As a relatively new technology, drone photography and videography is still a puzzle to many people.. Little more than a fancy flying machine in the sky they see whizz past in the local park from time to time. But these machines have come a long way in their short lifetime and will no doubt play an increasingly large role in our future.
When I invested in my first drone five years ago, I never imagined the diversity of sceneries this piece of kit would come to be useful. Including, but definitely not limited to:
Agriculture & Land Management
Monitoring the health of large areas of land can be a huge challenge, especially as conditions change daily. Using aerial images is a very efficient method of collecting data on a large scale. This can be utilised to locate wildlife, assess flood risks and even monitor crop health, which in turn can reduce the need for harmful fertilisers and pesticides.
Climate Change
Mother nature is a beast and there's no better angle to appreciate her spectacular beauty than from above. Using GPS we can track the exact same location over and over again and document even the smallest changes in our glaciers, ice-caps and eroding coast line.
Construction
We're now able to document the construction of new buildings using drones, showing the development of buildings, roads and other man-made structures from perspectives never seen before.
Inspection
Drones are easily able to access heights, traverse rough terrain, and squeeze into tight spots. Now we can collect high quality images and data of buildings, bridges, power plants and other structures that would have previously taken vast amounts of planning, safety measures and man-power to achieve. Forward-thinking companies are harnessing this opportunity to save precious recourses, disrupting industries and annihilating their competition.
Water Management
There have been some devastating floods in recent years. One ingenious solution to minimise the risk of flooding is to track water-courses from above. After heavy rain, aerial views can help locate potential issues so flood protection methods can be implemented. This forward thinking and planning can save thousands, even millions of pounds of damages.
These are only a few of the lesser know solutions drones have created. I'm very hopeful that the list will continue to grow, and hints of the future possibilities that are to come.
