The Drone

The Drone

The newest tool on the wall is also the highest.

Aerial photography. Kites and balloons in the 1800s; airplanes in the 1900s map cities for planners.

Military drones. Remote-piloted aircraft through the twentieth century.

2010s. Cheap GPS, cameras and batteries put quadcopters in every trade's hands.

2016. FAA Part 107 creates a certificate for commercial small-drone pilots in the United States.

On site. Drones survey land, measure stockpiles, inspect roofs, towers, bridges and wind turbines, and track a building's progress floor by floor.

The data. Photogrammetry and lidar become 3-D models that flow into GIS and BIM.

Try it. Fly the simulator over the Student Yard. Then compare your map to the surveyor's.

Scan for the reading · newschoolworks.com/q/BCU5QKBCU5QK