But! Copilot may not be a one-size-fits-all solution. Different developers have different preferences, workflows, and needs. Recognizing this diversity, let’s explore alternative tools that offer similar code completion features (and more). 

Quick Intro to Useful Alternative Plugins to GitHub Copilot 

We’ll delve into three notable alternatives of GitHub Copilot: Tabnine, AWS Codewhisperer, and Bito.  

Before diving into the distinctive features of each tool, here’s a quick look at what each one brings to the table: 

Tabnine 

Tabnine was an early player in terms of code completion tools, and it provides a practical plugin compatible with your preferred code editor. It offers suggestions for whole lines of code and full-function completions across various languages, libraries, and frameworks. And it does so based on natural-language comments. 

One noteworthy aspect of Tabnine is its efficiency with minimal context compared to Copilot. It suggests code midline as you type, without waiting for one line to be finished before moving to the next.  

For teams and organizations, Tabnine offers the capability to host and train their own AI models. This feature facilitates collaborative autocompletion across IDEs, which enhances teamwork and contributes to code security. 

Beyond code completion, Tabnine tackles unit test support. Using advanced AI, it automatically generates unit tests for your code, a helpful feature for ensuring thorough testing and code stability, especially on larger projects. 

The interface is user-friendly, requiring minimal configuration. As you use it more, Tabnine adapts and tailors unit test suggestions to your coding style.  

AWS CodeWhisperer 

Amazon CodeWhisperer understands natural language comments in English and offers suggestions ranging from snippets to entire functions—up to 10–15 lines—in various IDEs. Similar to Tabnine, CodeWhisperer adapts to your coding style and ensures a personalized coding experience. It also extends its capabilities to the command line with inline documentation and AI-driven natural-language-to-code translation.  

For those leveraging AWS services, CodeWhisperer analyzes code in real time, with suggestions tailored to AWS APIs like Amazon EC2 and AWS Lambda and aligned with best practices for cloud-based projects. 

To ensure responsible coding, the tool introduces a reference tracker for open-source code. This feature flags suggestions resembling public code with detailed annotations for review. The goal here is to actively avoid biases in code suggestions. 

If you’re choosing between AWS CodeWhisperer and Tabnine, consider what you prioritize. Let’s say you value versatility and broad language support across various editors; then Tabnine is your pick. CodeWhisperer, on the other hand, is for those who focus on precision — the tool learns from in-house code and tailors suggestions to an organization’s practices. 

Bito 

Bito allows users to generate code in any language, create comprehensive test cases, and gain insights into selected code snippets with the Explain Code feature. For documentation, Bito offers a Comment Method tool, while the Improve Performance feature provides tips for enhancing code efficiency. Security concerns are addressed through the Check Security function, which lets you inquire about potential issues.  

What sets Bito apart from GitHub Copilot is its integration with Visual Studio Code — it leverages embeddings and a vector database to understand your local codebase. This ensures context-aware suggestions, a distinctive advantage over Copilot. 

Another noteworthy feature is the Generate Unit Test Shortcut:  

The shortcut allows developers to efficiently generate test cases for different code paths and scenarios. This ensures comprehensive testing coverage and reduces the risk of undetected bugs.  

The consistent testing standards promoted by Bito foster collaboration and codebase maintainability within development teams, as all members can adhere to the same testing practices.  

On Ethics for AI Code Completion Plugins in Software Development 

Respecting intellectual property rights and privacy is crucial for ethical software development, fostering trust in the industry.

Developers using code completion tools like Tabnine, Bito, etc. should: 

• ensure that sensitive or confidential data is not intentionally or unintentionally exposed, 
• be mindful not to breach non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), 
• seek explicit consent from clients or stakeholders before employing coding assistant tools in projects involving their codebases. 

On the level of software development organizations, it’s a best practice to regulate AI tools usage in processes. Many responsible engineering companies already create and implement AI tools usage policies for employees on how to be safe and secure when using generative AI, especially when it involves the sharing of potentially sensitive company and customer information. 

Summing Up

The implementation of AI assistants like Tabnine, AWS CodeWhisperer, and Bito has resulted in tangible time savings and enhanced productivity. And we have the numbers to back this up. 

In just two weeks, Tabnine contributed to a nearly 13-hour timesaving for an Intetics engineer. That month, 27% of that engineer’s code was produced by the tool.  

With AWS CodeWhisperer, the official figures claim a 57% acceleration in developer productivity and a 27% increase in the likelihood of project success.  

As for Bito, the subjective experience reveals improvements in speed, particularly in implementing new features. The initial estimate suggested a potential 27% code contribution, but real-world results prove a more conservative productivity boost of 10-20%. Also, Bito offers remarkable efficiency, potentially saving up to 80% of time spent on writing unit tests.  

To wrap it up, embrace the tools that empower you to code better and faster. 

Featured materials: 

• ChatGPT for Software Developers: Better Code, Increased Productivity, and Premier Product Quality [With Examples of Prompts]
• Why GitHub Copilot Is the Ultimate Game-Changer for Software Developers
• AI-Augmented Project Management: 15 Ways to Automate Time-Consuming Tasks with ChatGPT [+12 Other AI Assistants]

The post Alternatives to GitHub Copilot: Tabnine, AWS CodeWhisperer, and Bito to Increase Developers’ Productivity by 20% appeared first on Intetics.

