Drone Museum Horie, which is located in the Minamihorie district in Osaka, Japan, is the nation's first UAS museum.
The museum, which officially opened in December 2017, exhibits 16 types of UAS that have been produced in Japan and abroad. The UAS range in size, from an 18-gram palm-sized indoor UAS to a large crop-spraying UAS equipped with a 10-liter tank.
The museum offers visitors the opportunity to learn the history of UAS, from early models that were designed for industrial use to more recent models that can send live video footage to a smartphone. Visitors can test fly the UAS, and purchase the ones that are on sale as well.
Air
Air
Wisconsin's Madison Police Department touts success of new UAS team
The Madison Police Department (MPD) in Madison, Wisconsin is touting the success of its new UAS team, after the technology was used to effectively tighten the search area for a missing Madison nursing home patient.
By surveying land from an aerial position, a search that would have potentially taken hours on foot was reduced to a 20-minute operation for officers.
SUEZ partners with Sky Scape Industries to utilize small UAS in North America
SUEZ in North America, which is under Paris-based parent company SUEZ, has partnered with UAS service provider Sky Scape Industries (SSI) in what the companies call an industry first, as they look to implement UAS technology into water utility operations.
SUEZ North America owns and operates 15 water utilities, and operates 70 municipal systems through public-private partnerships and contract partnerships. With this in mind, the companies say that this partnership will “incorporate safe and efficient drone technology solutions into the maintenance and construction of one of the country’s most valuable utilities.”
Precision Aerial using UAS to survey drainage system in response to Hurricane Harvey
In partnership with The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency (WJPA), Precision Aerial Compliance Solutions, LLC (Precision Aerial) is providing UAS LiDAR surveying for portions of The Woodlands drainage system in Texas following Hurricane Harvey.
Precision Aerial will evaluate current conditions along portions of Panther Creek and Spring Creek using high-end, UAS LiDAR to provide the laser assessment for the WJPA, which is the central management agency for the ten Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) that serve The Woodlands in Montgomery County.
Colorado's La Plata County Sheriff's Office plans to start using UAS
The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office in Durango, Colorado will start using UAS for certain emergency situations, after La Plata County Sheriff Sean Smith said he planned to sign a policy allowing the department to use the county’s UAS on Jan. 25.
According to Smith, procedures will be in place to give approvals to use the county’s three UAS only during emergency situations after they have been requested by responding deputies.
How do Drones Help Farmers?
Contributed article by Len Calderone, AgriTech Tomorrow
Drones are becoming a critical tool for farmers. Many farmers are already benefitting from drone (UAV) technology; and we’ve only scratched the surface of what this relatively new technology can do for agriculture.
Schiebel's CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS helps in search for fugitive in Australia
Schiebel has announced that as part of an ongoing homicide investigation in Stiwoll, Austria late last year, its CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS demonstrated its suitability for search and rescue missions, during a first of its kind operation.
During the operation, Schiebel provided Austrian law enforcement with its CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS and operating personnel to help in the search for a double homicide suspect assumed to be hiding in a forest region.
“This is a prime example for the potential civil use of a UAS such as the S-100,” says Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group.
Drone America and Thrush Aircraft partner to develop world's first autonomous air tanker
UAS manufacturer Drone America and aircraft manufacturer Thrush Aircraft have formed a strategic alliance to begin the development of the world’s first autonomous air tanker, which would add to the arsenal of airborne tactics available to firefighters and first responders when fighting wildfires.
The new tanker is expected to mix Thrush’s large airframe and airborne delivery system expertise with Drone America’s “Ariel” amphibious platform, producing an aircraft capable of delivering approximately 800 gallons of water or fire retardant, autonomously.
Little Ripper UAS helps save swimmers in Australia
In Lennox Head, New South Wales, Australia, lifeguards from the Australian Lifeguard Service were preparing for a training session to familiarize themselves with UAS equipment when a call came in about two distressed swimmers.
Approximately a kilometer north of the patrolled area, two men were swimming in powerful surf conditions, when someone noticed that they were having difficulty in the three meter swell.
At the time, lifeguard Supervisor Jai Sheridan was piloting a Westpac Little Ripper UAS, so he immediately responded, and within minutes of the initial alert, located the swimmers.
State Police Unmanned Aerial System program launches in New York
On Jan 10., New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the launch of the new State Police Unmanned Aerial System program, which will be used to support a variety of law enforcement and public safety missions in New York.
Expected to be deployed in multiple locations across the state, the UAS, which will be operated by State Police members who are FAA certified and have undergone 32 hours of hands-on training with the systems, are expected to reduce response times and make operations more efficient and cost-effective.
Among many potential uses, the UAS can be used in dangerous situations and environments, such as natural disasters, to help keep State Troopers out of harm's way.
