DC Geomatics Drone Pilot Network: South Africa’s Most Widespread Drone Service Network
In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, drone technology has emerged as a game-changer across industries — from agriculture to infrastructure, film to security. At the heart of this transformation is DC Geomatics, South Africa’s most widespread and trusted drone pilot service network.
With more than a decade of experience in drone operations and compliance, DC Geomatics is proud to lead the industry with professionalism, innovation, and unmatched nationwide reach. Our reputation is built on consistency, regulatory excellence, and our ability to deliver precise aerial data solutions no matter where our clients are located.
Nationwide Coverage, Local Expertise
One of our strongest advantages lies in the breadth and depth of our pilot network. With 122 active drone pilots strategically positioned across South Africa, and 131 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) listed on our OPAPEC, DC Geomatics offers truly national coverage — with local expertise in every province.
This widespread footprint ensures fast deployment, flexible scheduling, and operational agility across a wide variety of sectors. Whether it’s a time-sensitive inspection or long-term agricultural monitoring, our teams are ready to take flight.
Setting the Standard in Compliance and Operational Excellence
As a market leader in drone compliance, we’re not only certified — we help define the compliance benchmark for the industry. Our deep understanding of SACAA regulations, combined with our active role in training and guiding pilots, places DC Geomatics at the forefront of safe, responsible drone operations.
From managing OPAPEC listings to ensuring every flight is legally cleared and professionally executed, we offer peace of mind to our clients and partners.
Specialised UAS Services Across Industries
Our drone pilot network isn’t just large — it’s highly skilled and versatile. Our pilots are qualified and experienced in a wide range of commercial UAS operations, including:
Media & Aerial Cinematography – From sweeping cinematic footage to live event coverage.
Security & Surveillance – Real-time monitoring for safety and situational awareness.
Surveying & Mapping – High-resolution mapping, photogrammetry, and topographic surveys.
Asset Inspection – Precise inspection of hard-to-reach infrastructure like towers, pipelines, and solar farms.
Precision Agriculture – Crop health analysis, multispectral imaging, and optimised yield support.
We tailor our services to meet the unique requirements of each project, ensuring high-quality outcomes with a fast turnaround.
Leadership That Drives Innovation
Behind our success is a team of dedicated industry experts and energetic leadership that continuously drives us forward. Innovation isn’t just a buzzword — it’s embedded in every system, solution, and service we offer.
By staying ahead of technology trends and investing in our network, DC Geomatics ensures our clients always benefit from the latest drone capabilities, regulatory insights, and operational efficiencies.
Trusted By Industry, Powered By People
Whether you’re a farmer needing crop health data, a construction firm mapping a new site, or a media agency chasing the perfect aerial shot — our network is ready.
At DC Geomatics, we’re proud to provide more than drone services. We deliver precision, reliability, and peace of mind, backed by South Africa’s most comprehensive drone pilot network.
Need Drone Services?
Get in touch with us today to tap into South Africa’s most experienced, scalable, and compliant drone solutions provider.
Our drone turnkey solutions – what you need to know.
At DC Geomatics, we offer commercial drone services as well as turnkey solutions, specific to your industry or operational needs. Turnkey solutions are drone applications that require an onsite operational footprint.
We offer our solutions on a retainer basis for full onsite management and oversight with drones permanently on standby, ready to be deployed within 30 minutes of request. Have a routine need for drone services in your organisation? This is the way to go!
When it comes to safety and compliance, we are licensed, insured, and approved by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), and we use only the most well-trained and accredited specialists for all our flight operations. In line with our stringent safety and compliance standards, we use specialised and accredited Health and Safety service providers and are Occupational Health and Safety compliant at all times.
OUR DRONE TURNKEY SOLUTIONS INCLUDE
1. AGRICULTURE
We can teach your team to fly purpose-built drones specific to this industry. Operating at fast speeds and an aerial vantage point, drones can cover hundreds of hectares of land, collecting diverse and detailed data, in a single flight. This will allow you to map large crop areas, identify problems, optimise outputs, maximise production, and estimate returns. Bringing a drone solution to bear on your agricultural projects is an accurate, comprehensive and cost-effective decision sure to have a positive impact on your organisation’s productivity and success.
2. SURVEILLANCE
Drones are an efficient and cost-effective surveillance tool as they are not limited to ground level, are able to cover large areas, enter difficult to access spaces, and are equipped with sensors that allow for detailed data collection. We can teach your team to operate surveillance drones with the aim of keeping your property and assets under safe observation as and when required.
3. MINING
Achieving a bird’s-eye-view of a mining site is a challenging task but drones are uniquely suited to the tasks of aerial mapping and scoping. Not only can they be equipped with the latest mapping (as well as tracking and reporting) technology, they bring with them a number of benefits, including reliable data collection and real-time reporting services, lower operational costs than traditional surveying methods, and quick, safe deployment, especially when surveying hazardous working conditions or over difficult terrain. Let us implement a drone solution for your mining operation and you’ll see the positive results almost immediately.
What kind of commercial drone service do you need... An onsite operational footprint for your industry? Take a look at our turnkey drone solutions. A once-off commercial drone service? Read more about our specific inspection and assessment surveys here. Or talk to us – with our experience and expertise, we can help develop a drone solution for your business.
Three unusual uses for a commercial drone services
At DCG, it’s simple – we love drones and all they can do. We particularly enjoy learning (and sharing our own experiences) about the capabilities of commercial drones as well as their greater potential to enhance business and industrial projects.
In today’s post, we wanted to show you just how diverse drone offerings can be by highlighting three unusual uses for a drone. If you operate a drone for commercial purposes (from event photography to land surveying), you probably already know that they are currently popular for so much more than military application. But did you know they could do the following?
UNUSUAL USES FOR A COMMERCIAL DRONE
1. DELIVERY JUST GOT A WHILE LOT EASIER
Next year, Amazon plans to use drone technology to deliver packages. From pizza to parcels, more and more commercial ventures are looking into how to use drones for direct delivery to their customers. Drones are fast, can fly high above congested crowds, are cost-effective and cost-efficient, and rarely miss the mark. While not currently legal, what’s not to like about using them as a reliable delivery system in the future?
