Three ways drones can be used in forestry operations.

The list of uses for drone technology appears to be growing almost daily. We’ve already taken a look at how UAVs are being employed to improve operations in mining, agriculture and construction, but of late they’ve also received a lot of attention in the forestry sector. Why? Because like in other industries, drones have proven to be particularly beneficial when it comes to reducing costs and improving the accuracy of assessments and surveys in the tree management industry, too.

The list of uses for drone technology appears to be growing almost daily. We’ve already taken a look at how UAVs are being employed to improve operations in mining, agriculture and construction, but of late they’ve also received a lot of attention in the forestry sector. Why? Because like in other industries, drones have proven to be particularly beneficial when it comes to reducing costs and improving the accuracy of assessments and surveys in the tree management industry, too.

Here are just three of the many ways drones are currently being used on a large scale in forestry 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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

THREE WAYS DRONES ARE RESHAPING THE COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPE

1. IMPROVED SAFETY

   Commercial activities like pipeline surveys, building inspections and stockpile assessments traditionally required humans to work at dizzying heights, navigate dangerous scaffolding and travel over hazardous, uneven terrain, often on foot. This exposes employees to major risks that are sometimes life-threatening. But drones can be operated from the safety of the ground and are equipped to gather even more detailed information than a human ever could – in this way, they completely remove the need for businesses to put staff in perilous situations. What’s more, as UAVs don’t use fuel or release toxic fumes, they are also safer for the environment. 

2. REDUCED COSTS

   There are a number of different ways in which drones help to lower and streamline big project costs. For one, they don’t require a high staff complement, and they’re also significantly cheaper to operate than conventional equipment and transport options, like overland vehicles and manned aircrafts. Plus, they’re quick to deploy and guarantee fast turnaround times, so they can save a company significant amounts by boosting productivity and simplifying traditionally complex, labour-intensive processes. It’s also worth noting that because inspections can be carried out much more regularly with UAVs, it’s easier to pick up minor issues early on before they become costly problems.

3. IMPROVED ACCURACY

   Human inspectors and surveyors are prone to human error. They’re also not physically capable of accessing every crevice in a geographic area or viewing infrastructure from every single angle. Drones, on the other hand, can get into hard-to-reach areas and are equipped to capture ultra-high-resolution stills, videos and infrared images using state-of-the-art technology. As UAVs can also fly much lower than manned aircraft, they can collect very precise, detailed data that can be shared in real time with key stakeholders, thereby significantly enhancing important decision-making processes.

Of course, to save costs and time and improve safety and accuracy in commercial endeavours, it’s critical that drones are operated by experienced, licensed pilots. If you’d like to learn more about how UAVs can streamline your commercial operations, contact a professional, like us at DC Geomatics. Not only are we insured and approved by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), but we’re also committed to providing a high-quality, cost-effective service to a wide range of different industries.