While more land surveyors are starting to grasp the benefits of this type of data collection, they are facing a need to understand photogrammetry.

Fortunately, it is unnecessary to immerse yourself in this science, as there are ready-made solutions available. Let’s take a closer look at them in this article.

Three Ways of Processing Drone Data

Surveyors have learned that employing drones allows them to accomplish more with fewer resources. But some problems remain with drone images, as their processing requires time and expertise.

Currently, there are three options for drone data processing: cloud-based automated processing, self-processing, and expert remote data processing.

1. Cloud-Based Automated Processing

Cloud-based processing is the most straightforward and most affordable option. The pre-uploaded photos are automatically processed on a server, after which you get a standard output: 3D point clouds, digital terrain models (DTMs), etc.

Enterprises like Propeller, DroneDeploy, and dozens of others on the market popularize this processing method and help companies deliver these kinds of ready-made solutions.

Automated processing is worth considering if the low cost per project, speed, and simplicity are critical to you. But here come the limitations.

The fully automated nature won’t help reach the desired level of customization and accuracy, which is crucial for many industries. There is a chance that your specific needs won’t be met with automated processing alone.

If your project requires high reliability and accuracy, then cloud-based processing might not be the best option for you. It makes sense to consider others. Let’s touch upon them below.

2. Local or Self-Processing

In some cases, companies cannot share the information they collect. There are several reasons for this: either the drone data is confidential and cannot be disclosed to third parties, or it is physically impossible to share from remote locations without Internet access.

There is nothing to do but use local or drone data self-processing. It requires specialized hardware with licensed desktop photogrammetry applications installed. Some famous drone mapping software examples are Pix4D, SimActive, Agisoft PhotoScan, and others.

This method of processing is the most complicated. The only advantage is total control of the entire process. Providing your data processing team consists of true experts, another benefit is accurate results. But there are far more drawbacks. First, it is not always cost-efficient. Expensive equipment and software, as well as the high cost of an experienced in-house GIS specialist, will result in a considerable spike in your project’s budget.

What if your project does not assume trade-offs between quality and cost-efficiency? Then there is a third option — expert processing for drone surveying.

3. Expert Remote Drone Data Processing

This option resembles cloud-based processing; the difference is that your data is processed not by a machine but by a team of experts. Given that, it has the lowest chance of mistakes and a guarantee of reliable and quality outputs. The possibility of human error is always there. However, expert processing is much more reliable than cloud-based processing and far more cost-efficient than self-processing.

Expert remote processing may become your best match if you are looking for the highest accuracy and flexibility, critical to many geospatial sector sub-industries, including construction monitoring, agriculture, land surveying, urban planning, mining, etc. It is often sufficient to choose automated processing in areas like safety monitoring or roof surveying.

High Accuracy and Time Efficiency Reached with Intetics’ Drone Data Remote Processing Solution

Processing takes three times longer than the survey itself. Then why not keep the focus on surveying and transfer the data processing to a third party so that your clients could get more than just drone videos or images?

Let’s turn to some figures. You can cut 30% of your costs by outsourcing drone data processing. With Intetics, you can also save 75% of your time, allocating it effectively to strategic focus areas like sales, marketing, and data collection.

How do we help with the remote processing of your geodata?

You get a scalable team that is responsible for image processing. And here are the examples of processing and analysis outputs:

• Digital Surface Models (DSM) and Digital Terrain Models (DTM) Extraction

• LiDAR data processing and analysis

• Vectorization and development of topographical plans

Whether you lack time for self-processing or want to keep your focus on UAV surveying, Intetics can help with data processing and analysis. Participate in more significant projects while providing the same quality service to your customers along with our GIS specialists in action.

Stay focused on surveying while we take care of everything behind the image. Try a demo project today. And feel free to address any questions regarding your project.

FAQ

How Do Drones Collect Data?

During a survey, drones collect aerial data with downward-facing sensors like multispectral cameras, RGB, or LiDAR sensors. The ground is shot numerous times from various angles with one of the cameras as mentioned above options, and each image is labeled with coordinates.

What Is Drone Image Processing?

Drone image processing involves extracting valuable geospatial data generation using multiple methods like Orthophoto, Aerial Triangulation, DSM, DTM, 3D Mesh Model and Contour, etc., backed up by various software and hardware tools.

What Type of Data Can Be Collected from Drones?

Remote sensing used in UAVs gathers vast amounts of detailed, close-up photos and video data, even in hard-to-reach and dangerous locations. Drone data collection is slightly more cost-efficient and accurate than satellite- or airplane-acquired imagery.

What Is Drone Mapping Software?

Drone mapping software also referred to as photogrammetry software, are desktop or cloud-based applications served to help beginners and advanced users to analyze drone imagery. Some of the presented in the market are Drone Deploy, SimActive, Pic4D, Maps Made Easy, Propeller, etc.

Useful Links

Download the New Drone White Paper:

• The Ultimate UAV (Drones) Technologies Overview by Tech Geeks

Related Materials:

• How Agricultural Holdings and Farmers Can Use Drones for Precision Agriculture
• How to Build More Cost-Efficiently and Safely with Drones
• Remote processing of drone data

The post Turn Your UAV Surveying into Actionable Insights for Your Clients with Intetics’ Expert Remote Drone Data Processing Solution appeared first on Intetics.