"Joel and I both serve on the “Core Team” of the Humanitarian UAV Network (UAViators). It is in this context that we’ve been exploring ways to render aerial imagery more actionable for rapid disaster damage assessments and tactical decision making. To overcome some of the challenges around the consistent analysis of aerial imagery, Joel suggested we take a rank-order approach. His proposal is quite simple: display two geo-tagged aerial images side by side with the following question: “Which of the two images shows more disaster damage?” Each combination of images could be shown to multiple individuals. Images that are voted as depicting more damage would “graduate” to the next display stage and in turn be compared to each other, and so on and so forth along with those images voted as showing less damage.

In short, a dedicated algorithm would intelligently select the right combination of images to display side by side. The number and type of votes could be tabulated to compute reliability and confidence scores for the rankings. Each image would have a unique damage score which could potentially be used to identify thresholds for fully destroyed versus partially damaged versus largely intact infrastructure. Much of this could be done on MicroMappers or similar microtasking solutions. Such an approach would do away with the need for detailed imagery interpretation guides. As noted above, consistent analysis is difficult even when such guides are available. The rank-order approach could help quickly identify and map the most severely affected areas to prioritize tactical response efforts.  Note that this approach could be used with both crowd-sourced analysis and professional analysis. Note also that the GPS coordinates for each image would not be made publicly available for data privacy reasons.

Is this strategy worth pursuing? What are we missing? Joel and I would be keen to get some feedback. So please feel free to use the comments section below to share your thoughts or to send an email here."

Full Post Here.

From: Fusion.net

But as Zoe rebuilt her sense of self as she battled through her health problems, she needed something, and this technology happened to be the thing her brain reached out to.

I found out why as our time together wore on: she felt so restrained and bound by her body and life’s limitations, and here was this tiny flying machine that she could… become. Without her flying goggles on, she was a smart and depressed working-class 24-year-old who wasn’t sure what her life would hold. But when she put on the goggles and sent her drone into the sky, she could fly.

This wasn’t the story we expected to find when we went out to the Drone National Championships. But that’s what we found. And the next thing I knew, we were sitting in a field by a parking lot in Sacramento, watching a young, fearless woman try not to crash." 

Full Article Here.

The Commercial Drone Community is incredibly helpful, collaborative and innovative. Today I'd love to share with you a list of 20 people to follow on Twitter. A Twitter list is also available here.

1. Paola Santana (@PaolaSantanaM)

Paola is the Co-Founder and Network Operations Lead at Matternet. Matternet is the creator of Matternet ONE, a smart drone for transportation. A Fulbright scholar and Lawyer, Paola previously worked with the World Bank and the Dominican Republic’s National Elections Court.

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2. Patrick Meier, PhD (@PatrickMeier)

Patrick is the Founder of UAViators and an internationally recognized expert on humanitarian technology and innovation. UAViators is a global Humanitarian UAV Network. Patrick has previously worked at the UN, World Bank and Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.  Patrick’s new book, "Digital Humanitarians" has been endorsed by Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Oxford, UN, Red Cross, World Bank, USAID and many others.

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3. Jonathan Rupprecht (@RupprechtLaw)

Jonathan is the Founder of Rupprecht Law, PA. Jonathan’s firm helps Individuals and Businesses navigate Drone Law. Jonathan is a commercial pilot with single and multi-engine aircraft ratings. Jonathan is also the author of Drones: Their Many Civilian Uses and the U.S. Laws Surrounding Them.

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4. Jeff Taylor (@mjefftaylor)

Jeff is the Founder of Event 38. Jeff’s company builds and sells drones, sensors and a drone data management system for Agriculture, Construction, Mining and Surveying. Before starting Event 38 in 2011, Jeff worked at SpaceX and 3D Robotics.

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5. Helen Greiner (@helengreiner)

Helen is the Founder of CyPhy Works. CyPhy Works creates robots to empower people. Their flying robots are used in the commercial, consumer and defense markets. Prior to starting CyPhy Works, Helen was the Co-Founder of iRobot.

