Drone News & Articles

After a few minutes spent on the office computer entering flight and insecticide treatment plans, a click of the ‘start’ button on the autonomous crop management programme sets things in motion. The drone garage door swings open, there’s a rapid rise in the clearly audible buzz from a hundred propellers and a swarm of spraying drones heads off to work as a co-ordinated team to tackle aphids threatening the farmer’s crops.

Rapid pace of drone development

This may be an imaginary scenario for now, but given the rapid pace of drone development – and more especially the software to control them both individually and in packs – it is certainly not inconceivable for the near future.

Another 100 or so are understood to be operating in South Korea and the company recently started rolling out the technology in Australia and New Zealand, and also in the US where the Federal Aviation Authority permits Yamaha to conduct research and trial commercial services.

Brad Anderson, division manager of Yamaha Precision Agriculture, is confident small-scale helicopters have a role to play in situations such as areas of fields where manned aircraft are unable to operate because of power lines or adjoining sensitive crops. But of particular interest is the use of the mini helicopters to spray powdery mildew fungicides on narrow-spaced vines, such as in California and the Pacific north-west, which are often grown on hillsides and can otherwise only be treated on foot using backpack sprayers.

Crop treatments from individual drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are already widespread across Asia, while aviation and other relevant authorities elsewhere in the world are now allowing drones to be used for limited and specific trials and, in some cases, commercial operations in agriculture, horticulture, viticulture and forestry. Spraying for disease, weed and pest control, spreading microgranular pesticides and fertilisers – and even beneficial insects – as well as planting new forests are among the diverse uses now being found for drones

Replacing back-pack sprayers

For the most part, drones make sense where they can replace labour-intensive and potentially harmful use of backpack sprayers and similar equipment, in situations where terrain and/or ground conditions rule out the use of conventional or even specialist vehicles. In China, where government subsidies encourage the use of agricultural drones, market leader DJI Innovation Technology claims that more than 10,000 trained operators are now using the Agras MG-1 series 8-rotor spraying drones first introduced in 2015.

The company continues to develop the design with improved autonomous flight performance, such as terrain-hugging flying height control, and such is the growth of drone operator services working in agriculture that DJI forecasts annual sales of 45,000 units by 2020.

Tackling invasive plants

Spraying herbicide to control invasive plants in remote or difficult to access areas is another potential application – such as the programme undertaken by Great Lakes Council in Australia to control Bitou bush using a helicopter operated by Yamaha’s Key Aerial Services in the country.

‘If it does become possible to spray from drones, there will still be sufficient legislative hoops to go through’

In the UK, bracken growing on inaccessible hill sides in upland areas important for sheep production is the target for trials being conducted by a consortium of farm drone enthusiasts and other interested parties. They hope to gather evidence on this and other potential applications to convince aviation and pesticides authorities to allow spraying and spreading from drones.

“We’re making progress,” says Norfolk farmer Chris Eglington of agricultural drone services provider Crop Angel. “But I think if it does become possible to spray from drones, there will still be sufficient legislative hoops to go through that would limit field operations to qualified contractors.”

Pest control advances

Bracken control, forestry and other specialist applications apart, he sees potential in arable cropping agriculture primarily being spot spraying of weeds occurring in distinct patches – such as blackgrass – and precision targeting of insect pests, especially if drones can detect as well as treat pest threats autonomously. That is something researchers in Japan at Saga University and technology company OPTiM are working on – a drone that can locate pest insects and treat clusters with a targeted dose of insecticide.

The AgriDrone has reportedly been put through its paces on soy and potato crops and is designed primarily for use at night, utilising infrared and thermal cameras to locate and treat insects congregating in harmful numbers. An electric bug ‘zapper’ suspended beneath the drone is also being trialled as a pesticide-free treatment.

