routine and seasonal mapping.

By Lars Lindved

In brief

I did not build GIJA MAPS because established professional tools fail. They often perform very well, and they have their place. I built it because I kept seeing a gap between what the technology could do and the economics of getting a routine job processed.

My professional work has included hands-on R&D with drone systems, satellite data and jet aircraft systems. I understand why advanced systems can require serious investment. What surprised me was not that technology costs money. It was how expensive routine photogrammetry processing had become for the pilots who depend on it.

GIJA MAPS is my attempt to make standard drone mapping a pay-per-job service with less commitment. It is a pragmatic option for routine and seasonal work, not the right answer for every specialist workflow.

It started with a bachelor project

My bachelor project at SDU compared open-source workflows with mature commercial tools. The purpose was not to declare a universal winner, but to understand what happened when imagery, software, hardware, quality and processing time had to work together.

It reinforced a pragmatic way of engineering: start with the goal, understand the requirements, and choose the tool that fits the job. An established professional tool can be exactly the right choice, especially when documentation, specialist functions or repeatability matter.

SDU UAS Center and SqM-Farm showed the other side

My work with the SDU UAS Center, especially around SqM-Farm, showed me the other end of the scale. The public project description presents a serious research and operational workflow with regular flights over agricultural fields, data from drones, robots and satellites, and a decision-support system for the farmer.

Alongside that, I worked hands-on with Drone Fyn monitoring the light rail in Odense.

In that kind of setup, the UAV investment alone can be around €25,000 before sensors, software, people and operations are included. When a workflow must run across an entire growing season, connect to field operations and turn data into decisions, that investment can be entirely justified. Scale and requirements should determine the tool.

Read SDU UAS Center’s public SqM-Farm page

See coverage of Drone Fyn and the Odense light rail at Dagens Byggeri

The CEO of Plan2Fly described the economics of one workflow

Between the bachelor project in 2020 and the Christmas tree work in spring 2025 I spent the time on R&D and academia mainly within software development for satellite SAR data processing and did not follow how the price of cloud-based UAV photogrammetry had risen sharply.

During the Christmas tree project in spring 2025 the CEO of Plan2Fly described what the new normal looked like: a concrete workflow with a limit of around 4,000 images, monthly subscription costs and an additional several hundred euros for an agricultural orthophoto of around 2,000 images.

The alternative was a powerful workstation with software the operator buys, runs and maintains. Both models can be sensible, the key is whether they fit the frequency, requirements and economics of the work.

As a reference, our list price for an orthophoto is €0.05 per image. 2,000 images therefore equals €100 with us. That is our list price, not a comparison and not a promise of the same output, time or total economics.

The Christmas tree work gave a valuable product lesson

The Christmas tree work in spring 2025 produced a useful tool chain and clear height maps for around 20,000 trees. For the farmer we worked with, the height map gave a very good overview that matched exactly his own intuitive knowledge of the height distribution from many years of farming.

It was visually convincing, but not financially viable at the delivered price. To make it reasonable would have required drastic changes, such as the farmer acquiring a UAV and flying himself, or accepting a less accurate height map at a lower cost.

From experience to product

That is why I built GIJA MAPS as a pay-per-job service. A pilot or smaller business should be able to obtain a standard orthophoto, DSM or 3D deliverable without first deciding to own and operate the entire processing stack.

There is no monthly subscription or monthly image allowance. That is less commitment, not a guarantee that every project will fit. Large datasets and specialist deliverables may require a specific assessment of imagery, output, processing time and capacity.

Where we fit, and where we do not

I see GIJA MAPS as a pragmatic, pay-per-job option for routine and seasonal mapping. The aim is to make professional drone processing easier to use when a fixed monthly solution is not needed.

GIJA MAPS often fits here

  • Routine mapping of land, buildings and infrastructure.
  • Seasonal work where the need changes through the year.
  • Drone pilots and consultants who want standard, GIS-ready results without operating the entire processing environment themselves.
  • Projects where pay-per-job processing and no monthly image allowance create a better connection between usage and cost.

Another solution may fit better here

Established professional tools have their place, and an owned workstation with software may be the right choice. That is especially true when a team needs full control, specialist functions, a fixed internal pipeline or highly repetitive large workflows.

  • Specialist analyses that require a specifically validated method or close control of every step.
  • Organisations that already have a well-functioning internal hardware and software pipeline.
  • Very large projects where the dataset, deliverables and schedule should be assessed before processing starts.

Frequently asked questions

Why did you build GIJA MAPS?

I built GIJA MAPS because I saw a gap between what drone photogrammetry can technically do and the economics of processing routine and seasonal work. Established professional tools often perform very well, but pay-per-job processing can be a better fit for some jobs.

Who is GIJA MAPS for?

GIJA MAPS is for drone pilots, consultants and smaller or seasonal teams that need standard orthophotos, elevation models or 3D results without owning and operating the entire processing stack. We are happy to assess whether it fits the specific project.

Does GIJA MAPS have a subscription or monthly image allowance?

No. GIJA MAPS has no monthly subscription or monthly image allowance. You pay per job based on the processing you choose. That does not mean every large or specialist project can start without an assessment.

Does GIJA MAPS replace every professional workflow?

No. Established professional tools and owned processing environments can be the right choice for specialist requirements, full control or highly repetitive workflows. GIJA MAPS is a pragmatic option when pay-per-job processing and less commitment fit better.

Can you process large projects?

Large projects may require a specific assessment of the dataset, image size, deliverables, processing time and capacity. There is no monthly image allowance, but we do not promise that every dataset can be processed without a prior assessment. Contact us before uploading a large or specialist dataset.

Sources and further reading

This story draws on my own experience and project records. The public links provide context for the SDU UAS Center, SqM-Farm, pumpkin counting, the Drone Fyn monitoring of the Odense light rail and the Christmas tree work. The economic example with the image limit and cost was described by the CEO of Plan2Fly during the 2025 Christmas tree project and covers one workflow, not a general market rule.

Should we assess your next job?

Start with your drone images, or contact us first if the project is large, specialist or depends on a specific deliverable.

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Why I built GIJA MAPS | GIJA MAPS