2. TORNADO AND HURRICANE HUNTING IS NOW ON THE AGENDA
The middle of a major storm can be a dangerous place to be and storm chasing (for documentary and research purposes) can be a hazardous undertaking. Drones have the ability to enter a storm without risking the life of a human operator. In a bid to ensure greater hurricane surveillance, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Northrop Grumman collaborated on a 3 year, 30 million dollar project to use drones to survey storms as they build and grow. This is in the hope of building up prediction data and processes to save lives, resources, and costs in the long run. This then is not about storm fighting (though drones can make useful contributions to disaster management operations) as much as it is about being able to understand a storm without putting human life at risk to do so.
3. FARM LIFE CAN BE MONITORED AND SUPPORTED LIKE NEVER BEFORE
Drones are capable of traversing, monitoring, and reporting on large tracts of land. This makes them an ideal tool for agricultural applications such as farm land surveillance. From steep hillsides that need mapping and spraying to environmental impact assessments, drones have the technology and capabilities to accurately track, treat, and develop progress reports for large agricultural projects. When it comes to pesticide distribution and land use planning, drones can help by identifying which resources are needed and where, and delivering them there. At the end of the day, this is better for the environment and for a farmer's bottom line than more traditional, manual methods.
Want to implement the use of drones in your industry or learn how aerial mapping and surveying services can enhance your industrial operation? We can help! Browse our commercial services and turnkey drone surveying and mapping solutions, and let us know what your business needs when it comes to getting the best out of your drone.
How drone services are advancing the civil engineering industry.
With their advanced technology and superior surveying and scanning capabilities, drones are changing the operation and productivity levels of many industries across the country, including mining, oil and gas, agriculture, and harbour operations. And when it comes to civil engineering, they are definitely making their mark.
WAYS DRONE SERVICES CONTRIBUTE TO BETTER CIVIL ENGINEERING WORK
1. A VIEW FROM ABOVE
Drones allow for extensive and accurate mapping of large tracts of land and tough-to-navigate terrain. With a drone, engineers can get detailed and textured aerial images and map out sites before they make the physical trip themselves. This allows for instant data and easier and more efficient logistics and planning. With a real-time approach, drone footage allows engineers, stakeholders, and site managers to prioritise tasks and create timelines for projects, all while sharing the relevant information across various platforms and (often remote) audiences.
2. SURVEYING LIKE NEVER BEFORE
Height, remote sensors, the ability to transmit data about specific sites, the GIS location function... all these elements make drones the perfect tool for surveying. The right technology in the right hands means drones are able to deliver a wide range of commercial surveying services including outlining property boundaries, area markers, surveying construction sites for placement of buildings, topographic and hydrographic maps, valuable stockpile data, and flood insurance maps.
3. SO MUCH SAFER
Fast, efficient, and removed from facing on-the-ground obstacles, without any toxic fumes than might harm the environment to boot, drones are a much safer and healthier alternative to using human resources to conduct safety and security inspections as well as mapping and surveying exercises through the entire development cycle.
Drones offer effective, efficient, and cost-effective processes, making them a valuable asset to any civil engineering project. Want to implement the use of drones in your industry? We can help you do that! Working with licensed and experienced drone operators, we offer a wide range of commercial and turnkey drone surveying and mapping services across Africa. Our aim? Offering our clients quality, cost-effective drone services tailored any commercial project.
How drones are improving industrial maintenance tasks.
When it comes to industrial operations, the use of drones is becoming more popular and more significant. From surveying to surveillance, these eyes in the sky can record, capture, and report on a variety of situations, from infrastructure inspections to construction progress. Drones offer safe, secure, fast, and efficient activity and results and can be applied across a wide range of industries.
The same holds true to industrial maintenance – the task of ensuring operational infrastructure and equipment is regularly inspected and fully compliant. With tight budgets, changing resources, and ageing infrastructure, companies seeking safe and efficient operations are harnessing the power of the cutting-edge technology offered by drone operators.
HOW DRONES CAN IMPROVE INDUSTRIAL MAINTENANCE
1. SAFE, SMOOTH OPERATIONS
When it comes to routine tasks such as scheduled surveillance or standardised inspections, drones are the perfect tool for the job, replacing human inspectors who face safety risks, unhealthy surrounds, the need for complicated support equipment, and time. When it comes to structures like power plants, power lines, bridges, and flare stacks, this can save organisations time, money, and energy, as well as keeping their most valuable asset – their people – out of harm’s way and engaged in more productive tasks.
2. ACTIVE INSPECTIONS
The way in which drones operate (fast, in the air, unmanned) means that plants under inspection will not necessarily have to be shut down during this time, as they would be with manned inspection. This means that plants can remain active during the inspection process, saving time and money, and increasing productivity. All this while the drone records and sends data to the relevant stakeholders – who may or may not be on-site – and who can then go through the data at their own pace.
3. COST-SAVING
Research shows that using drones for inspection and to carry our routine tasks results in an over 50% reduction in labour costs. This means streamlining labour teams but also frees up budget for the training and promotion of employees for higher level labour tasks, saving costs overall.
The latest drone technology is innovative and flexible while being efficient and reliable – this makes a drone the perfect inspection and surveying tool for industrial applications from mining operations to industrial maintenance. At DCG, we offer drone-driven commercial services and turnkey solutions for many industries across Africa.
How drones can improve safety in pipeline surveys.
Drones have been increasingly used in oil and gas operations due to their speed, efficiency, and safety capabilities. Pipelines are an area of the industry that requires regular surveying and (difficult to manage) inspection, often over large, often remote, areas and potentially hazardous conditions.
From rusting overland connections to underground methane leaks, undetected damage can lead to fires, explosions, and loss of life, while having severe environmental physical effects. This makes regular inspection and surveillance for safety purposes a must. And a commercial drone is just the tool for the job.