Dispensing pest-eating beneficial insects to field crops

Another environmentally-friendly approach being developed in Denmark, dispenses pest-eating beneficial insects to field crops. Søren Wiatr Borg of South Denmark University, one of the participating organisations in the research group, explains the rationale for the project. “The use of bio-control agents has predominantly been within high-value indoor production, where there is a controlled setting and a high-level of infrastructure,” he points out. “It has been difficult and far too expensive to use nature’s own pest control methods on large open areas – but using drones, it is now possible.”

Developing a broadcaster that can evenly distribute live beneficial insects such as ladybirds, predatory mites and parasitic wasps, has been a significant challenge, adds Anders Petersen of drone technology start-up Ecobotix. “Our spreading device is at the late prototype stage and we are testing it with selected customers, who typically are producers of high-value organic crops, or simply growers seeking to avoid the use of chemical insecticides.” A commercial introduction is anticipated this year for agricultural service providers permitted to operate drones for aerial application to combat pests in strawberries, fruits, vegetables and Christmas trees, and also in cereal crops.

Spreading seed and granules

A less sophisticated spreading solution has been devised by Australian drones retailer Rise Above. Take one Scotts hand-held grass seed and fertiliser spreader, replace the hand crank with an electric motor, fit a hopper extension and fix it to the underside of a drone with clamps. Rise Above lists the item for AU$ 1,250 (€ 780) alongside other custom payload solutions, such as the AU$ 1,249 (€ 779) BirdGard audio bird scarer for the AgStar agricultural drone.

Mosquito and invasive plant control, as well as seeding and similar applications are the target for a bespoke spreader solution from CFR Innovations. The 8-litre (2.11 gal) capacity UGS-1 battery-powered granule spreader weighs 1.1 kg empty and has remote control of the spinner with its twin outlet tubes. The Canadian company’s Johnny Guérin says the spreader is suspended in a way that minimises its impact on the drone’s flight stability; he plans larger versions than the first model.

Agronator 8-rotor drone

The potential for specialist spreading applications has also caught the attention of one of Europe’s leading tractor-operated fertiliser broadcaster manufacturers. Rauch, whose products are distributed under the Kuhn name outside Germany, has endorsed the Agronator 8-rotor drone project by developing a suspended spreader with 50-litre (3,051 cu in) hopper and Draco single-disc broadcasting mechanism with rate and width control system.

“A big advantage of our CultiCopter fertiliser and microgranule spreading drone is that irrespective of the terrain, it is possible to spread material with a high degree of precision and efficiency,” says Jens Hiller of Rauch.

The 8-rotor drone itself spans 4 m, weighs some 80kg (176 lb) and can carry up to 30kg small seeds, mineral fertiliser or pest control material such as slug pellets, although these statistics may change when the second-generation Agronator in development is revealed.

Tags: Drone Photography, Pesticide, Agriculture, Mite-spreading

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, have brought in new vitality to surveying and mapping. Drones bring in more accuracy and quality with cost and time efficiency. Using drones in surveying also eliminates the need for humans to physically access hard-to-reach and dangerous terrains. It would not be incorrect to say, drones make surveying and mapping more efficient, profitable, and safe.

Due to these benefits, drones are being increasingly used for commercial purposes and a sector that is seeing its increased use is the transportation engineering field. UAVs are used as a virtual surveying tool to collect aerial footage and create 3D maps. These maps assist in designing transportation infrastructure and reviewing current infrastructure. This method of creating a 3D model is less expensive and faster than other traditional surveying methods.

We get to witness the benefits first-hand as we explore a specific project where a company, specializing in ropeway engineering and transportation systems commissioned AAM India to conduct two topographical surveys of an area that stretched across Barasanka and Uperkaipadar. AAM utilised a drone to complete these surveys and provide ortho images, a topographical map with contour details as well as point cloud data. These surveys enabled a mining transportation system to be successfully designed and constructed and therefore paved the way for mining operations in the area to eventually begin.

What were the survey requirements?

For initiating mining operations in the area stretching across Barasanka and Uperkaipadar, a mining transportation system called the RopeCon system had to be built. In order to build this, the company needed two types of survey data.

