As part of our missiong to enable businesses to leverage drone technology safely, profitably, and legally, Aerotas regularly contributes expertise to Commercial UAV News. In their recent free report "How are Mining & Aggregates Professionals Using Drones in 2017?" Aerotas co-founders Logan Campbell and Daniel Katz lend their perspective from having helped mining operations and the land surveyors that service them to successfully incoporate the benefits of drone operations.
A key question from Commercial UAV News was where we are in the grand scheme of industry adoption. Read an excerpt fromo the article below, in which Logan explores this question, or download the full report at the Commercial UAV News website. To learn more about how Aerotas enables mining and aggregate businesses to use drones profitably, the Aerotas Mapping System page, email us at info@aerotas.com, or call (510) 671-0693.
How are Mining & Aggregates Professionals Using Drones in 2017?
Removing Barriers to Adoption
What it means to legally operate a drone for commercial purposes has been a question that many in the United States have struggled with ever since the technology was rolled out. It was very possible to utilize UAV technology under a Section 333 Exemption, but Part 107 going into effect in August of 2016 was considered a watershed moment for the industry. For the first time, operators have definitive guidelines around how they can legally take to the skies, and that fact alone has changed the outlook for numerous professionals.
Logan Campbell is the founder of Aerotas, an independent drone-consulting firm that brings knowledge and experience to organizations for using drones safely, legally, and profitably. He’s been involved in countless conversations with stakeholders who have expressed concerns about regulation, and he’s also seen how those discussions have changed under Part 107.
“Now that flying legally is completely doable, we are seeing a huge uptick in the number of firms using drones,” said Campbell. “It definitely was the last big hurdle that the industry had to overcome. The value proposition is clear; now that regulation is cleared up, we are just seeing the usual technology adoption curve play out.”
That value proposition, especially as it relates to safety, is one that many have recognized and known about for years now, but regulation had been a reason for stakeholders to hold out either because of the ambiguity around the laws or uncertainty with the technology.