UAS Colorado, a non-profit business league committed to promoting and improving the commercial drone industry in Colorado, has announced that the first drone mapping project within a US National Park has been completed at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. The project offered stunning images of the park and critical data for the Park Service.
The project was a collaborative effort between UAS Colorado, the National Park Service (NPS), Wohnrade Civil Engineers, and Colorado-based drone company Blackswift Technologies.
The project was designed to remap the designated area to compare to a 2011 airborne LiDAR acquisition prepared by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The comparison was necessary in order to monitor change in the terrain. Technologists used high-fidelity remote sensing to monitor change such as the erosion of the dunes, measure dune height in the vicinity of the Star Dune, and to visualize and document the Park’s assets.
The mission – over extremely challenging terrain – was flown by Black Swift’s founder and CEO, Jack Elston, PhD. Black Swift’s SwiftTrainer fixed-wing drone demonstrated exceptional flight endurance and accuracy during the project. “Black Swift Technologies was excited to be a part of this landmark effort, and were excited to face the challenges of the project with our industry leading SwiftTrainer aircraft,” Elston tells DRONELIFE. “This required operations at altitudes of up to 9000′ altitude MSL and gathering data over an area of interest more than 5 miles from the launch and recovery site, something that exceeds the operational limits of most small drones. It was great working with UAS Colorado and Wohnrade Civil Engineers to continue to use our products and skill set to provide a robust mapping solution for commercial needs.”
The project makes Wohnrade Civil Engineers the very first FAA-licensed service provider to use a drone to successfully map a one (1) square mile area of the Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, demonstrating an improved method of data collection critical for environmental preservation.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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Funny thing is most consumers can do this on their foam gliders or quadcopters for 1/20th of the price most agencies charge.