UAV Vertical Asset Inspection: Techniques and Benefits

Vertical assets such as communications, tall buildings, or water towers are difficult and dangerous to inspect. For this reason, UAV technology is quickly becoming the preferred method of vertical asset inspection.  Three primary reasons UAV inspections are becoming prominent are safety, time savings, and superior documentation; these are just some of the immediate benefits we […]

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Multi-Rotor vs. Fixed Wing UAV Platforms: Considerations for Evaluating Capabilities and Limitations

Using the correct equipment is critical to the success of any project. UAV projects are no different, knowing how to select the best tool for each specific application is fundamental to efficient data collection. We use both multi-rotor and fixed wing UAV equipment, depending on project goals and constraints. Below are some considerations for selecting […]

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Change Your Point of View With Photogrammetry

Photogrammetry is the art, science, and technology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through processes of recording, measuring, and interpreting photographic images and patterns of recorded radiant electromagnetic energy and other phenomena (Wolf and Dewitt, 2000; McGlone, 2004). How does Photogrammetry work? Triangulation is the basis on which all photogrammetry is […]

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Why “Drone” Is a Dirty Word: The Difference Between Drones and Professional UAV Equipment

Common terms and abbreviations: UAV = Unmanned Aerial Vehicle sUAS = small Unmanned Aircraft System (less than 55lbs) RTK = Real Time Kinematic, high accuracy gnss positioning using local controls for correction and validation. GNSS = Global Navigation Satellite System(GPS-United States, BeiDou-China, Galileo-Europe, GLONASS-Russia) Photogrammetry = science and technology of making measurements using photographs. This […]

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State of the Drone

Winding down the year is a good time to reflect on the changes, applications, and direction of the small Unmanned Aerial Systems in the mapping industry. This has been another year of rapid and dramatic changes in the drone world. Waivers and authorizations are still big topics. Drone for delivery is creeping into the picture […]

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It’s about the data

Working in the UAV world isn’t always about the drone. In fact, the drone is only one piece of a single stage of an accurate high resolution mapping workflow. This blog will outline various stages of the GEO Jobe UAV process. It will then highlight one example of the final stages by focusing on extracting […]

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Making the point with UAV

A question came up recently in a conversation about the different products and stages of processing and presenting data captured by UAVs. I’ll use a recent construction monitoring project to demonstrate some nice examples of the various stages of the photogrammetric processing workflow. This will also show and describe some of the products and deliverables […]

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