Traditionally, oil and gas pipelines have been monitored by overland vehicles and manned aircraft using spotting techniques and surveillance technology – time consuming, labour intensive, and expensive methods. Drones can bring an added speed and higher level of safety to pipeline inspection and maintenance due to their flexibility and ability to record and transmit data, whether for route planning, as-built surveying, or regular inspection for maintenance purposes.
BENEFITS OF USING DRONES FOR PIPELINE SURVEILLANCE AND INSPECTION
1. EASY ACCESS
Whatever the stage of a pipeline project, drones are able to travel over large distances and hazardous terrains (such as water crossings or wildlife zones) in a systematic fashion, relatively safely and quickly, saving on time and costs such as fuel and labour, while reducing the need for human inspectors to make such trips. This means that they can make a number of time-sensitive visits to a site for regular data capture.
2. MAP MAKING
Using photogrammetry, drones can put together a 3 dimensional map of a selected area for planning and inspection purposes in a few short hours. With quick reporting and delivery, this technology allows surveying teams to quickly generate a point cloud representation of a given surface and get to work.
3. SMART DATA
From topography mapping to locating boundaries to stock monitoring, drones are able to photograph, film, and record a large amount of diverse real-time data and report it in an accessible format.
4. ACCURATE DETECTION
Using thermal imaging and the latest detection technology, drones can conduct thermal inspections to identify hair line leaks, structural damage, vegetation growth, and other potential pipeline hazards such as pitting (a localised form of corrosion difficult to detect with the naked eye). Plus, drones can work around labour teams without requiring a shutdown of a project that is still underway.
Looking for a surveillance solution for your pipeline project or next civil engineering venture? Think drone! Cost-effective, safe, and accurate, drone technology is the way of the future when it comes to industrial surveying and surveillance initiatives and has many advantages over manned inspection. As experienced drone operators, we offer total aerial mapping services to professional organisations and government bodies across Africa. Chat to us about your drone needs today.
Three big reasons to hire a drone service provider for your next construction project.
Successful construction projects require planning, forethought, and a commitment to using the best possible resources and suppliers. This includes embracing new and innovative technologies such as drone-driven services and solutions. Over the last decade, the use of drones has become more popular in the construction industry due to the many benefits offered by drones and drone technology.
And more and more of these initiatives have been outsourced to professional drone service providers. With the proper skills, expertise, and compliance requirements in place, a professional drone services supplier (like DC Geomatics) can ensure the best results and best use of a drone across a wide range of drone related industries, including construction.
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT? REASONS TO BRING A DRONE ON BOARD
1. PLAN AHEAD
The aerial surveying and mapping capabilities of a drone means it can be used to survey large areas, get a bird’s eye view of a potential construction site, or even get a good look at the prospective view that will be on offer once the construction has been completed. Stunning images of beautiful surrounds can go a long way to securing support for a project while aerial maps can be instrumental in allowing for planning before breaking ground, saving precious time, money, and resources.
2. SECURE MARKETING GOLD
A drone can record images and video from exciting angles, give insight into a project from unusual perspectives, and document a construction story over time. In short, a drone will allow you to capture the progress of a project, from start to finish, easily and at a far less expense than other aerial media such as manned aircraft exercises. The captured video and images make for great marketing materials and documentation of the progress of a project for relevant stakeholders.
3. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE
With the proper training, software, and brief, a drone operator can bring huge cost savings to a construction project, increasing process efficiency from the initial site inspection to the final showcase. For example, when surveying a site, a drone can quickly offer real-time, detailed imagery and data in a way that is less complicated than using satellite imagery and less expensive than using manned aircraft. The captured data can be quickly converted into orthomosiac maps and any relevant information shared across stakeholder teams without requiring them to visit the site, saving time and money. The same goes for regular site inspections that can be conducted systematically, accurately and swiftly.
Drones are well suited to the needs of the construction industry with their flexibility and unique capabilities making them the perfect surveying and recording tools. Operated by a commercial professional, they can add significant value to any construction project. At DCG, we offer drone-driven commercial services and turnkey solutions across a wide range of industries and projects. Have a project that could use a drone? Talk to us about developing a drone solution for your needs.
How drones can help streamline big project costs.
When it comes to commercial industries, most people associate the word ‘drone’ with aerial photography and filming. But their scope is so much bigger than that. When it comes to industries like construction, gas and oil, and mining, drones can help cut costs and increase productivity.
While working with drones might require an initial investment (in hardware and training), the long-term benefits include cost-saving and streamlined project completion.
BENEFITS OF USING DRONES IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT
1. EFFICIENT OPERATING COSTS
Unlike manned aerial vehicles, drones are simple to launch and do not require a high staff complement or complicated setup and launch procedures. They can be ready to go in a short amount of time and, as long as proper training has been completed, are relatively easy to run. This makes them much cheaper and easier to operate than other types of survey and surveillance equipment.
2. A FULL BIRD’S EYE VIEW
Whatever the industry, drones have an aerial advantage – light, agile, and flexible in their approach, they are able to cover large areas or navigate awkward spaces and infrastructures quickly and completely. This means they can gather and relay hard-to-access survey information and surveillance data to a large group of stakeholders quickly and efficiently. This lowers project costs as the data is available in a much shorter amount of time than would be the case with a manned survey.
3. DATA DISTRIBUTION MADE SIMPLE
As above, drone technology allows for the distribution of data (in a variety of formats) to a large group of stakeholders who do not even have to be on the project site to work together. Project teams can review footage in real time, interpret data, and discuss the project as the drone flies, allowing them to address any project concerns in the moment, saving valuable decision-making time and unnecessary costs in the long run.
4. SAFETY FIRST
Not only do drones remove the need for human-driven inspections (thereby protecting a human workforce from unnecessary exposure to risk), they can conduct regular and thorough inspections of job sites, conduct regular site monitoring, and help ensure safety compliance.
When it comes to gaining the cutting-edge in your project work, drones can go a long way in helping to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and ensure the job gets done right. Want to bring drones into your business operations? Contact us – DCG offers a variety of drone-driven commercial services and turnkey solutions across a wide range of industries and for application in different types of projects. Talk to us about your drone needs – when it comes to commercial applications, we’re the experts.
