When using a drone it is important to be constantly aware of its position relative to the operator and surrounding obstacles. I will show you how to use the Map and the Radar in the DJI Mini 4 Pro and in the Air 3, as well as the new Vision Assist, a very useful new safety feature
You can check the prices for the different configurations of the Mini 4 Pro and the Air 3 (commission earned)
Other related articles you may find interesting:
- Mini 4 Pro and Air 3, Camera settings for video
- Mini 4 Pro video quality
- Mini 4 Pro Obstacle avoidance
- Air 3 video quality
- Air 3 telephoto lens
If you prefer to watch this as a video, you will find my YouTube version at the end of this article
The Map
The map keeps track of the drone’s position relative to the home point and the remote controller
On the lower left part of the screen, there is a small yellow-green square. By tapping on it we access the map with three icons:
- A blue arrow-shaped icon representing the drone
- A large circle with an H in the middle for the Home Point
- A smaller circle for the remote controller
By tapping on the map it gets to full-screen dimension, and the camera view takes the place of the map, their position is swapped
In the Mini 4 Pro and Air 3, in the camera view there is a new icon with a yellow H representing the direction of the Home Point, it is still visible when the camera view is smaller on the lower left of the screen. This new icon is another useful tool for keeping track of the operator’s position
While flying the arrow representing the aircraft points in the same direction as the camera, a blue line keeps track of the route traveled
A straight red line connects the drone to the Home Point, very handy for bringing the aircraft back home, by turning the arrow toward the Home Point and advancing in that direction
When the map is at full screen, five icons are on the right side:
- The one at the top shows any restriction or authorization zones in the area if an Internet connection is available
- The second one goes back to the default mode
- The third icon places either the drone or the Home Point at the center of the map and the blue line disappears
- With the fourth icon, the map has North at the top and the Home Point in the middle
- The last icon toggles to the other map views, including the satellite one
To go back to the normal view with the map in the lower left corner and the view from the camera on the screen, simply tap on the small rectangle in the lower left corner
When the aircraft is far away, the drone, the Home point, and the remote controller may not be included in the small map, but the minus icon at the top right toggles to a zoomed-in view including the three items
Before taking off, the best practice is to wait for a dozen satellites to be connected so that the Home point will be very close to the remote controller and the operator. This helps controlling the aircraft’s position and makes it easier to bring the drone back home
If we fly immediately away, the Home Point will be at some distance from the remote control making it harder to keep track of the distance from the operator. So I suggest always waiting for the home point to be updated before flying away from the starting point
Things are different when the operator is moving during the flight, hiking, driving , or on a boat. I have covered this situation in my article about Return to Home with the Mini 4 Pro and Air 3
Access to the Maps
If an internet connection is available, the map shows buildings and landmarks of the surrounding area
A connection is rarely available with the RC 2 controller. Without connection, the map will only show the position of the remote control, the Home Point, and the aircraft
Downloading the Maps
There are two ways to access the full maps: it is possible to download the maps of the area at home with Internet connection
There is no need to connect the drone. Simply turn on the RC controller. On DJI Fly app tap on Profile and then on the next page select Offline Maps
We are presented with a map of the world. We can zoom into the desired area, a small window at the bottom specifies the size of the map, and we can tap on the icon to the right to download it
We are then asked to give a name to the map, after tapping on yes the download starts and we can see the progress
By choosing Downloads at the top we get the list of the downloaded maps, we can access, rename, or delete any of them
Set Up a Hot Spot
An alternative is to set up a mobile phone or a tablet as a hotspot to get an internet connection
Switch on the mobile device, turn on the RC controller, and swipe down twice to access the menu
On the top right through the gear icon we access a menu of settings where we can choose an internet connection, the one of the smartphone or tablet should be available
Radar view
The radar view is an alternative way to keep track of the position of the drone relative to the home point and the remote controller
It has two main advantages: it works without an internet connection and maintains the drone, the controller, and the home point on the map regardless of the distance
To access the radar from the map view tap on the small icon on the lower right
In the default mode, the remote controller is in the middle and the HP and the aircraft are at their relative positions
If we rotate the controller we can have it facing the North or any other direction. If we rotate it until the aircraft is at the top of the screen we are facing the drone, the position that yields the best signal transmission
If the drone moves sideways, its position will be reflected on the map, but if it moves further away it will always remain inside the circle
If we rotate the nose of the aircraft, the direction will be shown by the blue arrow, it is, therefore, easy to bring the drone back toward the operator: simply turn it toward the controller and advance in that direction
The lower half of the radar map has a slightly different color from the top half. When the drone advances and changes direction or in case of medium to strong wind, the lower part tilts reflecting the pitch of the aircraft. It is a good way to gauge the strength of the wind
When the drone is tilted upward, maybe because of flying into the wind, the greenish lower part of the radar map moves further up in the circle, the opposite when the drone tilts down
It is possible to have a different perspective of the radar map by tapping on the white icon at the top left of the radar map
The drone is now at the center of the screen. Some users might find this useful, but I prefer to have the controller at the center
Vision Assist
Vision Assist is a major safety feature added to the Mini 4 Pro and Air 3 by firmware update
The icon on the lower right corner cycles through three different views:
- Map View
- Radar View
- Vision Assist
This feature employs the sensors of the obstacle detection system to provide a black-and-white view of the direction the drone is flying, regardless of the camera’s orientation
This is useful when flying laterally or backward with the camera facing forward, as we get a real-time view of the path of the aircraft with any obstacles on the way. The same applies to top-down shots with the camera facing the ground while advancing, going backward, or moving sideways
The two models have omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, but I prefer to keep it as a last resort tool, so the ability to check the view of the flight direction is a welcome additional safety feature
When flying at high speed in Sport mode, obstacle detection is not available, Vision Assist is in this case crucial to prevent accidents
By clicking on the icon on the top right corner we get Vision Assist view in full-screen. There are four arrows at the top, bottom, left, and right to get a temporary view in one of the four directions, after a few seconds, the view returns to the direction of flight
It is possible to lock one of the four directions by clicking and holding on the arrow for three seconds
In the center of the screen. when the drone is hovering a yellow dot is at the center of the screen; when the aircraft moves, it turns into a segment showing the flight direction, its length indicating the speed