Firstly, survey data for carrying out the engineering and design of the system. The final route and tower locations were defined with this survey. It included corridor width along the line 300 – 400 m (from centre line 150 – 200 m to the left and right side) and 2 m distance of contour lines. The relative accuracy to ground was 10 cm approximate.

Secondly, the project required survey data for planning the construction of the system. The foundation design and final construction details were to be defined with this survey. It included corridor width along the line 10 – 20 m (from centre line 5 – 10 m to the left and right side) and the area around tower locations, 30 – 40 m from centre point and 1 m distance of contour lines. The relative accuracy to ground was 10 cm approximate.

The Area of Interest so identified was as shown below.

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How did AAM plan the work?

The work started with GCP – Pre- Marking. The GCP was visible and painted with a white background and black foreground.

The UAV used by AAM for the survey was DJI Phantom 4 Pro (Rotary) with flying height of 200 to 250 feet (as per the regulation by DGCA). It produced JPG Images with GPS/IMU (EXIF).

Drone mission and flight planning 

For the whole survey, AAM planned for 23 flights based on the area, with a flexible schedule depending on the geographical area.

Output from the Drone Survey

The final topographical map data produced by the UAV included details of all features such as median, carriageway, paved shoulders, earthen shoulders, structures (bridges, culverts etc.), retaining structures edges/ offset & levels, anti-crash barriers, railings, drains; edges of the drains with invert & top levels, utilities, existing service roads, cross roads, cart tracks, electric and telephone installations (both O/H as well as underground), huts, buildings, wells, shops, fencing etc. falling within the extent of survey.

In the final drawing, AAM provided:

Height of the vegetation

Other obstacles that needed to be crossed

1 m and 2 m contour maps for two scopes

Utilities like electric line, high tension line, transformer and underground lines such as OFC, gas line, etc. along the proposed ROW were done mentioning its ownership, Dia/voltage and vertical clearance available above proposed road level

Existing drainage lines, top & invert level along with width & typical cross section details

All specified features were presented in the final drawings in accordance with the styles and layers specified. Survey points and features were annotated with text including feature name, elevation, plan position, point number, survey notes etc. AAM also submitted a survey report with the drawings.

The detailed survey data obtained through the drone survey led to the designing of a robust mining transportation system, which allowed mining to take place seamlessly in the area.

Tags: Surveying, Drone Photography, Mining

With his landmark book 'Earth From the Air' having sold over four million copies, Yann Arthus-Bertrand is perhaps most responsible for democratizing aerial photography, and making us aware of the beauty of the Earth from above. 

Now though, Arthus-Bertrand has opted to make the switch from using helicopters and hot air balloons (along with his Canon full-frame DSLR kit) to achieve his breathtaking shots to using drones – specifically the DJI Inspire 2 with a Zenmuse X7 camera.

The Zenmuse X7 camera is quite a step up from the cameras found on most entry-level drones, featuring a built-in gimbal and 24MP Super 35mm sensor (with physical dimensions larger than an APS-C sensor) with an impressive 14 stop dynamic range.

“The sensation of flying a camera while staying on the ground is a totally new and amazing experience for me,” said Yann Arthus-Bertrand. “We are able to shoot aerial images from a completely new perspective, and I am convinced that I will continue using drone technology for my work in the future.

Take a look at the video to see how Yann Arthus-Bertrand implemented the DJI Inspire 2 into his latest film project titled 'Woman'. “I wanted to be as flexible as possible when filming the environment and the women who will be the true heroes of the movie,“ he says of the project.

Tags: Aerial Cinematography, Drone Film

Researchers have used drones equipped with koala-seeking heat sensors to map the marsupials' population in Brisbane from 60 metres above the tree canopy.

The joint Queensland University of Technology-Brisbane City Council pilot study was in addition to a project in which koala-sniffing dogs and human field workers walked through bushland to identify where Brisbane's koalas could be found.

Sniffing dogs and field walkers identified “high koala activity” in bushland at Belmont, Burbank, Kuraby, Wishart, Bardon, Mt Coot-tha, McDowall, Anstead, Moggill, Alderley, Nathan and Mt Gravatt.