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6. Chad Colby (TheChadColby)

Chad is the Founder of Colby AgTech and AgTechTalk. Chad started Colby AgTech in 2015 with the purpose of further reaching and informing agriculture’s most progressive farmers, companies and organizations. Chad is an expert on all things Agriculture and Drones.

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7. Chris Anderson (@chr1sa)

Chris is the CEO of 3D Robotics and Founder of DIY Drones. 3D Robotics builds and sells drones for both the consumer and commercial markets. Prior to starting 3D Robotics and DIY Drones, Chris was the Editor in Chief of Wired Magazine.

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8. Colin Snow (@droneanalyst)

Colin is the founder of Drone Analyst. Drone Analyst is focused on insights for the Commercial Drone Industry. Colin’s background includes manufacturing, electronics, digital imaging, field service, software, research, and mobility.

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9. Brandon Torres Declet (@btd75)

Brandon is the Co-Founder and CEO of Measure. Measure is Drone as a Service®. Prior to founding Measure, Brandon held several senior positions on Capitol Hill.

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10. Gretchen West (@gawherry)

Gretchen is a Senior Advisor at Hogan Lovells US LLP. Hogan Lovells is a global legal practice that helps corporations, financial institutions, and governments. Gretchen is a member of the firm’s Global Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Group in Silicon Valley. Prior to joining Hogan Lovells, Gretchen was DroneDeploy’s VP of Business Development and Regulatory Affairs, as well as, AUVSI’s Executive VP.

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11. Jonathan Downey (@jbdowney83)

Jonathan is the Founder of Airware. Airware provides an operating system for commercial drones. Prior to founding Airware, Jonathan worked at Boeing as a software engineer and contributed to the development and flight testing of the A160T Hummingbird, a 6,500 lb fully-autonomous helicopter.

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12. Greg McNeal (@GregoryMcNeal)

Greg is the Co-Founder of Airmap and a Professor of law & public policy at Pepperdine University. Airmap provides a highly accurate, up-to-date airspace database for unmanned aircraft. Greg also advises Measure on drones and matters related to technology law and policy.

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13. Lia Reich (@LiaReich)

Lia is the Senior Director of Communications and Marketing at PrecisionHawk. PrecisionHawk provides UAV’s and data processing services. Prior to joining PrecisionHawk, Lia was the Director of Communications for Webonise Lab and Check-in for Good.

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14. Michele Dallachiesa (@elehcimd)

Michele is the Co-Founder and CTO of Skysense. Skysense’s Charging Infrastructure makes it easy to maintain a fleet of drones and achieve truly autonomous missions. Michele has a PhD in Computer Science and previously founded GraphInsight.

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15. Peter Sachs, Esq. (@TheDroneGuy)

Peter is the Founder of Drone Law Journal. Peter has been an attorney since 1994 and an FAA-licensed commercial helicopter pilot since 1983. Peter is also the founder of the Drone Pilots Association.

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16. Emmanuel de Maistre (@emmanuel_2m)

Emmanuel is the Founder of Redbird. Redbird offers a platform for managing drone data, focused on construction sites, mines and quarries. Prior to starting Redbird, Emmanuel was involved with several biotechnology companies.

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17. Iain Butler (@theUAVguy) 

Iain is the Founder of Kextrel. Kextrel provides Multi-rotor and Fixed-Wing drone services. In addition to Drones, Iain is also interested in Precision Agriculture, GIS, Renewables and Search and Rescue.

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18. Brendan Schulman (@dronelaws)

Brendan is the Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs at DJI. DJI builds and sells drones for both the consumer and commercial markets. Brendan is an expert on all things related to drone law.

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19. Jonathan Evans (@jwce21)

Jonathan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Skyward. Skyward powers safe commercial drone operations. Jonathan is a professional pilot and veteran.

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20.  Jeffrey Antonelli (@Antonelli_Law)

Jeffrey is the Founder of Antonelli Law. Antonelli law is a civil litigation and corporate counsel practice. Jeffrey’s firm helps clients obtain FAA approval under Section 333.

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If you enjoyed this post - you might like my Commercial Drone Newsletter. Sharing news about how drones are being used for business. Once a day. Monday through Friday. 

