Applications

Video and Photography 

Professional Media

Sports Events

UAV technology at sports events is slow to evolve simply since proximity to sports people or fast moving cars poses a risk. However both Formula 1, the World Rally stage and countless marathon or surfing competitions now employ UAV’s to get the very best overhead shots. UAV technology now has a significant impact on the way live sporting events are consumed, providing both archive footage as well as live broadcasts. Drone racing has become and international sporting event on its own, with FPV footage shown on large screens in the racing venue and also broadcast live.

Cinematography

Stability of UAV craft with the use of gimbals is now similar to the traditional stability and control of traditional equipment and the UAV is far more flexible, allowing a wide range of video aspects.  Add in professional ground control station and the package and drone technology is already the go-to technology for high end of media production.

Documentary

Documentary filming involves the need for the highest quality footage in some of the most demanding environments on earth. Drone technology allows documentary makers to get there faster and to get to the action safer than at any time before. Watch out for new and exciting documentaries that offer a bird’s-eye view like never before.

Real Estate

Showcasing property and real estate has changed significantly due to UAV operations. The advertising can now include a broader view of the surrounding area from a birds-eye perspective. Striking imagery and video is still the best ‘first impact” during a sale. Sales is all about first impressions and taking the pain of wasted visits away from the prospective buyers allows for a more targeted sales process and therefore a significant cost saving.

Monitoring and Surveillance 

Public Services

The public sector has much to gain from Aerial Robotics Technology and there is a fast adoption to this technology. Fast and accurate situational awareness by police, informing fire brigades, guarding beaches by coast guards, borders control, monitoring natural disasters areas and biosecurity outbreaks or searching for lost people – in all these situations and countless more, a drone can quickly relay critical information allowing for fast and appropriate action, without risking human lives. Add a thermal camera to the ‘normal’ RGB camera and another world of benefits is revealed.

Security

Keeping areas secure is all about knowing exactly what goes on and who is present – or not. It is about being informed and making appropriate decisions accordingly. An aerial view point, thermal and / or RGB (‘normal’ camera) is highly beneficial. It not only contributes to better informed decision making, it also keeps personnel safe in a high risk environment. UAV technology now as long-range capabilities which makes drones an essential tool for any well functioning security application. Automated timed patrols and patrols based on movement triggers can be used to persuade would be criminals to look for easier targets.

Environmental

Used either for research or on-the-ground action in collecting information or delivering payloads to remote areas or to cover large tracts of ground or inaccessible areas quickly and safely. Multi-spectral and Hyper-spectral technology can be integrated into the units to obtain data never possible before.

Horticulture and Agriculture

Cropping and Vineyards

Multispectral remote sensing provides radically new perspectives on the health and vigor of crops. It allows growers and agronomists to detect areas of stress in a crop and manage these issues immediately. It enables precise application of nutrient inputs and disease preventative actions based on the actual field conditions today. Data captured on a frequent basis enables growers and agronomists to map the health and vigor of crops today as well as observe changes in crop health over time. Add to that the ability to employ highly selective crop spraying delivered by drone and the chances of successful harvests and minimisation of crop losses increases significantly.

High Country Farmers

Using drones in reaching inaccessible areas either for crop or stock monitoring or to locate areas that need attention such as fencing or farm gates left open an such like cuts down commute time and reduces risk to the farmer. The drone has become a tool that any serious farmer cannot do without, especially if the land is rugged or steep or in areas that require large investment or time to reach remote areas.

Forestry

There is a range of applications in which the forestry sector benefits from the use of UAV’s, from moniting growth to forest management, terrain mapping, damage assessment and fire management. To simply have an eye in the sky allows for an instant overview and remote areas can now be safely observed at a low cost. Heavy lifting craft allows a range of equipment to be dropped in hard to reach areas.

Search, Rescue and Medical

Delivery of Medical Supplies 

In an island nation like New Zealand, Vanuatu and the greater pacific large pockets of the population are cut off from medical resources and medical supplies. Often road sea conditions make it impossible to deliver supplies to these outlying islands. With payloads often quite light, UAVs are an ideal transport platform to deliver these supplies to islands or otherwise hard to reach areas.

Search

Drones have the ability to cover large area or ground and employ infra-red technology to quickly locate areas of interest and feed back situational information such as the best way to reach a location to a search team. UAV technology is now employed as the “first response” to most search scenarios.

Rescue

While drone technology cannot yet be employed to evacuate victims, drones can be used to deliver vital life-saving equipment such as life-raft, medicine, communication equipment or location beacons to people in distress, increasing the chances of a successful rescue dramatically.

Mapping and Surveying

Professional Surveyors

Reach, visibility, access and the ease of gathering accurate data have caused professional surveyors to become quick adopters of UAV technology. Job times can be reduced drastically with simple and accurate recording of data and faster access compared to traditional surveying methods. Through existing contacts and a professional approach, surveying professionals are well positioned to provide aerial services and we often see our customers grow through the extension of their offerings.

Civil Works and Mining

For earthworks, quarries, roading companies, engineering firms and mines the use of aerial robotics technology can offer a unique opportunity to source accurate data and information on a much more regular basis and a lot quicker than with traditional methods. Volume calculations, digital terrain models, orthomosaics and more can easily be obtained and in a safe manner, reducing risk to personnel.

Precision Agriculture

Being based in New Zealand we have firm roots in farming. Precision agriculture practices are becoming more common, and more important too in order to produce sufficient food for our growing population whilst preserving the environment. Aerial Robotics Technology has various applications in the farming sector, farm mapping is one of them. With reliable and accurate farm maps available, utilising precision farming technology can be optimised. UAV technology can now be employed to generate accurate maps and terrain models at a much lower cost than traditional methods.

Asset Inspection

Oil and Gas Inspection

Oil and gas generation and distribution equipment is often situated in environmentally demanding conditions or generation plants are comprised of tall and difficult to access buildings. UAV Technology provides a safe platform for frequent and economical collection of data which can be used for sound decision making regarding the maintenance of a plant or of pipelines.

Power and Utilities Inspection

Routine inspection of high value assets in the Power and Utility industries for effective life-cycle asset management can be time consuming and expensive, particularly if disrupting asset operation. Drones can carry specialised photographic and video equipment allow for high quality and precise asset inspection, including temperature measurements of power distribution equipment without disrupting essential and on-going services.

Civil Infrastructure

Towers, bridges, railways, in fact any building and civil infrastructure requires regular inspection and maintenance. To assess the health of an asset can be a challenging task, time consuming and dangerous to personnel. The use of Aerial Robotics Technology can drastically reduce cost and risk of injury – our tailored inspection packages maximise this potential.