Drones and wetlands. Like apple pie and cheddar cheese, they are great on their own, but even better together. Drones can do a lot more than take pretty pictures. We can now utilize drones for high-resolution imagery, artificial intelligence, spraying invasive species, or seeding native species. Samantha Loutzenhiser of KCI Technologies will introduce some of the uses of various types of drones, their use cases, and laws and regulations.
Samantha Loutzenhiser, KCI Technologies
Recorded May 31, 2024
Samantha Loutzenhiser has 11 years of experience in ecological restoration, wetlands, and invasive species. She is a Part 107 Remote Pilot and, for the last six years, has been using drones to benefit restoration sites. Samantha is also certified by the FAA as a Chief Supervisor in UAS agricultural systems operations, allowing her to apply herbicides with a drone under a Part 137 exemption.
Mapping and Processing Programs:
- DroneDeploy:
- Pix4D:
- Free tutorials: https://support.pix4d.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032118251
- SiteScan: https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-reality/products/site-scan-for-arcgis
There are other programs that will process imagery but be aware: the quality will be lower. Do your research about where your data is going as not all image processing companies are have the same data security.
Get your Part 107:
- FAA: https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/become_a_drone_pilot
- Rules that can be waived: https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/part_107_waivers
- Where can you fly: https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/uas_facility_maps
- LAANC: https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/part_107_airspace_authorizations
- Blog listing and comparing several options for training. Most of these cost, but some have a lifetime membership and access to industry knowledge, question space, and in general good discussions. https://www.thedronegirl.com/2018/10/26/heres-part-107-suas-test-study-guide/
- Pilot Institute YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PilotInstitute
- Be careful of the blogs, especially on YouTube, as there are a lot of opinions that may not follow the laws, not applicable to your situation or location, or in general bad advice.
Questions: Samantha Loutzenhiser, Samantha.loutzenhiser@kci.com
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