FPV flying – what you need to know.
FPV stands for First Person Viewing and involves using a portable monitor so that you can see what your drone sees in real-time rather than trying to control it by sight. While it’s quite easy to lose sight of your drone mid-flight under normal flying circumstances, FPV allows you to fly further and faster by minimising confusion over the drone’s orientation, giving you more control overall. Plus, it’s a much more immersive experience than flying remotely.
You can buy a drone with built-in FPV technology or you can build in the tech yourself, using a video receiver, video transmitter, camera, and display (either as a remote display or goggles). FYI - if you build it yourself, you might want to consider a stronger antenna as well to give you more range without using additional power.
WANT TO KNOW MORE? TOP POINTERS FOR FPV FLYING
1. STAY LEGAL
Commercial drone flight is regulated by law. And, even with FPV, you need to be sure you can still see your drone without the use of the display unit, at all times. Also, it’s always a good idea to bring a spotter with you – someone to watch the surrounds while you watch your flight. They can be very helpful in preventing or reducing the risk of a costly crash.
2. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
As amazing as FPV is, you will need to practice flying in this mode to get it just right. You will be required to alter your depth perception and get used to looking at the world from the drone’s point of view. Practice as often as you can in safe surrounds.
3. PUT YOUR DRONE THROUGH ITS PACES
If you really want to get the best out of your drone you need to explore its capabilities in a safe and legal environment. Find yourself a wide open space, take along some drone-ready obstacles (flags and hoops work well), and practice flying through them and around them. This will help you get used to FPV flight in more challenging conditions but also allow you to make adjustments to the camera position, antenna sensitivity etc as per your unique flying needs.
Flying drones (especially for commercial purposes such as land surveying and aerial surveillance) can be effective, fun, and lucrative but you have to do it right, and always within the bounds of the law. Want to learn how to fly your commercial drone or need help implementing the use of drone technology in your organisation or industry? Have a look at our commercial services and turnkey solutions or join our managed ROC. When it comes to commercial drone flight, we’re the experts and we can help you be one too!
The role of drones in disaster management.
Over the decade, drones have taken up roles in areas and industries that were unexpected when they first started being used outside of a military space. The role of drones in disaster management is one such example.
In a world filled with man-made and natural disasters of various levels of intensity and impact, drones with their speed, efficiency, and flight capabilities, are making their mark in emergency response. A few examples include their use during the recent hurricanes in Haiti, folding in the Balkans, and earthquakes in China.
WHAT DRONES CAN DO WHEN IT COMES TO DISASTER MANAGEMENT
1. CONDUCT WIDE-RANGING ASSESSMENTS AND INSPECTIONS
With their flight and aerial photography and videography capabilities, drones are the perfect tool for surveying large areas of land such as extensive disaster zones and determining their condition and the extent of the disaster. The same goes for infrastructure – drones are able to survey potentially dangerous and unstable structures in such a way that human surveyors cannot, as well as detect hazardous chemical and gas leaks, perhaps preventing further disasters from taking place.
2. OFFER A TIMELY, EFFICIENT, AND COST-EFFECTIVE RESPONSE
Drones can be ready to fly within a very short turn-around time, are hard-wearing and durable, are able to access many hazardous or difficult spaces, and swiftly gather and report back on real-time data. And all at a much lower cost and resource allocation than manned flight operations.
3. A SAFE SURVEILLANCE OPTION
Human rescue operations, especially in areas where a disaster has just occurred, can be treacherous for first responders. Often, these teams are forced to go into a situation ‘blind’, unable to know what awaits them. Drones offer a chance to survey a site before human entry for data-gathering purposes as well as providing aerial footage and 3D maps of potential routes and target areas, saving precious time and energy in helping get emergency services to where they need to be.
4. ADVANCED SENSOR CAPABILITIES
Beyond photography and filming, drones can do so much more than just take pictures or generate maps. With their visual, thermal, LiDAR, hyperspectral and multispectral scanning capabilities, drones can be used in search and rescue missions in disaster situations such as earthquakes or landslides. Thermal sensors, for example, can be used for ‘terrain truthing’ exercises, detecting the human heat signatures vital in leading responders to trapped survivors.
When used as commercial tools in the hands of accredited and experienced professionals, drones can be an excellent aide in disaster relief operations, helping operators to execute and conduct emergency relief tasks in easier and more efficient ways, saving more time, money, resources, and, ultimately lives.
Want to know how drones can be used to assist in emergencies in your industry or learn how aerial mapping and surveying services can enhance your day-to-day operations? Talk to us. We offer a wide range of drone-driven commercial services and turnkey solutions, and have the experience and accreditation to offer you the best options without compromising on delivery or quality.
Good to know – a bit about DC Geomatic's commercial drone services.
Need help with a commercial surveying or surveillance project? As drone operators with experience across a wide range of industries, DC Geomatics can manage your drone needs (from inspections to surveys) from start to finish so that you can enjoy all the benefits of using a drone without having to worry about the logistics or the legalities.
When it comes to safety and compliance, we are licensed, insured, and approved by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), and we use only the most well-trained and accredited specialists for all our flight operations. In line with our stringent safety and compliance standards, we use specialised and accredited Health and Safety service providers and are Occupational Health and Safety compliant at all times.
OUR STANDARD COMMERCIAL SERVICES INCLUDE
1. AERIAL INSPECTIONS
Most industries carry out regular inspections of their equipment and infrastructure for safety and security purposes. Drones are perfectly suited to this work which can be dangerous for human inspectors in terms of tricky terrain and challenging environments. Our aerial inspections services include industrial inspections (such as on wind turbines, cranes, and communication towers), commercial inspections (such as on buildings, roofs, landmarks), and thermal industrial inspections (such as on stockpiles, solar panels, and silos).
2. AERIAL ASSESSMENTS
If you need to assess a large tract of land, a drone can be a cost-effective and efficient option. Drones can cover large protected areas, agricultural zones, and mining and development sites much more quickly and thoroughly than human inspectors. Our aerial assessments include infrastructure assessments (for GIS applications, insurance claims, and Google Earth overlays), environmental assessments (including scour investigations), NVDI mapping (for crop and vegetation evaluation), and progress motoring photography (for site progress monitoring).