2015 was a big year for Commercial Drones. Drones were used in so many innovative ways! A few examples include:

• GE using drones to inspect the power grid
• The first drone delivery approved by the FAA has taken place
• Researchers using drones to monitor killer whales as El Niño threatens food source
• Drones take flight at mining sites across Western Australia to improve safety and efficiency
• Rio lifeguards now using drones with life preservers to prevent drowning
• Drones could save farmers millions, study finds
• Lord Norman Foster to build world's first droneport in Rwanda
• Allstate’s Drone Study Gets FAA Clearance
• Drones Can Be Used to Fly Blood Samples to Remote Medical Clinics
• Real estate drones: property marketing takes to the air

Now that it's 2016 (Happy New Year!) - what exciting things can we expect to see this year?

I created a survey, where I asked folks in the Commercial Drone Industry if they'd please answer three questions: What will we see more of in 2016? Less of? What are you most excited about?

Here's what they said:

"Hopefully the FAA NPRM will become law and everyone can take the test and fly. The main 333 barrier is the requirement to have a pilots license, the NPRM did away with this. It will be interesting to see if this changes. Looking forward also to BVLOS to make Ag flights with fixed wings more efficient. 250 to 400 acres in LOS is too limiting. We need a new line of High quality VTOL fixed wing for commercial operations. Get the efficiency of 50 minute flight times, but with ease of take off and landing. Robust but lightweight carbon composites, low cost, as easy to use as today's multirotors. Curious who will fill the gap left by 3DR, presently the X8, Aero and Iris+ are getting discontinued. So the Solo is the main 3DR drone. Can that compete against the many DJI drones in the small commercial sector? The future looks bright, but I do see more regulations for commercial drones. In particular we have to accept the NAS rules and become professionals. This will mean flight training schools, maintenance shops and lots of paperwork such as maintenance records and flight plans. If we want to be accepted by manned aviation we need to be professional. The end result is that although hobbyist drone numbers will continue to explode, there will be enough of a training and cost barrier to commercial drones (see Australia) to keep numbers growing steadily." - @theUAVguy (Kextrel LLC)

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"Large Asian companies will be dumping drones on the market to increase (establish) market share. Customers will choose design for compelling user experience, who has time to learn a whole new technology? US Brands will start to establish themselves." - Helen Greiner (CyPhy Works)

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"2016 will be the year that sensor technology comes of age. This means drones will be better equipped to detect and avoid objects, and fly safely within close proximity of structures. Proving this improved safety will be vital to increasing public acceptance of drones. In turn, regulatory bodies will be in a better position to consider more flexible rules regarding drone use, which will benefit businesses both large and small. From retailers such as Amazon, wanting to bring drone delivery to the masses, through to precision farmers, who are increasingly using drones to monitor the health of their crops from above, this enhanced safety will bring us one step closer to realizing the full potential of the technology." - Jean-Christophe Zufferey (senseFly)

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"2016 is set to be a year of big changes for the commercial drone industry with the long-promised FAA rules coming into effect. Much depends on what the actual wording of the language is but it seems likely that sUAS operations within line of sight will present a low administrative hurdle for businesses. Companies offering services will quickly thrive in agriculture, surveying, construction, inspection and other similar industries while package delivery, power line inspection and other geographically spread out applications will need to wait for BLOS rules. The industry has matured quite a bit over the last year with application-specific solutions now available making it finally possible for drones to live up to much of the hype that has surrounded them until now." - Jeff Taylor (Event 38 Unmanned Systems)

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"It's just the beginning. After 3 years in the industry, I'm deeply convinced that drones are entering a new phase, with data analytics at the heart of this evolution." - Emmanuel de Maistre (Redbird)

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"Probably much of the same despite the hope for change to regulations. There should be some interesting new startups to accompany the manufacturers. It seems the trade show scene will rumble on. We look forward to meeting with customers to prepare them for what is to come and get them acquainted with the technologies and regulations. We are most excited about our upcoming work in Africa, relating to poaching, counter terrorism and the illegal use of dynamite for fishing. We have had great feedback from several partners who will be accompanying us on these trips across Tanzania, Mali and Zanzibar. Hope you all had a great year. See you in 2016." -  Nathaniel Milner (Flier Group Inc)

