INNOVATION September-October 2015

f ea t ures

EYES IN THE SKY Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the Natural Resources Sector

Dr. Matt Sakals, P.Geo.

Drones are everywhere. They are being used more and more in personal and business applications to capture data otherwise unavailable or too costly or dangerous to collect. Despite many negative news reports of inappropriate and dangerous use of drones—including two incidents this past summer, in which drones interfered with crews fighting wildfires in southern BC—use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offers extraordinary opportunities to engineers and geoscientists. The devices’ improved capabilities and user- friendliness encourage their application in many areas of the natural resources sector, in particular.

The uses of UAVs are diverse, therefore so are UAV systems and the types of products produced. The key to the successful use of UAVs is in understanding the capabilities and limitations relevant to a particular application and also the regulatory framework under which operations must be carried out. The following overview is provided to assist engineering and geoscience professionals in applying and innovating their practice with this powerful technology.

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