Mississippi’s Department of Marine Resources and the Geosystems Research Institute at Mississippi State University released results from a study that used drones to map Deer Island, an area the state acquired 15 years ago that officials plan to open up for the local public and tourists. 



"Today is a good day," Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said at a ceremony in late June. "Mississippi acquired all of the island you see behind you about 15 years ago and that debt was paid off two years ago. Now it is free, clear, and owned by the state of Mississippi. It is a phenomenal jewel and with that, we believed that we needed to map the island entirely and provide for the citizens and tourists a detailed, visual presentation of what is available to them. Further, this mapping will show the island undergoing improvements, along with the great barrier islands that are not only a key in storm prevention, but also serves as a key for tourism and recreation."



The goal, says Hosemann, is to increase tourism to the island, getting people “to stay one more time on the Gulf Coast.



"It's worth tens of millions of dollars to have people stay one more day, and the way you do that is by providing them with a cafeteria of options here. You can go to the casino or to the baseball game, you can go to your own island, or you can go offshore, or you can play golf at a world-class venue, we have all these things here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and if we can get people to stay for an extra day at your island, it will be a huge economic benefit to your city and the state of Mississippi."



Hosemann zeroed in on using unmanned aircraft systems to map the island, a measure the team thought necessary, after hearing about the drone program at Mississippi State University. 



Jamie Miller, executive director of the Department of Marine Resources, says Deer Island is an active restoration site that will continue to need resources, and the mapping is a step toward its preservation. The data will help them be able to build a pier, and improvements like that support tourism. 



"We were very happy to partner with the Secretary of State's office and MSU to get this work done and we look forward to continue our relationship moving forward and we hope will visit the island and remember that it is a coastal treasure undergoing restoration because we want to keep it that way for a long, long time," Miller says.



The drone flights were conducted through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration UAS program office. 

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