Cost savings when using drone technology is enormous
Today (May 6) has been declared International Drone Day. I know that isn’t really high on most people’s radar, but I thought it would be a good time to shed some light on all the positive contributions that the new technology has bestowed upon us.
This is especially important now, due to the much negative press drones have received of late, particularly in connection with the interim rulemaking by Transport Canada.
Although the term ‘drone’ is often used to describe any unmanned aircraft, for this discussion I will focus on the multi-rotor craft that people are most familiar with.
This technology has provided a stable platform that can take cameras and sensors aloft with extreme ease of control, or even automation. These craft are generally GPS equipped and can fly a pre-determined flight path, or return to the place of takeoff automatically.
The most popular use for multi-rotor technology is as a camera platform. Amateurs and professionals alike produce some amazing photos and video footage using drones. And the quality is staggering!
Many of the aerial shots you see in TV programs, movies, advertisements, promotional tourism videos, etc. have been taken from drones. The more sophisticated drones have gyro stabilization which allows the camera to sit very still, despite the motion of the craft.
In the commercial world drones have many uses.
These include: agriculture, where crop monitoring can be carried out easily; surveillance, particularly at special events, law enforcement, or in military operations; shipping and delivery of packages is currently being explored; disaster management where collection of data is made easy; rescue and health care where medication, defibrillator, food, or other medical supplies can be delivered to areas where access is difficult; geographic mapping; safety inspections of towers and rooftops; and of course real estate, where realtors get the coolest pictures of the properties they are listing.
All of these functions could be carried out by full size aircraft, of course. But the cost savings when using drone technology is enormous.
I am certain the in the very near future, each of you will be benefited in one way or another by the multi-rotor technology.