Drones, or RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems), are aircraft without onboard pilots, crews, or passengers. Initially developed for military use, they have become extremely popular over the last decade.
New drone models and applications are consistently being developed and advertised for photography, stunt racing, and surveillance.
Drones have recently become more common for collecting data for various environmental uses. Drones can be used in industrial settings to monitor site conditions, in wildlife research to fly distribution surveys, for geospatial mapping by collecting imagery for land cover classification, and in many other scenarios where a bird's-eye view is needed.
Using drones is relatively quick, cost-effective, and produces high-quality imagery and data that can often be used straight out of the camera without much processing.
Drones also carry a lower safety risk to those collecting data, reduce the risk of moving invasive species or contaminating sensitive natural areas, and produce significantly less greenhouse gas emissions than helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft. No wonder they’re being explored as an attractive alternative to traditional aerial data collection in various projects!
Transport Canada has different licensing and permitting requirements for drone types, project types, and locations. Our team maintains several licensed and insured drone pilots to help industry with any drone needs, including but not limited to:
- Establishment surveys and competition assessments for forest management
- Vegetation regrowth in remediation and restoration projects
- Wildfire and flood mapping
- Erosion and slope stability monitoring
Our inventory boasts an array of drones, encompassing both compact and mid-sized models, each equipped for missions of varying durations – from brief to extended flights. Our Silvacom team uses drones for environmental projects, training and education, and collecting information.
If your company is interested in collecting aerial imagery, completing drone surveys, or building drone capacity within your organization, please visit www.silvacom.com/drone-services for more information, and contact our team to find out how we can help!