3. AERIAL SURVEYS
Fast deployment, accuracy, and reporting make drones a perfect fit for accurate surveying and mapping applications using photogrammetry. Our aerial survey services include stockpile, topographic, as-built, strip, drainage design, portable integrated multi-beam, and single beam bathometric surveys, as well as ground penetrating radar applications.
4. LIDAR SURVEYS
Using light in the form of a pulsed laser, LiDAR is a remote sensing method that can be used to generate precise, three-dimensional models. We offer airborne drone-driven LiDAR for environmental scanning and terrestrial LiDAR for structure and terrain surveying.
If you want to implement the use of drones in your industry or learn how aerial mapping and surveying services can enhance your industrial operation, we can help! Browse our commercial services and turnkey drone surveying and mapping solutions, and let us know what your business needs.
How you can use drone thermography in your industry.
Drones are finding more place (and even more areas) in which to make an impact on the business world. They’re at the cutting edge of advances in surveillance technology and this makes them a tool worth considering in almost any commercial industry. If you fly drones as part of your business, you will already be familiar with drones for surveying, surveillance, and aerial mapping but there are so many more sectors they can be used to explore and expand.
In today’s post, we are going to look at one possible application of drone technology across different industries going forward – thermography. Thermography is the translation of thermal energy (heat) into visible light so as to analyse a particular object or scene. An aerial thermographer uses a thermal camera (such as can be attached to a drone) to measure that translation as it is happening.
FIVE INDUSTRIES THAT CAN BENEFIT FROM DRONE-DRIVEN THERMOGRAPHY:
1. POWER LINE INSPECTIONS
A failure in power lines can lead to a fire. By detecting weak points in the transmission and distribution networks, thermography can identify problem areas before a problem occurs, possibly preventing a future fire. This can be done more accurately and quickly (as well as in a more cost-effective manner) than with a manual operation.
2. FIRE FIGHTING
Thermography can be used to pick up heat signals not visible to the naked eye. This can be useful in locating fire victims in a forest or house fire where visibility is low, as well as check whether there are any ‘hot spots’ still active after a fire has been put out. In this way, drone thermography can help speed up rescue missions and keep fire fighters safe.
3. ROOF INSPECTIONS
Thermography can be used to perform a safe and swift audit of any building or structure, residential or commercial, to discover whether there is heat loss or excessive heat in certain places. Identifying (and then fixing) areas where energy loss is high can be valuable in saving business’s time and money.
4. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS OR ENVIRONMENT INSPECTIONS
Where human inspectors cannot go, drones can. Drones using thermography-driven technology can be used to gather real-time data on spills and potentially dangerous situations before special teams are sent in to clean up.
5. SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS
The search for missing persons, especially in the wild, needs to be fast, efficient, and expansive. With their surveillance capabilities, drones can offer just that and more. With thermography, they afford the operator the opportunity to search for an individual’s heat signature, making to easier to find them even if they are injured or unable to call out for help.
When it comes to surveillance, inspection, and data gathering, drones offer a whole new dimension to many industrial activities. Keen to implement aerial mapping and surveying services in your business? Talk to us! Through our commercial services and turnkey drone surveying and mapping solutions, our innovative range of technologies and solutions can make drone technology a reality in your business.
Three big ways drones are impacting commercial operations
For a number of different industries, including construction, agriculture, engineering and mining, everything changed when drones started to replace traditional methods used to survey, map and assess infrastructure and stretches of land. The biggest changes? Relevant business operations became cheaper and safer to carry out, and the accuracy of the data collected improved. Here we further explore these three ways that Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are positively impacting commercial processes and operations.
THREE IMPORTANT FORESTRY APPLICATIONS FOR DRONE TECHNOLOGY
1. PLANTATION PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
Owing to a drone’s ability to capture high-definition imagery of large tracts of land, UAV technology can easily be used to assess an area prior to planting and return information on factors like property size, boundary location, wood species and angles of slopes. This data can then be used to generate effective action plans. Similarly, drones also make the job of managing large plantations much simpler – they can be sent out to monitor tree height and volume, evaluate damage after a storm, assess the need for thinning and track growth and plant conditions over time. By doing critical assessments from the air, drones remove the need for humans to explore area on foot, which improves the safety of the workforce.
2. PLANT HEALTH ASSESSMENTS AND MANAGEMENT
To properly manage and care for forests, it’s critical that arborists and landowners pick up on pest infestations and disease outbreaks as soon as possible so they can be adequately treated and eradicated. Drone technology makes this much easier, too. UAVs equipped with multispectral cameras can be used to identify harmful bugs, disease and weeds in a very short timeframe. Armed with this information, forestry professionals can then plan appropriate interventions and save trees from major damage.
3. FOREST FIRE CONTROL
Wildfires pose a significant threat to forests, and if they’re not suppressed quickly, can wipe out hundreds of acres of vegetation within a matter of hours. While it’s difficult to prevent a fire in the first place, drones fitted with thermal cameras can be deployed within minutes to help firefighters identify the source of a blaze and to patrol the perimeter of a burn. As drone thermography can pick up heat signals that are not visible to the naked eye, it’s invaluable in assisting with the detection of hotspots that remain after a fire has been suppressed and that could easily flare up again. On a related note, drones can also be used to gather information about locations where power lines and trees are too close together, resulting in a potential fire hazard.
Laws for the commercial use of drones: a recap
Drones have had an extremely positive impact on commercial operations across a range of industries, including mining, engineering and construction – not only have they lowered and streamlined project costs, but they’ve also made working conditions safer for staff and improved the accuracy of surveys, inspections and assessments. Naturally, though, as UAVs have been put to work in more and more fields, so the laws governing their use have tightened, motivated mainly by concerns around safety and privacy.