Researchers hoped drones could be a more cost-effective method of identification and mapping of koalas and other endangered species than walk-throughs of bushland.

QUT koala ecologist Grant Hamilton and his team have developed a way of using computer algorithms to read data from a heat-sensing camera flown by a drone.

“We are flying high-tech sensors using drones and we are taking the data that comes from the thermal imagery, which means it captures the heat from animals,” Dr Hamilton said.

New drone-supported technology is emerging which could make it faster and cheaper to map koalas.CREDIT:BRISBANE CITY COUNCIL

“We feed that thermal imagery into an artificial intelligence algorithm and we use those algorithms to automatically determine the kind of organisms are using that system, so it might be koalas or it might be kangaroos, for example.

“What we do when we fly over the area, we can count the number of koalas in the area.

“We are getting up to 100 per cent accuracy at the moment using this system.”

The algorithm identified everything that was “not a koala”, Dr Hamilton said, so only koalas showed up in the imagery.

Trials have been flown in bushland near Petrie, where the University of the Sunshine Coast Moreton Bay campus was being built.

“We have also flown in northern New South Wales and we hope to do some extra sites in Brisbane soon,” Dr Hamilton said.

The thermal imagery could cover about 20 hectares in about two hours.

“The aim here is to find a methodology to identify a system where we can help many species, not just one,” Dr Hamilton said.

He said better data was a conservationist's best friend.

“Realistically, the conservation budget is always limited, so if you can do the same job more cheaply that is great thing to do.

"If you can do it better – more cheaply – that is an even better outcome.”

Dr Hamilton said in certain environments the team - which included data scientist Evangeline Corcoran and artificial intelligence algorithm specialist Simon Denman – was getting 100 per cent accuracy.

“We are doing it much more cheaply and we are getting better results than humans are getting," he said.

He said it would take time – and extra research grants – before the research would be used by planning bureaucrats.

“It would be a couple of years away but our aim is to be able to go out with a drone to a particular site, get the data and either have it sent back directly or take the SIM card out of the drone once it comes back, insert it into the computer and get the answer within a half an hour, or an hour.”

Tags: Drone Photography, Conservation, Environment

Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), are being effectively deployed in many commercial applications across a swath of industries. The technology is being used in construction work, insurance inspections, agriculture and public safety.

“Regardless of the industry or type of work, it’s always better to work smarter, not harder,” says Clayton A. Harris, chief of police at Cuyahoga Community College and vice president and dean of its Public Safety Center of Excellence. “When technology enables greater efficiency with reduced costs and effort, it’s quickly and aggressively adopted.”

But before companies can use UAVs to help solve problems, they need to be able to identify operators who understand the rules governing drone flight.

Smart Business spoke with Harris about the commercial applications of UAVs, drone training and the regulations that direct their use.

Why are drones becoming more popular for commercial applications?

The pace of drone technology development has been fast. Drones went from being an interest of hobbyists to becoming so widely used that small-scale drones are as easy to operate as toys in the hands of general consumers.

In the commercial realm, drone use has grown exponentially. Not only has the cost of equipment come down, but it’s much easier to retrieve and interpret data collected through UAVs.

Because drone technology is so popular, UAV manufacturers are able to make greater investments in research, materials and development to deliver more advanced capabilities. Drones have become out-of-the-box solutions with many applications.

What laws or regulations are commercial drone operators required to abide by?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which polices the national airspace, is the main governing body for drone flight. Its most significant regulatory milestone is its Small Unmanned Aircraft Regulations (Part 107), which sets operating, registration, pilot certification and airspace authorization requirements.

There are separate rules for pilots flying drones for business and those flying for fun. Operators can incur significant penalties for failing to register certain UAVs or for operating a drone in restricted airspace, such as within a five-mile radius of an airport or flying over a stadium with a seating capacity of more than 30,000 during an event.

Recently, the FAA launched a nationwide beta test of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability to support the safe integration of drones into the nation’s airspace. Through this system, drone operators can receive real-time airspace authorizations to quickly plan their flights.

