Here is the uncomfortable truth: no true peer competitor exists today. Dollar for dollar, DJI remains the best overall platform for most commercial applications. There is no close second. This post explains why, how to think about the current regulatory environment, and what that means for surveyors, civil engineers, or really anyone who cares about safety, turnaround time, and profit.
Lidar technology for Land Surveying has been around for decades, but technological advancements have now made lidar more accurate, reliable, and affordable than ever before. At Aerotas, we've been processing aerial lidar data for years. In this article, we go through all of the different capabilities and processes necessary to get high quality survey deliverables from your lidar data.
This third in our series of posts expanding on our article in Cal Surveyor covers how the deliverables a mapping drone produces translate into real value for surveyors. We dig into how value comes in the form of increasing crew efficiency, minimizing reliance on aerial contractors, record-collection, and reducing crew risk.
The co-founders of Aerotas were featured as Guest Columnists in this month’s Point of Beginning magazine. The focus of the article is on the critical steps in developing a survey drone program. The article covers the crucial categories of technology (hardware and software), operations, insurance, and regulation. In our experience, operations and workflow management are the most critical but over-looked component in ensuring a successful program.
Included in the FAA's new drone laws is the ability to operate a drone from within a moving vehicle. This dramatically expands the areas that drones can cover for mapping or inspection. We took to the deserts of Southern California to see how difficult it is to run a safe UAV operation from a moving vehicle.
Today, the FAA's landmark commercial drone rules went into effect. That also means that today was the first day to take the new knowledge test required to become an FAA licensed operator. I passed the test today, and am happy to report on what I learned about the test.
The second in a series of posts expanding on our article in Cal Surveyor. As we discussed in the article, mapping drones can produce three primary deliverables: orthophotos, 3D models, and high-resolution photo and video. In order to use an aerial mapping drone profitably, a surveyor has to understand each of these deliverables and how a surveyor drone can be used to create them. In this post, we dig in to each of these surveyor drone deliverables.
The Aerotas Map Package is an all-inclusive package of everything an organization needs to start mapping by drone, and it leverages many lessons that the Aerotas team has learned in our consulting practice. It leverages the technology — hardware and software — that we have vetted and found to be most reliable. It leverages our hard-learned best practices in the form of operations guides and training. It leverages thorough study of efficient insurance coverage and regulatory compliance. But the one lesson that it leverages more than any other is this: start simply.
Last week, I spent a day in the field getting a client trained on their new UAV equipment. Naturally, I thought this would be a great chance to test out a new aircraft that we recently received. Unfortunately, I made a mistake that is all too common in UAV operations: I left all of my batteries sitting in their charger back in the office. Having good operational procedures and good training is the solution to prevent this and worse mistakes. In this post we dig into why following procedures and checklists is crucial on every job.
In our article in California Surveyor Magazine, “What you need to know to determine if UAVs are right for your survey business,” we identify the key factors that land surveyors must consider when deciding whether to begin using survey drones as part of their business. In this post, we will dig in to the first topic that a surveyor needs to understand before deciding whether to start using a drone for aerial mapping: the basic stack of survey drone technology.
When Part 107 goes into effect in August, it will open huge opportunities for businesses across industries to use drones in daily operations. Given the contents of Part 107 and the state of UAV technology, land surveying stand to benefit more than most industries. In this post we highlight some of the key provisions of Part 107 that will impact land surveyors.
The FAA recently released its new drone regulations, known as Part 107. Included is a provision that allows the FAA to grant waivers from most of the new restrictions. This waiver process opens up the possibility of dozens of new applications by potentially allowing flying over people, flying long distances, and many other capabilities. Though the potential is significant, there remain too many uncertainties about the waiver process for businesses to rely on it in the near future.