Today, to legally operate a drone for commercial purposes, a pilot has to abide by a lengthy list of rules, and failure to do so could result in imprisonment and/or the issuance of hefty fines. Here, we recap some of the most important regulations for your benefit.
REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE USE OF DRONES FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES
APPROVALS AND CERTIFICATIONS
Before anyone can fly a drone for business reasons, they must:
Apply for a Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) letter of approval from the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) and officially register every UAV being used for commercial gain.
Make sure their drones are fitted with an altimeter that displays the altitude and height of the UAV above ground level.
Complete the tests and training necessary to obtain a valid Remote Pilot Licence (RPL) in the relevant category.
Apply for and acquire a valid RPAS Operator Certificate (ROC) and an Air Services Licence issued in terms of the Air Services Licensing Act.
Take out valid third-party liability insurance for drone operations.
2. RECORDS AND DOCUMENTATION
Record-keeping is central to the legal use of drones for commercial purposes. All holders of an ROC and RPL must:
Keep a pilot logbook where all flight time, instrument time and instruction time is recorded.
Develop an operations manual that states the type and scope of drone operations to be conducted and outlines, among other things, the processes that will be followed to identify risks and hazards and maintain an acceptable level of safety.
3. MAINTENANCE
Drone operators are required by law to maintain and regularly inspect their equipment as per manufacturer’s instructions. A maintenance programme must be developed and a logbook must be kept with a record of all the work carried out on a UAV and its components.
4. OPERATIONS
Unless special approval is obtained, a drone operator is not allowed to:
Fly a drone in weather conditions that might prevent him or her from maintaining visual contact with the UAV.
Release, drop, dispense or deliver an object or substance using a drone.
Operate a drone in controlled or restricted airspace, within 10km of an aerodrome, adjacent to or above a nuclear power plant, prison, crime scene, police station or SANParks reserve.
Fly a UAV within a lateral distance of 50m from any person, structure, building or public road.
Operate a drone that doesn’t have enough fuel or electrical charge to complete a flight, plus a reserve of at least 10%.
Fly a drone unless a first aid kit and hand-held fire extinguisher are available at the remote pilot station and within 300m of the take-off and landing points.
Needless to say, getting all your ducks in a row so you can legally fly a drone is a complex, time-consuming and costly process. Generally, it makes more sense to join a managed ROC or hire a reputable company that’s already licensed and approved by SACAA. On the hunt for one? Talk to us at DC Geomatics. We offer customised drone solutions and services to a range of industries and are fully compliant with all the rules and regulations governing the commercial use of UAVs.
Key differences between hobby and commercial drones.
These days, drones are everyone’s best friend. For everyday consumers, they are a wonderful opportunity to capture striking images and footage for social feeds. For professionals in a range of industries, they’re a way to enhance productivity, improve staff safety and reduce costs.
As UAVs’ uses have diversified, so their technology has evolved to meet different needs – today, there’s a smorgasbord of different options on the market, some geared towards hobbyists and others towards commercial operators. The question is, how do you tell the difference? It’s an important distinction to make, particularly if you need a drone for business purposes and don’t want to wind up investing in equipment that’s better suited to leisure uses.
To help you distinguish between the two main categories of UAVs, we’ve outlined some of the key differences between hobby and commercial drones below.
HOW TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN CONSUMER- AND INDUSTRIAL-GRADE DRONE MODELS
1. VERSATILITY AND CUSTOMISATION
Hobby drones are not intended for multiple purposes – they’re made for leisure and entertainment alone. As a result, they’re not designed to be multifunctional or to carry a range of different systems, sensors and accessories. Commercial drones, on the other hand, typically feature an open payload platform and can be fitted with distinct types of equipment and tailored to different uses, from mapping and surveillance to inspections and the delivery of goods. If a drone is fairly limited in terms of what it can do, it’s probably meant for hobbyists; conversely, if it can be easily customised and applied to different needs, it’s a better choice for business applications. To get a good feel for what a particular UAV is capable of, take a look at its list of features – you should quickly be able to see whether it’s built for flexibility or simply intended for basic aerial image capturing.
2. PRECISION AND IMAGE ACCURACY
While many hobby drones come with integrated cameras, the build and functionality of this equipment is not always ideally suited to capturing the highly accurate, detailed images required for commercial mapping purposes. Photographs aren’t always taken at exactly the right moment, image quality is occasionally compromised, and it’s often difficult to ascertain the GPS coordinates of captured images. If precision is key to a successful operation, as it is in so many industries, then it’s essential that you invest in an industrial-grade drone with the right degree of camera integration.
3. ROBUSTNESS
How often do hobbyists make use of their drones? Probably not every day, multiple times a day. It’s therefore not necessary for consumer UAVs to be as robust and durable as commercial UAVs. It is, however, critical that industrial-grade drones can endure daily use in all sorts of environments, and so their construction reflects this need. Another important difference is that manufacturers of commercial models typically give ongoing support and assist with maintenance and repairs; hobby drone suppliers typically won’t do the same.
Top tips for improving the accuracy of your drone maps.
No matter what you want to use your drone maps for, everyone should want to make their maps as accurate as possible so the data can be depended on. There are some simple, concrete ways to improve the accuracy of your drone maps and even take them to an advanced level for commercial use in agriculture, mining, construction and more. To see which other industries we specialise in.
HERE ARE OUR TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR DRONE MAP ACCURACY
1. KNOW THE DISTANCE
Before you can even start using your drone for mapping, you need to know the level of detail required to achieve the project results you’re looking for. You need to calculate your ground sampling distance and then plan the drone flights accordingly. Make sure to double check before you begin, as this will hugely affect accuracy in the long run.
2. CHECK THE WEATHER
It might sound obvious, but it’s best to fly when the sun is highest in the sky and there are no rolling clouds or strong winds. Many drones, especially the lighter models, can’t withstand strong winds so your drone imagery may come out blurry or with a poor quality. In the same way, clouds will create shadows and inconsistent light that won’t portray an accurate depiction of what is being mapped.