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"A lot of law suits, 360 degree videos on YouTube, massive data integration problems." - Kiat Oboler, Esq (Unmanned Aviation Group, LLC)

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"2015 was the year of drone cowboys, media scrutiny, and big funding rounds based on evaluations. 2016 is going to see tighter enforcement of commercial operations around the country. The year will be filled with less UAV manufacturers and more data hardware and software suppliers. We will also see the rise of professional service providers that operate in a safe and reliable fashion. The media will look past the privacy and safety issues and begin to focus more on the applications that can save not only the environment but lives as well." - Brett Kanda (Verascan)

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"2016 will see a need for more infrastructure inspections using aerial data analytics with engineered solutions. This data will provide actionable items for solutions for land surveys, utility lines an distribution, dams and bridges, energy and especially rail/ transportation. The sooner we get to the BVLOS, the sooner ROI's will be more robust for customers and will provide efficiencies to build a model to be monetized. I think the biggest opportunity will be for utilities to see and understand how to transport the RPA's from site to site. I see swarms of drones. I see underwater mapping for ports and bridge inspections. I see advancements in data mapping with orthomosaic applications for vegetation growth and measurement. Probably the biggest opportunity will be using drone as a service. Why own a piece of equipment you use once or twice a year when you can rent it? You negate the capital costs to maintain it and the other sundry costs, such as insurance and payroll. It makes sense to be the SME (Subject Matter Expert)." - Bob Johnson (Solusia Air)

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"More 'remote sensing' activity as payloads shrink in size and weight. More multi-rotor options than fixed wing. Precision agriculture a booming market unto itself." - Christopher Van Veen (Headwall Photonics, Inc.)

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"Diversity of uses: We are seeing a huge uptick in the perception of the varied ways drones can impact many types of business, from the more established photography of documentaries, real estate and events, to precision agriculture, 3d mapping and modeling of construction and wildlife management. We are working with so many fascinating industries and learning together how to use drones and software to help them solve problems they never thought were solvable. We are receiving inquiries and ideas from an amazing array of industries, working with them to ideate and test some truly incredible uses for drones, and improving automation and capabilities... taking our favorite "flying robots" to the next level of value to humanity. Shakeouts: Much like the internet industry in the late '90s, there is also starting to be a shake out of companies that started a small drone services company, but didn't realize that to be successful, it's more than just flying your Phantom around. From marketing, social media and client relations, to video editing, software operations to building business relationships, drone services is like any other complex business venture. I've been in marketing for 20 years, and the drone services industry is moving fast and furious, keeping the most dedicated teams on their toes and at 110% dedication way past a fabled 40-hour work week. The daily operational situation is further complicated by the speed at which this industry is moving and growing, as well as the complexity of driving real business value to dozens of industries that you have to learn about and connect with. It's not easy, and we'll see a drop off of the companies that aren't really driving business value. " - Charlie Browning (Eagle Iris Aerial Video Marketing)

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"More acceptance, more equipment, more business." - Rick Dobbins (Sky Sight Imaging)

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"We have seen big changes this year in the drone industry, we went from really expensive systems with a very limited feature set, to cheaper systems (<1000) with very powerful computers that can now do really advanced computations on board. I believe 2016 will be the year where we will see more intelligence brought on board drones, things like object avoidance, path planning, more precise control, safety features all will be brought on board. A lot of this will be driven by the high demand consumer drones are seeing, and as more and more people start buying these drones we will see more and more accidents and mishaps. And as manufacturers catch on we will see more technology be put in place to prevent them. 2016 will be the year of the so called Smart Drones." - Jaime Machuca (Droidika)

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What do you think we'll see this year? I'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to leave a comment below. You can also tweet me @rosalieinc.

Thank you! 

Rosalie

If you enjoyed this post - you might like my Commercial Drone Newsletter. Sharing news about how drones are being used for business. Once a day. Monday through Friday.