Working With Drones

Published March 2, 2018

Our guest is Mauricio Ortiz, who is the Owner of Aeromao!  As a Canadian leader in fixed-wing UAV manufacturing, they have exported to more than 45 countries in less than 4 years! The biggest standout features for these drones is the long flight time, ability to carry multiple sensors, and the affordability when compared to other units of similar spec on the market.  I’ve been following Aeromao for a few years now and I’ve noticed how quickly they have grown.  It was great to catch up with Mauricio and hear about his latest UAV adventures, including a trip to the Maldives!

 

Some of the topics covered in this podcast episode:

* What types of drone jobs do your clients execute?

* International drone experiences

* Multiple camera payloads

* Using the parachute landing

* 3 hour flights, Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS)

Enjoy!

Mike Morellato is the lead author and founder of WorkingWithDrones.com.  He works with drones and their data at Strategic in Campbell River, BC (Canada). 

Published January 30, 2018

Our guest is Bill Gaylord, who is a President and CEO at AirData UAV!  Formerly called HealthyDrones, AirData provides UAV pilots and fleet operators with innovative flight data analytics for preventive maintenance, regulatory reporting, general aircraft health, and flight performance.  I started using AirData’s cloud service recently and have been a big fan of it, so I wanted to get Bill on the podcast to discuss it in more detail.  Over 4,000,000 flights have been loaded into their cloud-based platform from over 195 countries to date. It was great to learn more about this tool that helps to manage the various levels of data that come from a commercial drone operation and to assist with reporting and maintenance.  

Some of the topics covered in this podcast episode:

* What does AirData do for the average drone user?

* Saving time by managing your drone data more efficiently

* How AirData helps with maintenance and reporting

* Types of data (spatial and non-spatial) that can be realized

* Functionality on AirData’s roadmap

Enjoy!

Mike Morellato is the lead author and founder of WorkingWithDrones.com.  He works with drones and their data at Strategic in Campbell River, BC (Canada). 

Published November 6, 2017

Our guest is Jason Hagon, who is a Director at GeoDrone Survey!  With a geospatial background from the University of Aberdeen and ongoing research efforts with the UAS Centre for Environmental Monitoring and Mapping (UCEMM), Jason began GeoDrone survey along with his partner Jonathan Adams in 2016, and have seen some great early success.  Their drone mapping efforts have included a flight mission on an archaeological site in Morocco as part of the Trans-Sahara Project, which we discuss in detail during this episode, among other items.

Some of the topics covered in this podcast episode:

* Drones and archaeology

* Structure from Motion (SfM) methods

* Advice from a startup founder 

* Challenges of operating UAVs internationally

* Flight planning considerations

Enjoy!

Mike Morellato is the lead author and founder of WorkingWithDrones.com.  He works with drones and their data at Strategic in Campbell River, BC (Canada). 

Published August 31, 2017

Our guest is Joel Kaiser, who is an International Project Director with WeRobotics!  With over 15 years of experience in humanitarian aid and disaster response, he has now shifted his focus into the integration of drones to assist in these areas.  I’m glad that I didn’t have to go more than ten episodes to dive into this subsector of UAV work, as it is an area that I’ve been interested in for years now. Joel is originally from Canada and is now residing in Switzerland, with his work taking him all over the globe.

Some of the topics covered in this podcast episode:

* “Robotics for good” initiatives

* Flying labs, and empowering the locals

* UAVs and disaster response

* How drones are being used in the Amazon rainforest

* Challenges and wins in this subsector

Enjoy!

Mike Morellato is the lead author and founder of WorkingWithDrones.com.  He works with drones and their data at Strategic in Campbell River, BC (Canada). 

Published August 9, 2017

Our guest is Briton Voorhees, who is a Sales Engineer at Sensefly!  Since I began the podcast, I knew it was just a matter of time before I had a chat with someone from Sensefly, since they have been a mainstay in the sUAS space for a number of years now.  Briton joins us from Washington, DC where he resides now after working with a number of geospatial technologies in both Texas and California. We discuss the company’s UAVs, how they have evolved over time, and where things are heading within the UAV sector.  With Briton’s UAV background focusing on advancing data products, it was great to hear his take on the industry trends and hear more about the latest in drone tech at Sensefly.

Some of the topics covered in this podcast episode:

* Sensefly’s fixed wing and multirotor drones

* The latest in the sUAS space

* Ground control and onboard RTK technology

* The evolution of Sensefly over the last 5 years

* Mapping in Antarctica with drones, and other interesting examples

Enjoy!

