Remotely Piloted System
Get a birds-eye view for your business
From Aerial surveys for Agriculture, Engineering inspections, Geo-magnetic surveys, Photography and videos to Security surveillance
Security
Surveillance
Surveying and
Mapping
Themal Inspections
and Analysis
Engineering
Inspections
Agriculture
Surveys
Professional Drone Services
Unmanned aerial systems, or commonly referred to as UAV, drones or RPAS – Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems, have become an integral part of various industries across South Africa. The list of uses for drones has evolved in recent years and something that used to be a hobby has been employed to provide professional services.
Professional uses for drones include, but is not limited to:
- Surveys
- Inspections
- Rescue missions
- Professional photography and videography
- Thermal imaging
- Aerial surveying for maps
- Uses in agricultural surveys and mapping
- Wildlife monitoring
- Security and safety
- Environmental Monitoring and several other uses.
Drone Security
With rapid developments in drone technology, aerial drone services can be used to increase security. This also ensures a variety of benefits, including but not limited to:
- Security solutions that are automated.
- Rapid deployment.
- Real-time communication as video feedback is live and streamed.
- Advanced imaging capabilities as drones make use of sophisticated, high-quality cameras.
- Drones can reach areas that helicopters, and land-bound security crews may have difficulty gaining access to.
- The cost of using drones for security is far less than hiring helicopters and/or other personnel.
Drone Surveillance
Drones that serve surveillance purposes are equipped with sophisticated imaging tools which provide the drone pilot with detailed photographs and videos of:
- People
- Terrain
- Vehicles
- Buildings, and more
These drones are specifically designed to undertake certain surveillance projects which cannot be undertaken efficiently by other methods of monitoring. However, there are stringent laws in place as surveillance drones often pose a threat to privacy and national security if not monitored and managed.
Thermal Drone Inspections
Thermal drone cameras make use of either medium and/or long wave infrared radiation that cannot pass through glass and thus reflects infrared radiation. Due to this, the lenses of the cameras positioned on such drones are made from Germanium, allowing infrared radiation to pass through easily.
Thermal cameras can detect defects that are otherwise hidden in addition to recording the thermal radiation of objects inspected. These defects are identified on the bases of the difference between the surface of the object or building, and the experience of the operator.
Drones can easily access terrain that is inaccessible to humans and aircraft and while more traditional survey methods use meticulous measurement, preparation, and planning, drones speed up the process while remaining accurate.
Some of the advantages of making use of drones in surveying include:
- Improved resolution. With helicopters and airplanes taking aerial videos as well as pictures, drones have the upper hand that they can fly at lower altitudes, thus the pictures and videos captured are sharper and of a higher resolution. Furthermore, this allows for increased accuracy of information. Images that have greater detail allow for improved decision-making.
- Access to the inaccessible. Trained and professional drone pilots have experience in gathering information that it is needed quickly. Drones can collect information and be back at base in a fraction of the time it would take human crews.
- Safety of survey crews. There is danger in sending crews to areas that have rough, uneven terrain, cliffs, embankments, and numerous other territories, with injuries that could occur without warning. Using a drone allows for a close-up aerial view and ensures the safety of crews.
- Results which are cost-effective. Having an accurate survey done need not cost a substantial amount of money. The ability to survey various areas using fewer staff members, in less time, with accurate results, provides excellent value to companies that use it.
Drone Survey and Aerial Survey
The ability to conduct surveys by making use of drones offers GIS professionals with an array of benefits. When using a drone, topographic surveys can be done with the reassurance that it is of the same quality as that collected by more conventional methods, but in a fraction of the time.
The drone captures aerial data with downward-facing sensors using RGB, multispectral cameras, and Lidar payloads. The data captured can be fed through photogrammetry software which creates a geo-referenced orthomosaic, elevation model, or a 3D model of the area projected.
Unlike aircraft that must be manned, or satellite imagery, drones can fly at lower altitude. This ensures that high-resolution, high-accuracy data can be generated faster and at lower costs.
As drones become more popular for commercial use, surveying and mapping industries are also experiencing the benefits of using drones. Surveys provide critical information which makes decision making more informed, whether it is site planning, the design and upkeep of infrastructure, or to delineate cadastral property boundaries.
With their ability to capture overhead data, drones have been integrated
into surveying workflows effortlessly and efficiently. They are being
used to perform land surveys, photogrammetry, 3D mapping, topographic
surveys, and several more.
Drone Engineering Inspections
With drones, inspections of infrastructure, industrial operations, and construction sites can be done more accurately and safely, with the drone’s camera acting as the inspector’s eyes. With a drone, visual data can be collected and reviewed in detail by an inspectorat a later stage.
Aerial Photography
With drone technology, high-quality and high-resolution aerial photography is more straightforward and accessible for private, commercial, and professional use.
Drones are capturing images of areas that are inaccessible for land-bound photographers and even aircraft such as helicopters, all attributed to their smaller size and ability to be navigated in and through small spaces.
Reasons why more people are making use of drones for personal, commercial, and professional aerial photography:
- Drones provide photos from a unique and interesting perspective.
- Drones can access hard-to-reach areas.
- Drones are great for business across all industries.
- Drones can take action shots with little effort.
- Drones inspire creativity and innovation.
- The possibilities are truly endless, even more so with drone technology evolving rapidly.
Legal Drone Operator
With the increase in drone usage in South Africa, it is imperative to know where the law stands on such matters. According to the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), flying drones in South Africa is legal, however, there are specific drone regulations in place to effectively manage this.
To fly a drone for professional and/or commercial use, a CAA approved and valid remote pilot license along with an approval letter to operate the drone is needed.
Before such a license can be issued, the required valid and accredited training,which is necessary to become a legal drone operator, must be obtained.
A pilot can only legally operate under a company that has a registered ROC (RPAS Operating Certificate) with CAA and ASL (Air Services License) with the Department of Transport.
