Code & tools
Drone Route Reporting
Comparing delivery routes means working through the same questions for each origin and destination: how far is the journey, how long might it take, and does the proposed flight fit the stated range and payload limits? I built this ArcGIS Pro toolbox to apply those calculations to an Excel route list and put the results into one map and report table.
- Input
- Excel route records
- Output
- Route layers and report table
- Tools
- ArcGIS Pro, ArcPy, Python, pandas, Google Maps API, Excel
Turning the route list into a comparison
The toolbox reads the workbook's sheet names into the interface and geocodes the route addresses. I use Google Directions for the driving geometry and create a direct line between each pair of endpoints for the flight comparison.
The tool estimates flight time from distance and assumed speeds, then checks distance and payload against the user's limits. Green flight lines pass those two checks and red lines fail them; driving routes appear in blue. The colour distinction makes it easier to review the route list alongside the report.
What the report can tell me
The output brings together distances, times, time differences and an emissions estimate based on driving distance and a fixed factor. It is a starting point for comparing route options, rather than a measured operational outcome. The emissions calculation does not include the drone's energy use.
The flight lines do not account for airspace, terrain, weather or battery reserves, so passing the range and payload checks is only an initial screen. Historical departure dates are also moved to an upcoming matching weekday for the directions request. I would keep those assumptions with the report so its numbers are read in context.