3. MAKE SURE YOU’RE USING HIGH QUALITY CAMERAS
To improve accuracy, you need to increase the resolution of your images by using cameras with powerful sensors. Not sure you have what you need? At DC Geomatics we offer drone services for all your project requirements, including achieving detailed and accurate maps.
4. LOWER YOUR ALTITUDE
The lower you fly, the more details you’re able to capture, and therefore the more data points you have to work with. This is crucial if you want to get an accurate map that demonstrates what is really being photographed.
5. TRY USING A CAMERA WITH A MECHANICAL SHUTTER
If you’ve had problems in the past with your images looking warped, it may be because you were using a drone with a rolling shutter which can cause the camera-object relation to change before the full image is recorded. With a mechanical shutter the sensor records all the lines of the frames simultaneously, rather than line by line, improving image quality and therefore the overall accuracy of the map.
These are our suggested ways to improve the precision of your drone maps, but if it all seems a bit confusing, then please get in touch to chat further!
Ways to get the best of out of your drone when using it for agricultural mapping.
The introduction of drones has completely transformed the world of agriculture in so many amazing ways. Don’t let your drone go to waste, and learn to use it to its maximum abilities. We’ve got the best ways to get the most out of your drone for agricultural mapping, and we’re agricultural experts, so trust us.
FOUR DRONE TIPS FOR AGRICULTURAL MAPPING
1. GET MORE INFORMATION IN LESS TIME
Rather than using the traditional growlers to walk the fields on foot or by tractor to manually evaluate the crops, drones are there to make things easier! Use your drone in its entirety by making sure its being used to scout farms quickly and efficiently. No matter the time or place, a drone can be activated in a matter of minutes to solve problems with crops or resolve any queries farmers may have. Find out more about aerial assessments here.
2. FIND OUT ABOUT CROP HEALTH AND HOW TO IMPROVE IT
The use of drones means they can fly over a large piece of land and collect various data about each plant using their sensors. Drones create a vegetation index which means farmers are immediately able to see which crops aren’t receiving enough sunlight or aren’t looking healthy enough.
3. CREATE FERTILIZER INFORMATION MAPS
Another way to get the most out of your drone is to use it for fertilizer information. Drones use high-tech sensors to create satellite maps that show where phosphorous or nitrogen might be needed, or where there are parts of land that have an excess of nutrients. This means fertilizer is only applied where it’s needed the most, and not applied to the areas that don’t need it. Farmers can farm more efficiently and ultimately increase production and higher yields.
4. INCREASING WATER OPTIMIZATION
Especially if you’re in a drier area of the world, drones can assist hugely in avoiding water wastage. Thermal cameras are able to detect the wetter and drier areas of land and farmers are able to use this data to adjust field irrigation and avoid wasting water.
Drones are a costly investment; so don’t let yours go to waste. Get the maximum benefits from your drone in agriculture by following our pointers above. If you want to use drones in this way but don’t own your own, get in touch with us and use one of ours!
Ways in which drones can help improve mine safety
As a mining engineer or manager, mine safety is, no doubt, one of your top priorities. Anyone who works in this sector can attest: this is a particularly dangerous field, with workers subject to both ongoing health hazards and the constant risk of accidents, like cave-ins, floods and explosions.
The good news is, advances in drone technology and UAV industries have the potential to make a big difference in this area. Already used in the mining profession, and many other industries, for the purposes of mapping, scanning and surveying, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are also an efficient and cost-effective way to mitigate dangers and manage risks on site. Below we take a look at how drones are currently being used to improve safety at mine sites.
FOUR WAYS DRONES HELP TO IMPROVE SAFETY IN THE MINING INDUSTRY
1. PRE-WORK ASSESSMENT AND HAZARD IDENTIFICATION
Before work commences on a new mining site, it is critical that the entire area is inspected for existing or potential threats to employees’ safety. Traditionally, such inspections would be carried out by human safety experts, sometimes using helicopters to cover expansive ranges – a costly, dangerous and time-consuming method of evaluation. Drone technology, however, makes assessing a wide area quick and easy, while also improving the accuracy of the results and lowering the costs involved. UAVs can also easily access cramped, remote parts of mines that human inspectors could never reach or evaluate accurately. Similarly, drone technology can assist with real-time data collection to ensure that a particular zone is clear before blasting takes place.
2. ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR HUMAN-LED STOCKPILE SURVEYS
Regularly measuring the volume, height and density of stockpiles is an important part of a mine’s operations, but the task typically requires a surveyor to work on foot and climb steep slopes and other high-risk structures to get the job done. With drone technology, mines can survey stockpiles across a large site with great speed and precision without having to put human lives at risk. Customised drones can generate highly accurate aerial maps to visualise and verify stock on hand, and because this method is so swift and cost-effective, it means inspections can be carried out far more regularly than before.
3. DETECTING FIRE HAZARDS AND GAS LEAKS
The latest drone technology can also be used to pick up problem areas before they turn into full-scale disasters. Using aerial thermal cameras and the practice of thermography, mines can measure heat patterns and detect abnormal activity and failures in electrical systems, thereby preventing possible fires. In the same way, recent advancements in drone technology, including UAV-attached methane gas sensors, can be used to detect gas leaks in mines that could potentially lead to poisoning or explosions. Needless to say, the regular use of these applications plays an important role in maintaining safe conditions for mine workers.
4. CRISIS MANAGEMENT
If a disaster does occur, obtaining real-time information about the situation as quickly as possible can help to save lives and prevent further damage. By deploying camera-equipped drones to the site of a crisis, mining engineers and emergency personnel can survey the area, including hazardous or hard-to-reach spaces, and collect invaluable data that’ll help them plan a rescue/recovery strategy and map out safe routes to target areas. And they can do all this while improving the accuracy of inspection and reducing the costs involved in manned flight operations.
At the end of the day, drone technology is a must for mining managers and personnel looking to improve working conditions and protect their employees. At DC Geomatics, we provide cutting-edge drone services supported by the security of full accreditation, compliance and expertise for your every need.
Four ways drones are being used in environmental sustainability
It feels like every time we blink another use has been pioneered for drone technology. Owing to their speed, low operating cost and data capture capabilities, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being used to film, photograph, survey, inspect and map areas and situations across a range of different industries, including mining, construction, civil engineering, oil and gas operations, media and entertainment.
