DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise Price
There are multiple options to choose from when building your DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise RTK package. Here is a summary of the various options and the cost of each.
The base DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise price is $3628 with Care Basic. Notably, this includes the DJI RC Pro controller with the built-in screen. It also includes a hard carrying case that fits up to seven batteries. See the product page for the full list of included items.
The same base package can be upgraded to include Care Basic for 2 years or Care Plus. The Mavic 3 Enterprise with Care Basic for 2-years costs $3788. The price of the Mavic 3 Enterprise with Care Plus is $3958.
If you want to add RTK capabilities, and already have a compatible base station or NTRIP network, you will just need to add the Mavic 3 Enterprise Series RTK Module to the price of any of the above packages. The price of the M3E with Care Basic and RTK Module is $4337.
If you also need a base station, the Emlid Reach RS2+ with pole tripod and rod, will complete the package. The price of the M3E with Care Basic, RTK Module, RS2+, pole tripod and rod (M3E RTK with Base) is $7414.
The other common add on is the Mavic 3 Enterpries Series Battery Kit at $659. This includes a battery charging hub and 3 batteries.
What's the difference between Care Basic and Care Plus?
The main differences between Care Basic vs Care Plus, are that Care Plus has unlimited replacements at no cost, while Care Basic has 2 Low Cost replacements, and that you can share coverage across other drones that also have Care Plus, while Care Basic does not share coverage. See the service plan details here.
When do you need RTK?
The short answer is; anytime that you need accurately scaled data. There are exceptions, but if you are plugging your imagery into a photogrammetry software such as Agisoft Metashape, Pix4D, or DroneDeploy, tagging your images with RTK precision is going to improve your workflow and end results.
If you are interested in horizontal accuracies of about a half inch and vertical accuracies under a tenth of a foot, then RTK tagged imagery is something worth looking into further. For those accuracies, using a non-RTK drone, we typically suggest placing Ground Control Points in a grid fashion with no greater separation than 500 feet between. Using RTK enabled drones we can reduce this to as little as 1 Ground Control Point per project, used in order to translate all the elevations. In some instances, such as stockpile measurements, or 2D drawings, you may not even need 1 GCP.
See our RTK accuracy tests here.
What is RTK/PPK?
RTK/PPK positioning is method used to achieve cm level precision with GNSS receivers. It requires one receiver that is stationary (base station) and one that is used to store positioning date (rover). On the M3E RTK the drone GNSS receiver is the rover. The base sends information to the rover and the rover calculated a new position with that added information.
If the rover does not have a base, the solutions status is Autonomous or sometimes referred to as Single. Accuracy with a Single solution is in the area of 5+ feet. If the rover is receiving information from the base station but they are not seeing enough strong signals of the like satellites, the rover will end up with a Float solution, with accuracies of 1+ feet. This may happen if the rover is brought under very dense tree canopy where satellite signals are blocked. If there are enough shared satellites in view, your rover will have a FIX solution, resulting in cm accuracy.
NTRIP or network RTK services have base stations throughout a region. These base stations broadcast information over the internet that your rover can use to get a FIX position. The other option is to use your own base station.
When can you use NTRIP as a base station?
Many states have free NTRIP services available. See our growing list of instructions on connecting to those networks. You may still want to use an NTRIP network even if there is a cost. The benefits are that you don't have to have your own base station, and you don't have to set up your own base. Setup is typically simple, but if you need global accuracy, your base will need a known point. That isn't too much trouble, but still requires extra work, compared to using an NTRIP service. NTRIP requires internet access, so if you are frequently on sites without cell coverage, it may not be the best solution.
What about PPK?
In most cases, you will want to run your own base station in order to process PPK. While you have access to a number of logs from base stations across the US, they are not densely distributed enough that you can guarantee a short enough baseline. In addition, many of these base stations track only GPS and GLONASS, or even just GPS. All this to say, without your own base, it is less a guarantee that you will leave the job site with the information needed to process cm level accurate image locations.
Some states have free VRS RINEX data. While VRS is imperfect, it is typically reliable enough for most jobs. The VRS data uses multiple base stations and creates a virtual base on the job site. This eliminates the issue of a long baseline. This would be more reliable than using the NGS available base station data as referenced previously.
Any receiver that can store RINEX observation data, can act as a base for PPK processing. This includes the Reach RS2+. In terms of PPK processing and RTK for that matter, having a base station on site is the best solution. It guarantees a short baseline without using VRS, and if you are using a newer receiver such as the RS2+, you will be storing all constellations, resulting in the best positioning.
When should you use your own base?
If you are planning on using PPK, and don't have the VRS RINEX option, then then having your own base is likely a necessity, for the reasons outlined above.
If there is no free NTRIP service available, and the cost of the available sources is too expensive, you will need to run your own base for RTK corrections.
If you run into situations where you want to run RTK in an area that does not have cell coverage, you will need to run your own base station. Cell coverage is a requirement for NTRIP services.
As mentioned previously, VRS is typically better than a single base station over a long baseline, but having a base on site is better than both cases. If you want to ensure the highest accuracies, using your own base is the most accurate solution.