SurvTech president David O’Brien and UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Department Manager Mark Bickel presented at FIPR (Florida Industrial and Phosphate Research) to a Florida Polytechnic class on UAV mapping. The institute is part of Florida Polytechnic University, and they have been granted the opportunity to launch a UAV program within the institute. The primary goal of the institute is to give the students hands-on experience with UAVs, specifically in the areas of photogrammetric and LiDAR mapping.
Knowing that SurvTech has an advanced UAV department with numerous UAVs and sensors, they reached out to us for guidance on UAV software and hardware. Our team attended their inaugural meeting to meet with the students, as well as discuss the benefits of utilizing LiDAR and imagery versus conventional survey equipment and methodology. Not only did they discuss the benefits of using UAVs, but also the negatives to UAV mapping, such as restricted areas, highly vegetated sites, or sites with standing water.
Following the presentation, the students accompanied Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Bickel outside for a live demonstration of a UAV mapping mission. Mr. O’Brien talked with the students about the equipment and safety precautions, while Mr. Bickel successfully performed a UAV mission over the FIPR campus. The class was informative for the students, and Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Bickel both look forward to being able to work with the students in the future!