And now, they’re being put to work by organisations invested in environmental sustainability, too. That’s right, drones are now also helping to save the planet. How, you might be wondering? We’ve outlined a few ways that these ‘eyes in the sky’ are being used to bolster green initiatives in the fields of renewable energy, nature conservation, air quality control and agriculture below.
FOUR WAYS DRONES ARE HELPING TO PROTECT THE PLANET
1.SOLAR FARM AND WIND TURBINE INSPECTIONS
It didn’t take long for those involved in the renewable energy sector to cotton on to the many benefits if drone technology when it comes to the maintenance of solar and wind farms. UAVs fitted with thermal imaging cameras can be flown over extensive farm areas to identify problematic solar panels based on infrared radiation patterns, removing the need for engineers to manually inspect units. Similarly, the manual inspection of wind turbine power cables and blades is rendered unnecessary by drones, which use 3D imaging and real-time videos to send back critical information about the state of these structures so that sound maintenance decisions can be made.
2. NATURE AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Drones have already been used to track rhino poachers and whale hunters, to limit the impact of forest fires and to monitor melting ice in the Arctic. Because they can be flown at fairly low altitudes over huge stretches of otherwise inaccessible land (think uninhabited rainforests and vast deserts), UAVs are the ultimate tool for monitoring species’ whereabouts and movements and for assessing issues, like deforestation, that pose a direct threat to our planet’s natural resources. With the crystal-clear images and detailed maps that drones generate, pilots are able to obtain data that informs both significant scientific research and critical conservation efforts.
3. AIR QUALITY CONTROL
Yet another eco-focused use of drones involves the monitoring of gases and emissions in the air. Using advanced sensors, UAVs are equipped to map air quality over areas of interest and detect pollution far more accurately than the technology that’s historically been used for emissions control. It goes without saying, this sort of data can go a long way towards helping regulate industrial activities that negatively impact the environment. What’s more, drone technology is now also capable of picking up methane gas and other leaks at mining sites and detecting air pollutants that don’t just wreak havoc on the environment, but can lead to poisoning and explosions, too.
4. PRECISION AGRICULTURE AND RESOURCE OPTIMISATION
Aside from their crop mapping and plant health monitoring applications in the world of agriculture, drones also help to make farming a much more resource-efficient endeavour. As they use no fuel and tread very lightly (or rather, not at all) on the earth, UAVs help to reduce farming’s carbon footprint and the negative impact it can potentially have on the surrounding landscape. And because drones allow for new, far more precise ways of spraying crops based on needs assessments, they assist with lowering the amount of fertilizer that’s released into the air by up to 20%. UAVs can even help to minimise water wastage in agriculture by using thermal cameras to detect which areas of land require more or less irrigation.
Passionate about environmental sustainability? Find out more about how drones can be put to use in this field by connecting with us. At DC Geomatics, we offer a wide range of both commercial and turnkey drone services to an assortment of different industries, and because safety and compliance are of the utmost importance to us, we are licensed, insured and approved by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).
The benefits of drones for precision agriculture
Of all the many industries that have benefitted from advancements in drone technology, agriculture has to be one of the most notable. In many ways, drones have completely revolutionised the way farmers operate, allowing them to quickly and affordably map, monitor and manage huge areas of land from the air.
UAVs also play an important role in improving the efficiency of agricultural operations. By providing farmers with detailed data and key insights that can be used to inform critical decisions, drones help those in the agricultural business to maximise their output (and the quality thereof) while minimising inputs (like water and pesticides) and damage to the environment. Here are just a few of the benefits that UAVs have in the realm of precision agriculture, also known as “smart farming”.
FOUR BENEFITS OF DRONES FOR PRECISION AGRICULTURE
1.BETTER PLANNING AND PLANTING
Drones are capable of generating detailed 3D maps of fields that can be used to analyse soil quality, texture and moisture content, and detect erosion hazards – all factors that can impact the yield of a crop. This information is then used to better plan the layout of agricultural grounds and optimise planting and seeding rate, so that farmers ultimately enjoy a larger, healthier harvest.
2. IMPROVED CROP HEALTH MANAGEMENT
Whereas in the past, crop evaluation would have to be done manually, on foot or from a tractor, or via expensive satellite technology, drones now make it possible to assess the health of vegetation in a matter of minutes from the sky. Time-lapse drone photography, for example, can be used to monitor the growth and development of yields very precisely over several days or weeks, and drone-driven NDVI mapping, which uses specialised sensors, is extremely useful for analysing chlorophyll levels; detecting insects, pests and disease; identifying weeds; and measuring plant stress levels. Armed with this information, farmers are then well equipped to tackle challenges timeously and make necessary adjustments as and when they’re required to ensure increased production. It essentially means that growers can be much more responsive to the ever-changing needs of their crops.
3. RESOURCE-EFFICIENT SPRAYING
Another benefit of drones for precision agriculture pertains to the appropriate and efficient use of fertilisers. Using advanced sensing technology, UAVs can identify precisely where additional nutrients are required, so that they can be applied only in the areas they’re most needed. Drones are also very effective sprayers themselves, and are adept at releasing just the right quantity of plant food at just the right time, successfully reducing the amount of fertilizer that’s released by up to 20%. This not only lowers agricultural costs but also prevents unnecessary damage to the environment.
4. REDUCED WATER WASTAGE
Water is a precious commodity that’s central to the success of all farming efforts, so it’s important that it’s used wisely. Enter drone thermography, which uses thermal sensors to generate an image that outlines moisture content across the land. With this data in hand, informed decisions can be made about irrigation processes to ensure that those sections of the farm that require more water get what they need and those parts that are already quite wet aren’t overwatered.
At the end of the day, drones help to make farming a much more exact science through the above benefits. At DC Geomatics we offer customised drone solutions and services to farmers and those in a range of other industries, and we’d be happy to discuss the various ways in which UAV technology could help streamline and improve your operations.