Category Archives: Aerial/UAS
InSAR
How can you monitor broad-area land deformation with high precision? Why, from space, of course. Is it possible for satellites to accurately monitor the motion of landscapes with millimeter levels of precision? What about over wide areas while being frequently updated? If you scoffed in response to either of these questions, you might be surprised....
Space Engineering in Training
Above: Morgan Ré aided engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center as they prepared for a series of nine drop tests of an Orion crew capsule model. Credit: NASA Think young people aren’t getting enough hands-on experience with geospatial looks and skills? Check out this high-schooler. Last summer, NASA dropped three small airplanes from 100 feet in...
Part 107 Goes Live: UAS Unchained (Mostly)
The FAA said that it would have its Small Unmanned Aircraft Regulations ready by this summer, and by the second day of summer, it did. Rule 107 takes effect in late August and applies to unmanned aircraft (UAS) weighing less than 55 pounds that are conducting commercial operations. Let’s take a quick look at the...
Spatial Networking for Fun and Profit
Recently I attended a UAV event in my area (watch for the July issue of xyHt for more) that got me thinking about the role of networking in our profession. Not RTK, CORS, or even WANs or LANs, but person-to-person networking. Networking for fun. Meeting new people in the geospatial profession (and especially those interested...
UAS & The Combo that Opens Access
The most logical integration of technologies for surveyors is combining 3D laser scanning with UAVs. It’s no secret that many geospatial professionals are enamored with unmanned aerial systems (UAS). For many years, the pros and cons of deploying small UAS for mapping and surveying, along with their ongoing regulatory discussions, have been well researched and...
senseFly’s Andrea Halter: From Academia to the Market
Above: This eBee Ag is outfitted with the Sequoia multispectral sensor. An interview with senseFly’s Andrea Halter Andrea Halter is a co-founder of senseFly, a Parrot company based in Switzerland that develops and produces aerial imaging drones for professional applications. Halter oversees the company’s marketing and sales teams. She’s a qualified land surveyor and holds a...
