In partnership with The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency (WJPA), Precision Aerial Compliance Solutions, LLC (Precision Aerial) is providing UAS LiDAR surveying for portions of The Woodlands drainage system in Texas following Hurricane Harvey.
Precision Aerial will evaluate current conditions along portions of Panther Creek and Spring Creek using high-end, UAS LiDAR to provide the laser assessment for the WJPA, which is the central management agency for the ten Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) that serve The Woodlands in Montgomery County.
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Colorado's La Plata County Sheriff's Office plans to start using UAS
The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office in Durango, Colorado will start using UAS for certain emergency situations, after La Plata County Sheriff Sean Smith said he planned to sign a policy allowing the department to use the county’s UAS on Jan. 25.
According to Smith, procedures will be in place to give approvals to use the county’s three UAS only during emergency situations after they have been requested by responding deputies.
How do Drones Help Farmers?
Contributed article by Len Calderone, AgriTech Tomorrow
Drones are becoming a critical tool for farmers. Many farmers are already benefitting from drone (UAV) technology; and we’ve only scratched the surface of what this relatively new technology can do for agriculture.
Schiebel's CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS helps in search for fugitive in Australia
Schiebel has announced that as part of an ongoing homicide investigation in Stiwoll, Austria late last year, its CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS demonstrated its suitability for search and rescue missions, during a first of its kind operation.
During the operation, Schiebel provided Austrian law enforcement with its CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS and operating personnel to help in the search for a double homicide suspect assumed to be hiding in a forest region.
“This is a prime example for the potential civil use of a UAS such as the S-100,” says Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group.
Drone America and Thrush Aircraft partner to develop world's first autonomous air tanker
UAS manufacturer Drone America and aircraft manufacturer Thrush Aircraft have formed a strategic alliance to begin the development of the world’s first autonomous air tanker, which would add to the arsenal of airborne tactics available to firefighters and first responders when fighting wildfires.
The new tanker is expected to mix Thrush’s large airframe and airborne delivery system expertise with Drone America’s “Ariel” amphibious platform, producing an aircraft capable of delivering approximately 800 gallons of water or fire retardant, autonomously.
Little Ripper UAS helps save swimmers in Australia
In Lennox Head, New South Wales, Australia, lifeguards from the Australian Lifeguard Service were preparing for a training session to familiarize themselves with UAS equipment when a call came in about two distressed swimmers.
Approximately a kilometer north of the patrolled area, two men were swimming in powerful surf conditions, when someone noticed that they were having difficulty in the three meter swell.
At the time, lifeguard Supervisor Jai Sheridan was piloting a Westpac Little Ripper UAS, so he immediately responded, and within minutes of the initial alert, located the swimmers.
State Police Unmanned Aerial System program launches in New York
On Jan 10., New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the launch of the new State Police Unmanned Aerial System program, which will be used to support a variety of law enforcement and public safety missions in New York.
Expected to be deployed in multiple locations across the state, the UAS, which will be operated by State Police members who are FAA certified and have undergone 32 hours of hands-on training with the systems, are expected to reduce response times and make operations more efficient and cost-effective.
Among many potential uses, the UAS can be used in dangerous situations and environments, such as natural disasters, to help keep State Troopers out of harm's way.
Kittyhawk adds new features to its Flight Deck platform for UAS
During CES 2018, commercial UAS operations software provider Kittyhawk announced new features to its Flight Deck platform, including the addition of an automated flight system to Flight Deck, which will work in conjunction with the company's recently released secure live streaming feature.
Using the new automation features, operators can plan missions in the Kittyhawk mobile application, and then execute the entire flight, from takeoff to landing, with unlimited waypoints.
AEE and SELFLY Camera develop UAS-smartphone-case called AEE SELFLY
AEE Aviation Technology Inc. and SELFLY Camera LLC have introduced AEE SELFLY, which is a smartphone case with an embedded UAS.
Considered the first device of its kind and the first of its class, AEE SELFLY gives smartphone users the ability to capture photos of themselves—commonly known as “selfies”—at a whole new level of quality and precision, for basically any event, from any location, and from heights and distances that were once considered impossible.
“More photographs are being taken now on smartphones than ever before because the best camera is the one you can always have with you,” says Mike Kahn, AEE's Chief Marketing Officer.
'Unified Pilot System for Unmanned Aircraft Products and Systems' platform to be used in UAE
The details of a platform called the “Unified Pilot System for Unmanned Aircraft Products and Systems” were announced on Dec. 18 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The platform is the first unified electronic platform for UAS and air vehicles to be used in the UAE for recreational, service and commercial purposes.
Reportedly “in line with the UAE government's keenness to provide a civil aviation environment and a safe community for practice,” the platform will be used to obtain UAS information and conform to the UAE standards that were established by the Committee for Monitoring the Implementation of the Light Sports System.