Drones, Latest technology in data gathering
Published on by Andrew Raal, Natural Scientific Professional
Depending on your project Drones/UAV can dramatically reduce data gatheringcosts.
http://www.directionsmag.com/articles/top-five-things-you-need-to-know-about-drones-and-gis/414810
The Top Five Things You Need to Know about Drones and GIS.
Summary For the most part, UAVs discussed in this article are not going to develop new markets but the technology is disruptive because it will dramatically enlarge existing markets. Inexpensive drones, or more specifically the instruments they carry, are data engines that will collect data, consume data, or collect and consume data. Once the FAA regulations are in place and autonomous flights are proven reliable we will see a dramatic increase in data collected and used for GIS applications.Not only will this disruption affect the existing GIS data collection process, it will also roll through collateral industries. Vendors of the expensive cameras/sensors and image processing software products will need to adapt to lower prices or witness new competitors enter the market.