Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)
Mike Leech, GISPESA’s UAV program is unique in the industry—because our FAA-certified drone pilots are also top-tier environmental scientists.
Our professionals in the fields of biology, hydrology, engineering, and geospatial analysts specialize in supporting the planning, design, construction, and monitoring of a full range of projects that include new infrastructure planning, archaeological investigations, biological surveys, and habitat restoration. We use FAA-certified pilots to operate UAVs for on-demand data capture either as a stand-alone service or often as a complement to an existing set of services for our clients.
We can deliver a range of direct and derivative products from these services, including very-high resolution five-band orthomosaics, 4K HD video, and elevation data (Digital Terrain Models) for cultural, biological, and water resource applications. We use the industry standard Pix4D software for drone mapping and photogrammetry. Working closely with our geospatial services team, we can also use remote-sensing classification techniques to map and quantify landscape cover types at fine scales.
Related specialties and services:
- 3D modeling
- Archaeological investigations and mapping
- Biological monitoring
- Construction monitoring
- Design and planning
- Emergency operations
- Habitat restoration monitoring and reporting
- High-definition video
- Invasive species monitoring
- Monitoring riverine and coastal erosion
- Operations and maintenance inspections
- Orthomosaic imagery
- Permitting for biological assessments
- Public outreach and education
- Scientific research and investigations
- Wetland documentation
View our digital brochure to learn more about this program.
The ESA Drone Program has recently added three 5-band precision sensors to our fleet, which will support a range of natural resource assessments. With this gimbal technology mounted on our DJI Inspire 2 drones, we can collect visual band (RGB) imagery as well as vegetation indices with near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy (or RedEdge), including normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), a method of determining whether an area contains live green vegetation.
ESA has been exploring new ways to use technology to increase our efficiency collecting and managing data both in the office and in the field. Here are three ways we are streamlining workflows for the public comment process, monitoring, and developing complex climate models.
With the FAA’s implementation of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) system, the FAA will be able to grant faster authorizations while maintaining the safety of the National Airspace System.