How can UAV operators improve their skills?

The FAA’s website offers details on UAV operation and flight, and provides a wealth of information on pilot certification and the requirements to pilot small UAVs.

The Ohio/Indiana Center in Springfield, Ohio, is working to advance the commercialization of the technology and support the UAS community in research and development. The organization will assist anyone looking for help with any aspect of UAV, helping operators get up in the air faster.

There are also area schools that offer drone training programs. These courses train pilots in making flight plans and on the laws and regulations governing operation, as well as flight training through simulations and live operation to prepare students to take the FAA Part 107 exam.

There also are industry-specific courses — for example, a training program that introduces law enforcement officers, firefighters and other first responders to drone technology, its capabilities and how and when to use drones in emergency and homeland security situations.

What should companies know before using drones for commercial purposes?

Before contracting with a pilot, determine if he or she is bonded and insured. Conduct background checks and find out if the pilot has some history of success in the work he or she is being asked to do. Also, check to ensure that the pilot has completed training and is certified to operate the specific UAV required for the task. 

Tags: Drone Photography, Business, Commercial Drones, UAV Operation

For the first time, this year's Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta will see a new kind of aircraft.

A local media company, Colibri Media House, will livestream and produce a promotional video for Balloon Fiesta using high-definition video cameras mounted to a drone.

Colibri President and Chief Pilot Jesse Sansom said the project has been in the works for around a year. His company has been working to change public perception of drones.

"Just the word 'drone' has negative connotations," Sansom said. "Drones offer a platform for capturing video that's a new perspective."

To combat those perceptions, Colibri started hosting gatherings at the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum to educate people about the uses of drones and show that they are safe if operated properly. Last year's program was called Drone Discovery Days, and this year, the company says it is holding races on the third Sunday of every month.

The commercial drone market is expected to be worth about $13 billion in 2025, a near 2,000 percent increase since 2015, according to market research firm Statista.

The arrangement between Colibri and the Balloon Fiesta comes with some stipulations.

Colibri's drones will be restricted to a certain area and will not be allowed to fly over patrons. Fiesta Director of Operations Sam Parks said the zone is primarily confined to around the arroyo in Balloon Fiesta Park, as well as the refueling area just north.

The arrangement only covers this year's event, but that could change.

"We hope that this will continue, we'll see how things go this year," Parks said. "When I first met Jesse, I was just struck by his sense of professionalism."

Both Parks and Sansom declined to say how much the deal is worth.

And though the project has the potential to gain Colibri a lot of exposure, it does come with risks.

"One of our biggest concerns is ... rogue drones," Sansom said, adding that keeping unauthorized drones out of the airspace could be key for the success of the endeavor. "My client is the Balloon Fiesta."

To stop those illegally flying, the Fiesta is putting up signs and enlisting the help of an outside company called Aerial Armor, which will be on the lookout for certain types of drones flying during Balloon Fiesta that have not been approved.

An Aerial Armor spokesperson confirmed that the company will provide drone security for the event.

Tags: Aerial Photography, Aerial Footage, Events, Drones

There are already 170,000 small, unmanned aerial vehicles licensed in the U.S., and the Federal Aviation Administration predicts another half-million more of them to be airborne by 2022. Drones are everywhere, doing all sorts of things, including delivering hamburgers and beer to golfers. They’re taking group photos, scouting properties and being shot down by neighbours.

They’re also competing, and the competition is serious. Lockheed Martin Corp. has launched a $2 million competition pitting human operators against artificial intelligence in races through obstacle courses at speeds of more than 80 miles per hour. Tiny, sensor-laden electronics might sound like a game — but as Lockheed’s interest suggests, they should sound like business. 

As the drone value chain improves — chip sets shrink, cameras become more advanced, machine learning techniques mature — it creates reasons to scale. At the same time, drone applications become ever more apparent.

