Microdrones UAV Operates Inside Controlled Airspace

Microdrones has released a study detailing the use of their mdMapper1000DG UAS (unmanned aerial system) mapping solution to create topographic maps of areas inside the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of North America’s busiest airports.

Read the full case study on Microdrones’ website

Brent Scarbrough & Co. Inc., a Georgia-based civil construction company, required an overview of the state of an on-hold expansion project at the airport, and turned to the expertise of UAV data collection services provider Flyover Services. A fully integrated Microdrones mdMapper1000DG system was selected for the project, which received the proper planning and authorization to fly in areas between the ninth and tenth runways at the airport.

Flyover Services originally carried out projects such as these under the FAA Section 333 guidelines, and now operate with airport authorities on LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability). The FAA have recently expanded LAANC to increase access for drone pilots into controlled airspace, and currently about 600 airports are covered by the capability.

The mdMapper1000DG UAS was ideal for the project due to its maneuverability in tight spaces, as well as its use of DG (Direct Georeferencing), a highly efficient method for connecting aerial images to their geographic positioning on the Earth’s surface. All the required data was captured in three flights spanning a total time of 80 minutes. The drone’s payload was a Sony RX1R II camera with APX-15 IMU (inertial measurement unit).

The pilots were able to capture accurate contours across three different areas that were combined into a single map. According to Flyover Services, the highly efficient Microdrones UAS was able to accomplish in half a day what would have taken a traditional survey team operating in hazardous areas up to a week.

To find out more about Microdrones’ UAS solutions for mapping in complex environments such as airports, read the full case study here.

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