Integrations

CalTopo drone integration

Your drone, its photos and what it finds, on the same CalTopo map as the rest of your team, while it is still flying.

Most teams already run their searches in CalTopo. Eagle Eyes connects the drone to that map instead of adding another one, so search managers see where the drone is and what it has seen without anyone reading coordinates over the radio.

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From the drone controller: Eagle Eyes Pilot

Live drone tracking. The drone's position and track go onto your CalTopo map in real time
Photo points in flight. Full-resolution photos land on the map as they are taken, not after the card is pulled
Fly with the map. In Piloting Mode, the pilot sees the assigned search areas and the rest of the team on the controller
Livestream as a clickable link in CalTopo. Anyone on the map clicks the drone, selects the livestream option, and the stream opens in a new browser tab
Free in Companion Mode. Live tracking and photo points run in the background while you fly in DJI Pilot 2 or DJI Fly, at no cost

On the computer: Eagle Eyes Mirada

Syncs both ways: detections, bookmarks and drone tracks go out to the team map, and CalTopo search areas, photo points and live locations come back in
Track several drones against your CalTopo search areas and assign drones to areas
See ground personnel through CalTopo's shared locations
Connect once and Mirada stays linked, so nobody signs in again on every callout

Getting set up

Install Eagle Eyes Pilot on your drone controller (setup guide)
Connect to CalTopo: sign in from the controller (quick, temporary), or set up a CalTopo service account once for the whole team (permanent, needs CalTopo Teams). The FAQ walks through both
Fly. The drone and its photo points appear on the map

Check which drones and controllers are supported on the compatibility page.

Free tools for CalTopo users

CalTopo GeoJSON fixer: makes CalTopo exports import cleanly into QGIS and other GIS programs
Drone airspace map: live Canadian and FAA airspace, NOTAMs and ADS-B aircraft

Common questions

How do I get my drone to show up on my CalTopo map?

Install Eagle Eyes Pilot on the drone controller and connect it to your team's CalTopo account and map. While the drone flies, its live position and track go onto the CalTopo map, so anyone with access to the map sees where it is. This works in free Companion Mode, alongside DJI Pilot 2 or DJI Fly, and in full Piloting Mode.

Can I live track a DJI drone in CalTopo for free?

Yes. Companion Mode in Eagle Eyes Pilot is free for everyone. It runs in the background on the drone controller while you fly in DJI Pilot 2 or DJI Fly, and gives free live drone location tracking to CalTopo and free in-flight photo points to CalTopo.

How do I get drone photos into CalTopo during a flight?

Eagle Eyes Pilot drops full-resolution photo points straight onto the team's CalTopo map while the drone is still in the air, so search managers can see them without waiting for the pilot to land and download the card.

Does Eagle Eyes Mirada work with CalTopo?

Yes, in both directions. Mirada pushes detections, bookmarks and drone tracks out to the team's CalTopo map, and pulls CalTopo search areas, photo points and live locations back in. Connect once and Mirada stays linked, so nobody signs in again on every callout.

Can people watch the drone's livestream from CalTopo?

Yes. The livestream is a clickable link on the drone in CalTopo: click the drone on the map, select the livestream option, and it opens in a new browser tab. Viewers need no account.

Do I need a CalTopo Teams account?

No. There are two ways to connect. Anyone with a CalTopo account can sign in from the controller with a browser login, which is quick but temporary, so you may need to sign in again later. A CalTopo service account is a permanent login for the whole team, set up once by an admin, and it requires CalTopo Teams.