Geofences

Geofences enforce where the drone may not fly. You might set up a geofence for areas of high RF interference, restricted airspace around a property or building, and so on. Depending on how they are configured, they can entirely restrict access to the drone, or simply limit the drone to a maximum and/or minimum altitude within the specified area.

Geofences can also affect the drone's path back to its launch site, and as such, they will have a "shadow" opposite the launch site. This shadow limits the drone's range and can, in some cases, restrict its access, even though it is not actually within the specified geofence. 

Complete the following steps to create a new geofence:

1. From the left taskbar, click the Geofences button.
2. Click Add Geofence.
   
   
   
3. Click a point on the map to start drawing the geofence area. Click along the map to add points to the polygon that defines the geofence, and double-click to complete drawing.
   - You can further adjust the shape by clicking the dots along the perimeter to reshape or add more points.
   - A geofence should not be drawn tightly around the area you want to restrict. Add an additional buffer zone of approximately 30 ft around the area.
4. When you are done with the area, click Next.
5. Provide a Name, Description, Geofence Ceiling, and Geofence Floor for the area, and toggle the geofence as active or inactive as appropriate.
6. Click Save when you are finished. The new geofence will appear on the map.

Geofence Behavior DJI Docked Drones  

DJI Docked Drones (Dock 1, 2, and 3) will behave differently from all other docks and non-docked aircraft.  Once a Geofence has been established, the DJI Dock will sync it into its system via DJI's geofence settings.  This will change the Geofence behavior in the following ways: 

• Docks now treat geofences as full vertical barriers — ceilings and floors are no longer supported.
• Geofences are stored directly on the drone, enabling enforcement even if disconnected from the server.
• Dock geofence colors no longer vary with altitude.

   

4/10/2025 Note: Customers must manually sync geofences to each dock after this release. Sync is also required when adding new geofences or making edits to geofences. Users will receive the following warning when making new geofences or editing existing ones.  The changes will not be enforced until the Geofence has been synced. 

Syncing Geofences

DJI Docked Drones will follow the abovementioned process to establish the Geofences on the DroneSense Remote Platform.  To enact these geofences, the user must open the Dock Maintenance window.

1. The remote maintenance window has a new “Sync Geofences” button. 
2. It is visible when the dock is NOT in maintenance mode.

It will show the timestamp of the last time the sync was done.  Once they click Sync Geofences, they will receive the message below.

• It will show the timestamp of the last time the sync was done. The timestamp will only work in the browser for the RO or the person who synced the geofences, not anyone in the system at this time.
• If a Pilot launches to a point beyond a Geofence, they have two options. 
  • Launch in Take Off Only mode, then place a Go-To beyond the Geofence. The drone will then use Smart Waypoints to fly around the Geofences to the programmed destination. 
  • Adjust the autonomous flight path to go around the Geofence before launching. 
  • Drones now automatically fly around geofences when using Go-To or New CFS waypoints, and when returning home.

(Image: User activated RTH; the drone shown is utilizing Smart Waypoints to fly around the Geofence and return to the Dock.)

Geofence Behavior All Other Drones

Once the Geofence has been established, it will be enforced to prevent drones from entering the Geofenced area.  A drone can enter an area where a Geofence has been established under two conditions.

1. The drone climbs above the ceiling set for the Geofence. When the drone climbs above the set geofence ceiling, the Geofence will change from Red to Green and allow the drone to transit through the Geofence. 
2. The Remote Pilot in Command can click Declare Emergency.
3. Once the RPIC has clicked Declare Emergency, all Geofences are removed and the drone will be able to transit the Geofenced area until the emergency has been cancelled.