Comparison · GIS drone mapping
SkyeBrowse vs Esri Drone2Map and Site Scan
The short answer
SkyeBrowse is the better fit for public safety units that need a measurable 3D scene from video in minutes and share it by link, with CJIS compliance and GeoTIFF and LAZ exports for the GIS team. Drone2Map fits GIS departments that process drone imagery inside ArcGIS with ground control.
Last checked October 13, 2026.
SkyeBrowse vs Esri Drone2Map and Site Scan at a glance
| Category | SkyeBrowse | Esri Drone2Map and Site Scan |
|---|---|---|
| What you capture | One continuous video (MP4, MOV, INSV, or OSV) from any drone, phone, 360 camera, or body worn camera. Photos attach to a model as annotations. | Processes imagery from nearly all drones, collected with ArcGIS Flight or any third-party drone data collection app. ArcGIS Flight is a mobile app that can capture geospatial video. Source: ArcGIS Drone2Map overview |
| Where it runs | 100% cloud, in the browser at app.skyebrowse.com. The SkyeBrowse Flight App automates Orbit and WideBrowse grid flights on supported DJI and Autel drones. | ArcGIS Drone2Map is a desktop app. Source: ArcGIS Drone2Map overview Site Scan for ArcGIS is cloud-based drone mapping and analytics with fleet management. Source: ArcGIS Flight overview |
| Accuracy and ground control | 0.1 inch on Public Safety & Enterprise, survey-grade and court-admissible without ground control points. 0.5 inch on Commercial and Pro models with 8K processing. | The Drone2Map workflow includes adding ground control. Source: ArcGIS Drone2Map overview |
| Exports and integrations | LAZ, GLB, OBJ, USDZ, GeoTIFF, and CAD (DXF or GeoJSON) on Pro and Public Safety & Enterprise models. Axon Evidence.com integration on Public Safety & Enterprise. | Produces true orthos, 3D point clouds, and textured meshes. Source: ArcGIS Drone2Map overview |
Vendor pricing and features change often. Confirm current terms with Esri before you buy.
Who should pick which
Pick SkyeBrowse if
- Investigators and command staff need to open and measure the scene in a browser.
- You want survey-grade accuracy without setting ground control at an incident.
- You need CJIS compliance, chain of custody, and public safety tools.
Pick Esri Drone2Map and Site Scan if
- Your GIS team processes drone imagery inside ArcGIS as part of enterprise GIS work.
- You plan flights with ArcGIS Flight and publish results to ArcGIS.
Switching from Esri Drone2Map and Site Scan
SkyeBrowse fits next to ArcGIS. Export GeoTIFF orthomosaics, LAZ point clouds, and GeoJSON site plans from a SkyeBrowse model into your GIS.
- Create a free account at app.skyebrowse.com and use Universal Upload for any MP4, MOV, INSV, or OSV file you already have, including archived drone flights, phone video, and 360 footage.
- Upload the drone's GPS subtitle file (.SRT for DJI, .ASS for Autel) with the video to georeference the model. Video without GPS can be scaled with the Scale tool against a known measurement.
- Upload limits: 2GB per file on Freemium, up to 3 videos of 10GB each on Commercial and Pro, and up to 10 videos of 100GB each on Public Safety & Enterprise.
- SkyeBrowse builds models from video only, so photo-only datasets stay in the tool that made them. Existing meshes saved as GLB or STL can be imported as layers inside a SkyeBrowse model on Pro (3 layers) and Public Safety & Enterprise (5 layers).
- Keep your downstream software: export LAZ point clouds, GLB, OBJ, USDZ, GeoTIFF, and DXF or GeoJSON CAD files into GIS, CAD, and forensics tools. SkyeBrowse produces a DSM, so DTM ground classification still happens in third-party software on the exported LAZ.
- Agencies can apply for the Pilot Program, about two weeks of Public Safety & Enterprise access, to run real scenes side by side before buying. Eligible free accounts can process their first full Commercial model for $5.
Check your aircraft and controller on the supported drones list and see plan details on the pricing page.
Do still photos beat video for 3D mapping?
A common claim is that still photos always produce better 3D models than video. Here is what the validation behind SkyeBrowse videogrammetry shows.
- Photogrammetry uses hundreds or thousands of overlapping still photos. Capture is slower, processing takes hours or days, and survey-grade results usually depend on ground control points, a trained specialist, and post-processing.
- SkyeBrowse videogrammetry uses the frames of one continuous video. It delivers laser-scanner-level accuracy: in an independent QC study by AirBorne Works, SkyeBrowse video models came closest to Leica BLK360 laser-scan ground truth on 8 of 9 measurements, outperforming photo-based Pix4D Mapper and Leica BLK3D. Results are survey-grade and court-admissible without ground control points.
- Cloud processing runs about one minute per minute of video, so a scene flown at the incident can be measured before the road reopens.
Read the method and results in the independent accuracy study.
SkyeBrowse vs Esri Drone2Map and Site Scan FAQ
Can SkyeBrowse output go into ArcGIS?
SkyeBrowse exports LAZ, GLB, GeoTIFF, and CAD as DXF or GeoJSON on Pro and Public Safety & Enterprise models, formats compatible with GIS and CAD software. Georeferenced export modes are available when the model is georeferenced.
How do Drone2Map, Site Scan, and ArcGIS Flight fit together?
Esri describes ArcGIS Drone2Map as a desktop app, Site Scan for ArcGIS as cloud-based drone mapping and analytics with fleet management, and ArcGIS Flight as a mobile flight planning app that pairs with Site Scan (checked October 13, 2026).
Do still photos beat video for drone mapping accuracy?
No. In an independent QC study by AirBorne Works, SkyeBrowse video models came closest to Leica BLK360 laser-scan ground truth on 8 of 9 measurements, outperforming photo-based Pix4D Mapper and Leica BLK3D. SkyeBrowse reaches survey-grade, court-admissible results without ground control points. Photo-based workflows usually need ground control points, a specialist, and hours of processing to reach survey grade.
More comparisons
Map your first site today
Create a free account, upload one drone or phone video, and open a measurable 3D model in minutes. Agencies that need CJIS compliance and 0.1 inch accuracy can request a quote for Public Safety & Enterprise.
