FAQ
What file formats does DroneDB support?
DroneDB supports a wide range of geospatial file formats:
| Category | Formats |
|---|---|
| Images | JPG, JPEG, DNG, TIF, TIFF, PNG, GIF, WEBP |
| Videos | MP4, MOV, WEBM, M4V, AVI, MKV |
| Point Clouds | LAS, LAZ, E57, PTS, XYZ, PLY* |
| 3D Models | OBJ, GLTF, GLB, PLY* |
| Vector Data | GeoJSON, DXF, DWG, SHP, SHZ, FGB, TopoJSON, KML, KMZ, GPKG |
| Rasters | GeoTIFF (orthophotos, DEMs) |
| Other | Markdown (README.md), PDF |
*PLY files are automatically classified as point clouds or 3D models based on their content.
What is the difference between DroneDB CLI and Registry?
DroneDB CLI (ddb) is a command-line tool for local data management. It's ideal for:
- Indexing and organizing files on your local drives
- Checking data quality after a drone flight
- Building tiles, thumbnails, and derivative products
- Power users and automated workflows
Registry is a web-based platform for hosting and sharing datasets. It's ideal for:
- Collaboration with team members
- Sharing data with clients
- Self-hosting your own data infrastructure
- Public data distribution with STAC compliance
What is STAC and why should I care?
STAC (SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog) is an open standard for describing geospatial data. Registry implements STAC to:
- Make your public datasets discoverable
- Enable interoperability with other geospatial tools
- Provide standardized metadata for your assets
How do I make a dataset public?
You can change dataset visibility in several ways:
Via Web UI:
- Go to your dataset
- Open settings
- Change visibility to "Public"
Via CLI:
ddb chattr +public
Can I self-host Registry?
Yes! Registry is open source and can be self-hosted using Docker or natively. See the Registry documentation for detailed instructions.
What happened to DroneDB Desktop?
DroneDB Desktop (the standalone Windows application) has been deprecated. All functionality has been moved to the web-based Registry/Hub platform, which provides a richer feature set and works on any operating system with a browser.
What databases does Registry support?
Registry supports:
- SQLite (default, for development and small deployments)
- MySQL/MariaDB (recommended for production)
- Microsoft SQL Server (no automatic migrations)
How do I get commercial support?
Commercial support is available. Get in touch.