Around the world, trillions of dollars’ worth of industrial infrastructure is aging, while worker safety and terrorism concerns increase, and climate change increasingly strains power grids, manufacturing facilities, and oil and gas production. Drones offer a cheaper and more effective way of monitoring infrastructure than traditional methods of sending workers to dangerous, remote terrain.

Drones are being used today by grid companies to spot faults or overgrown foliage in transmission and distribution lines across the U.S. Monitoring overgrowth is increasingly important in hot, dry areas increasingly prone to fire — such as in Northern California, where PG&E Corp. may owe as much as $17.3 billion in liabilities from the 2017 fires in wine country. Drones were also used by Duke Energy Corp. to help restore power lines in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria knocked out 80 percent of the island’s electricity access.

Those threat-detection capabilities are money savers, and power-restoration services can be literal lifesavers. But there’s another set of services, more prosaic but potentially just as significant, for the future: operations and maintenance.

New research from Bloomberg NEF assesses the economics of drone inspections in power plants and oil and gas inspection. At offshore wind farms, drone inspection may prevent significant failures resulting in downtime and lost revenues. BNEF calculates that the use of drones on offshore wind farms in Europe could shave off more than $1,000 per turbine per year in inspection costs (reducing the cost of producing electricity by 1 percent).

Dropping by a Thousand

Offshore wind turbine inspection costs, per turbine per year

The same savings apply to solar farms, where drone inspection can lower costs even further, on a proportional basis.

Cheaper When Flying

Solar Project Inspection Costs, per megawatt per year.

As drones improve, so will the services that they can provide. Drones that only collect video footage are limited to inspection. With machine vision, enhanced sensors, and grabbing arms and probes, drones may be able to fix minor faults in wind turbines, clear away overgrown foliage, and defend assets from intruders. Advances in 3-D vision and computational photography, cheaper communications networks, and lightweight batteries all promise to produce a drone that can fly for longer, act independently, and replace dangerous or boring human labour.

Bloomberg NEF’s research also finds that in-house drones are cheaper for inspection than third-party drone inspection as a service. Although in-house drone inspection requires upfront costs in training pilots and buying the drones themselves, it has better economics than using a third-party service.

Then there’s the world of oil and gas. Drones with potent “sniffers” can detect methane leaks coming from oil and gas pipelines at 1,000 times the accuracy of traditional methods, saving pipeline owners significant money that is lost from leaked product and potentially from fines. Even this relatively simple application could have significant business (and pollution and climate) implications, as there is an enormous range of reported values of actual emissions in the oil and gas supply chain.

Sources: Bloomberg NEF, EPA, Chesapeake Climate Action Network

Note: Errors are from a 90 percent confidence interval, calculated in a methane emissions literature review.

Not everything is immediately up and up for industrial drones. Regulation in most countries demands that drone pilots stay within line of sight of drones, while heavy batteries limit their flight time to 20 minutes. The market is fragmented, with a variety of startups offering complex services and overlapping solutions. Those conditions, though, can and probably will change. Technology improves, and regulations evolve. That buzzing rotor sound overhead is economics. It’s also business.

Tags: Power Plant, Drone Inspection, Drone Photography, Asset Inspection

Even before the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) eased restrictions on commercial drone use in August 2016, real estate was one of the sectors that most enthusiastically adopted unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). According to BI Intelligence, only photography uses more drones than real estate.

Numerous benefits drive the use of drones in the industry. Aerial photography and video are a powerful tool, especially in commercial real estate. Drones make obtaining this content substantially more feasible. It easily surpasses satellite imagery regarding quality, and is much more affordable than using a manned plane or helicopter to capture imagery from above.

Now that it’s easier than ever to use drones thanks to technological advancements, improved affordability and increasingly accommodating regulations, the benefits for the commercial real estate sector are even more apparent. Here are some of their most prominent applications.

Site Selection and Marketing

UAVs can take fantastic aerial pictures and videos of properties and the areas surrounding them. This footage can make powerful marketing content, as it gives potential clients or tenants the ability to easily learn about a location in an exciting and appealing format. There’s nothing like an aerial view to really make a property stand out.

