Not so long ago, the concept of unmanned aviation vehicles was an attractive theme for science fiction writers, but nowadays, these hi-tech wonders are a part of our everyday life. Despite what you may think, they do not only stand guard over land and maritime borders or serve to discover the otherwise inaccessible military bases. Quite on the contrary, the sophisticated aircraft designed to navigate autonomously find wide applications across numerous industries. Here is how drones are used by different businesses.
What Exactly is a Drone?
In these days and age, drones are a buzzword, but do we know what this word really means? An umbrella name for all unmanned, remotely piloted aircraft, a drone could be anything from a sweet little thing that delivers pizza to complex systems able to solve the most challenging tasks.
However, when we speak about top-notch complex systems that besides an unmanned aviation vehicle also comprise a ground station controlled by a pilot, as well as a broad spectrum of communications, support, and innovative equipment, the most appropriate term is UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems). As you have probably already guessed, it’s the UAS solutions that are used to perform a variety of demanding missions. Let’s take a closer look at and how exactly they help people and businesses across various industries to reach their goals.
Open Mine Surveys and Security
Drones are widely used in open-cut mines surveying, being irreplaceable when it comes to precise measurements of stockpile volumes, mapping of the huge areas, and asset inspection. The latter, by the way, for decades has been an incredibly dangerous, time-consuming, and expensive process – until state-of-the-art drones came to help.
Mineral Exploration
Even before the use of drones, a big number of mineral exploration companies were already trying to streamline the surveying process and make it less expensive with the help of aerial photography from small planes and helicopters. No wonder drones have very quickly become a far better option both in terms of cost-efficiency and timeframe. Those strange-looking birds also help reverse circulation drilling (RC), a preferred process for mineral explorers due to its numerous advantages compared to other methods.
Aerial Photogrammetry and Photography
This is pretty self-explanatory as today’s drones are enhanced with groundbreaking HD cameras able to capture a huge number of high-resolution photos over a large area. Drones that use photogrammetry are not only cost-effective but also offer great flexibility regarding where, when, and how the precious 2D and 3D data can be captured.
Infrastructure Monitoring and Security
A big number of drones are engaged in monitoring, maintenance, and asset inventory of all kinds of infrastructure projects. Their powers are unrivaled when it comes to facilitating full security of the sites, detection, and prevention of intruders, as well as taking care of the safety of work operations. Did you know that according to studies, it is estimated that the use of drones to monitor the construction site can decrease the number of potentially serious accidents by 90%?
Environmental Safety Monitoring
UAVs are ideal to reach inaccessible territories and let us know how a certain area has changed over recent years or months. Drones can provide us with priceless information on the state of forests, glaciers, rivers, coasts, as well as air quality and levels of pollution. They also help fight fires and minimize the devastating impact of flooding, at the same time, even saving people’s lives.
Forestry and Precision Agriculture
Drones have become a precision instrument widely used in forestry and agriculture. Besides a valuable ability to monitor livestock, water levels, and the health of crops, they are real game-changers when it comes to spraying crops. Thanks to their sophisticated equipment, they do it in a truly eco-friendly way, protecting the environment.
Law Enforcement
While many of us believe that drones are only used to spy, in reality, they do much more than that. How about these flying machines being part of hostage negotiations, bomb investigations, and search for missing people? Well, they spy too – criminal surveillance and crime scene analysis are also part of the plot.
Mass Events Safety
Public Safety Agencies rely on drones in monitoring all special events. In the case of mass gatherings, public safety is a high priority, all the more so, we live in turbulent times that pose numerous concerns.
Of course, the roster of UAVs applications is far more extensive, but it was not possible to squeeze them all in the frame of this article. Drones have become an integral part of our everyday life, and the reality is that more and more businesses opt for using the full benefits of modern technologies.