
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


This week the Geoholics crew sits down with Rob Cammack — entrepreneur, builder, and CEO/Founder of SmartDrone — a guy who’s basically been innovating since most of us were trading baseball cards. From launching businesses as a kid to founding and selling multiple companies, Rob brings that rare mix of grit, vision, and “there’s gotta be a better way” thinking that our industry desperately needs.
We dive headfirst into the origin story behind Magellan, the first “No Drone Expert Required” LiDAR drone — and why it’s flipping the script on how survey firms adopt technology. No six-figure science projects. No “drone guy risk.” Just practical robotics that turn everyday crews into productivity machines.
But this episode isn’t just about hardware — it’s about mindset.
Rob talks:
-Building companies (and selling them) without losing your soul
-Removing friction so surveyors can focus on surveying
-Why LiDAR is the great unlock for mapping pros stuck in camera-only workflows
-How robotics can upgrade people, not replace them
-What “world-class talent” really looks like in a tech-driven survey company
-And where the surveying industry is headed in the next 5–10 years
It’s equal parts leadership, innovation, and straight-up field practicality — the kind of conversation that makes you rethink how your team operates Monday morning.
If you care about LiDAR, drones, scaling your survey operations, or building a future-proof business…
Because sometimes innovation isn’t about flying higher…it’s about making it simple enough that everyone can fly.
Music by The Killers!
By thegeoholics4.8
3636 ratings
This week the Geoholics crew sits down with Rob Cammack — entrepreneur, builder, and CEO/Founder of SmartDrone — a guy who’s basically been innovating since most of us were trading baseball cards. From launching businesses as a kid to founding and selling multiple companies, Rob brings that rare mix of grit, vision, and “there’s gotta be a better way” thinking that our industry desperately needs.
We dive headfirst into the origin story behind Magellan, the first “No Drone Expert Required” LiDAR drone — and why it’s flipping the script on how survey firms adopt technology. No six-figure science projects. No “drone guy risk.” Just practical robotics that turn everyday crews into productivity machines.
But this episode isn’t just about hardware — it’s about mindset.
Rob talks:
-Building companies (and selling them) without losing your soul
-Removing friction so surveyors can focus on surveying
-Why LiDAR is the great unlock for mapping pros stuck in camera-only workflows
-How robotics can upgrade people, not replace them
-What “world-class talent” really looks like in a tech-driven survey company
-And where the surveying industry is headed in the next 5–10 years
It’s equal parts leadership, innovation, and straight-up field practicality — the kind of conversation that makes you rethink how your team operates Monday morning.
If you care about LiDAR, drones, scaling your survey operations, or building a future-proof business…
Because sometimes innovation isn’t about flying higher…it’s about making it simple enough that everyone can fly.
Music by The Killers!

229,631 Listeners

30,715 Listeners

14,369 Listeners

62,807 Listeners

422 Listeners

82,291 Listeners

22 Listeners