This capability is also useful for site selection. Aerial photography and video provide you with a more comprehensive understanding of a location. You can also get information that may otherwise be difficult to find, such as how traffic typically flows in and out of the area.

While you will most likely want to visit a site in person before making a final decision, having extensive aerial footage of site options can help eliminate those that don’t fit your needs. Reducing the number of places you need to visit in person will help streamline the site selection process and thereby reduce costs associated with it.

Finding and signing a new commercial lease is typically a long and prohibitive process. The process can take at least 6 months for small companies and up to 3 years for larger businesses. Removing any amount of time from that period speeds progress toward relocation and increased growth — so businesses will appreciate the efficiency that drones bring to the leasing process.

Inspections

Drones can also play a role in commercial real estate inspections, including comprehensive baseline work and routine checks over the life of a property.

In addition to photography and videography equipment, you can equip UAVs with a wide range of sensors. For instance, thermal sensors affixed to drones can measure whether hot or cool air is escaping from a building, enabling you to improve its heating and cooling efficiency. This thermal testing equipment can also help in detecting damaged building infrastructure and water pooling under a flat roof.

Using a drone to perform inspections has numerous benefits. UAVs can conduct examinations much more quickly than a human could, as all it needs to do is fly over the building with the necessary sensors. Using a UAV also eliminates the danger of having an inspector climb onto the roof of a building.

Drones can also assist with regular inspections required to maintain a property. Using a UAV makes it much easier and safer to inspect rooftop equipment, high windows and more.

You can use drones to check for damage after a storm or other natural event. These conditions can be especially hazardous for inspectors to carry out, making an unmanned inspection a smart choice.

Using drones for inspection may increase the frequency with which they’re performed because it reduces the time it takes to complete them and is more cost-effective. This may lead to safer properties and less risk for property owners.

Combining UAVs with other advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, may make them even more useful. Machine learning programs can look through the imagery provided by drones and help identify anomalies that may require a closer look. This can greatly improve the overall safety of a commercial property and potentially lengthen its lifespan.

Challenges

Drone usage is becoming more common, but the technology is still new enough that regulations have not entirely caught up with it. Federal, state and local rules do not always align. These disconnects can present a challenge to real estate professionals looking to use UAVs.

If you do plan to use drones, make sure you research and carefully follow all relevant laws. As a commercial user, you’ll need to pass a test from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and receive certification. As you fly your drone, be sure to follow all FAA rules and respect others’ privacy. If you do these things, you should be able to stay out of trouble.

Insurance companies also sometimes don’t cover commercial drones, leaving their owners to foot the bill if their’s crashes or is otherwise involved in an incident. As drones become increasingly popular, more insurance companies may start covering them. Real estate companies can also get insurance coverage specifically for their drones from companies such as Unmanned Risk Management.

Benefits of Drones in Commercial Real Estate

Drones are a relatively new, but increasingly popular, technology in the commercial sector. Commercial real estate is one area in which UAVs can have several substantial benefits.

Drones can survey potential sites and conduct inspections quickly, increasing the efficiency of site selection, inspections, regular maintenance and more.

They can also reduce risks by ensuring all parties have more comprehensive information about a property through more thorough inspections. They can even make conducting inspections themselves safer, as they eliminate or reduce the need for someone to climb up onto roofs and other tall structures to perform them.

Most of the drones a real estate professional would typically use are also easy to operate. You need to study and follow FAA rules, but flying the drones requires very little training. They are also becoming increasingly affordable, making them a cost-effective option for more companies.

Real estate was one of the foremost early adopters of commercial drones, and it seems the sector will continue to use them for a variety of applications. They provide many benefits related to commercial real estate decisions, including reducing inefficiency and risk. If you’re investing in commercial real estate or are otherwise involved in the sector, you should definitely consider investing in a drone.

Tags: Aerial Photography, Real Estate, Commercial Estate, Inspection, Drones

Rocketmine, a subsidiary of the international Delta Drone Group, continues to affirm its’ position as the drone service providing leader in UAV (drone) solutions for the mining sector.