Mike Morellato is the lead author and founder of WorkingWithDrones.com.  He works with drones and their data at Strategic in Campbell River, BC (Canada). 

Published July 11, 2017

Our guest is Peter Seeley, a photogrammetrist with 30 years of experience in the industry!  Photogrammetry is such an integral part of commercial UAV work today, and allows for the high value data products that countless drone companies deliver to clients. While working with Strategic here on Vancouver Island, I was speaking with a colleague about some of the more technical photogrammetry questions that come up when I’m processing drone imagery.  He recommended that I get in touch with Peter Seeley, who I was eventually introduced to.  We were able to connect, and with over 30 years of experience in photogrammetry beginning in his homeland of Scotland, he has some great insights to share.

Some of the topics covered in this podcast episode:

* How photogrammetry relates to the current drone boom

* Details on ground control points and why they are important

* Imagery resolution versus Ground Sample Distance (GSD)

* The evolution of photogrammetry over the years

* Structure from Motion (SfM) discussion and the drone industry

Enjoy!

Mike Morellato is the lead author and founder of WorkingWithDrones.com.  He works with drones and their data at Strategic in Campbell River, BC (Canada). 

Our guest is Kate Kienapple at Coastal Drone Co!  It was great to catch up with Kate who has a background as a commercial pilot and years of experience in the UAV training and services space.  I experienced Kate’s UAV ground school training first hand as she was my original instructor, and following that I also had the opportunity to work directly with her at Aerobotika.  She is now pursuing a number of UAV initiatives with Coastal Drone Co, based in Surrey, BC.  During this interview we had the chance to discuss a number of different topics, with some great answers from Kate.

Some of the topics covered in this podcast episode:

* Details on rolling out UAV training

* Why do some drone companies fail?

* What to expect at UAV ground school 

* How to differentiate yourself as a drone company 

* The evolution of Canadian regulations

Enjoy!

Mike Morellato is the lead author and founder of WorkingWithDrones.com.  He works with drones and their data at Strategic in Campbell River, BC (Canada). 

Our guest is Craig Defleming at Sassin Tech!  For this episode, I invited Craig Defleming on the podcast who is an experienced builder of custom unmanned aircraft systems.  He has helped our company by delivering some different custom built multirotor and fixed wing drones that we have been able to use on site for clients. While custom builds may not be a common choice for companies that offer UAV services, they do have some clear benefits, including the ability to use a custom payload of the pilot’s choice, and to focus on the data before the aircraft.  

Some of the topics covered in this podcast episode:

* Pros and cons of custom built UAVs

* Tips on choosing your first setup

* The future of custom builds

* The process of building drones

* Components used in a custom build

* Comparing custom UAVs to mainstream units

Enjoy!

Mike Morellato is the lead author and founder of WorkingWithDrones.com.  He works with drones and their data at Strategic in Campbell River, BC (Canada). 

Our guest is Felix Weber at Ag Business and Crop!  Felix joins us on the podcast with many years of experience as a farm consultant out in Palmerston, Ontario (Canada). He is very familiar with the introduction of new technologies into farming workflows and was a very early adopter of UAVs in this sector, also being the first distributor of Sensefly systems in Canada.  I first met Felix when I visited him out at his farm in Palmerston where he trained me on a mapping drone years ago.  It was great to reconnect and discuss drone use in the agricultural sector, one of the leading spaces for this technology. 

Some of the topics covered in this podcast episode:

* How farmers use UAVs to guide decisions

* Discussion of different light spectrums and how it relates to data capture

* Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and its uses

* Felix’s experience with his farming clients

* Drone applications on the farm

Enjoy!

Mike Morellato is the lead author and founder of WorkingWithDrones.com.  He works with drones and their data at Strategic in Campbell River, BC (Canada). 

Our guest is Alyssa Ryan at MicaSense!  MicaSense is a Seattle-based firm that has gained a lot of traction in the UAV sensor space, particularly with their work on a small 5-band multispectral camera called the RedEdge.  Alyssa discusses a wide range of topics surrounding their UAV camera technology, including some really unique use cases for their product.  I’ve had the opportunity to use the RedEdge to capture both agriculture and forestry data, and have been impressed with some of the ways that it can help with decision-making.

Some of the topics covered in this podcast episode:

* The main uses of multispectral cameras

* 5 different bands that the camera has access to

* How farmers are using their RedEdge camera

* Uses for multispectral outside of agriculture

* What can you do with the data after it’s collected

Enjoy!

Mike Morellato is the lead author and founder of WorkingWithDrones.com.  He works with drones and their data at Strategic in Campbell River, BC (Canada).