The company recently announced that it has procured contracts with mining giants throughout Africa. One of those contracts includes a renewal with South Africa’s coal manufacturer, Exxaro Resources Group.

The contract will see Rocketmine providing survey and mapping solutions to the Grootegeluk site in the Limpopo Province. This forms part of their plan to evolve towards the ‘digitised mine of the future’ concept where real-time mine planning and execution can be conducted to improve mining efficiency and production.

Grootegeluk mine is Exxaro’s largest opencast mine in the southern hemisphere. This particular site inhabits various hazards and dangers to the surveyors. The survey and mapping solution was aimed to get surveyors out of dangerous areas to increase safety and data turnaround time.

The drone company said, one of Exxaro’s primary driving force in optimising efficiency of their operations was to meet the demand requirements of the Medupi power station.

Christopher Clark, MD, Rocketmine, explained,  “Our professional service and accurate data have been our greatest advocates. While safety and our cost-effective approaches contribute to a more streamlined and productive output on-site assisting the client achieve their targets.”

The second contract acquisition will see Rocketmine taking to the skies in Namibia, with Rio Tinto’s first commercial uranium mine, Rössing Uranium.

The mine, which supplied a total of 132 610 tonnes of the best possible uranium oxide to the world by the end of 2017, achieved this by optimising the accuracy of planning.

This, according to Clark required regular and accurate stockpile movements.

“The integration of drone technology at Rössing Uranium Mine will enhance operational efficiencies pertaining to planning by providing expeditious accurate data,” said Clark.

Rocketmine secured two other contracts in West Africa. Newcrest Mining Limited in Côte d’Ivoire and Newmont Akyem to provide mine blast monitoring and fragmentation analysis and survey mapping respectively.

“A global cumulate amount for these African projects over the next three years equates close to €1 000 000. These mines are clear cases that the future of the mining will utilise technology not only to find innovative solutions but to decrease their carbon footprint,” concluded Clark.

Tags: Mining, Stockpile, Drones, UAV, Drone Photography

This season, third-party trials conducted by growers and in collaboration with Aker are tracking plant health and yield results for Delaro®, a new corn and soybean fungicide from Bayer. As the season progresses, comparison images show the positive plant health benefits Delaro has on crops.

After applying fungicide, Aker uses high-resolution drones to capture multiple images of the fields. The results give growers a map, with red areas indicating less healthy plants and green representing healthy plants. The trials will also track yield comparisons.

“Monitoring a crop in a season can help pinpoint if plants are under stress from things like disease,” said Todd Golly, co-founder of Aker. “Using aerial imagery helps growers understand how to better optimize inputs, which can increase yield and profitability. It helps growers be more productive in the field.”

Delaro provides broad-spectrum residual activity from dual modes of action, giving growers disease protection from day one through the end of the spray interval. This allows for consistent performance and better yields. It also improves plant health, allowing corn and soybeans to better handle stress.

“Trials in 2017 found that Delaro provided a substantial yield increase over the untreated check in corn and soybeans,” said Ray Lello, fungicides product manager at Bayer. “However, we also consistently heard from trial participants that they observed improved plant health from Delaro. That’s why we are thrilled to collaborate with Aker to track qualitative metrics like plant health in addition to the known quantitative yield results of Delaro over the untreated check in corn and soybeans. Understanding how these benefits help contribute to an overall return on investment is beneficial for growers as they look to get the most out of their corn hybrids and soybean varieties.”

Delaro was first available for the 2018 growing season. Before its release, across two years of trials, Delaro averaged a 12-18 bushel per acre increase in corn and a 4-5 bushel per acre increase in soybeans compared to untreated checks. In these trials, Delaro had a 90 per cent win rate over the untreated checks.

Aker is an in-season crop monitoring and autonomous scouting solution for farming globally. Aker enables proactive observation and directed scouting to alert of adverse environmental conditions impacting crop health and yield.

Tags: Aerial Photography, Agriculture, Drones, Fungicide, Farming