DARTdrones and DroneDeploy seek to train, expand next generation of UAS mapping experts

JESSUP, Pa. DARTdrones, a provider of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or “drones” training and consulting in Jessup, Pennsylvania, has joined forces with DroneDeploy, a cloud software platform for commercial UAS in San Francisco, to launch a national training program to create a community of professionally trained unmanned aircraft pilots to meet the increasing demand for drone mapping services. The program begins this fall with a workshop on aerial mapping and modeling with DroneDeploy.

The need for UAS mapping services for contractors, farmers, miners, and building inspectors is increasing each day. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) calculated the agriculture and construction industries alone constituted for 47 percent of commercial drone use in 2016. More than 30,000 remote pilots that have been licensed by the FAA since August. This new workshop will provide a clear training path for remote pilots interested in offering drone mapping services, officials say.

The flagship course is a two-day intensive workshop designed to teach UAS pilots how to collect, analyze, and export high-quality UAS mapping and modeling data. Topics include: aerial mapping use cases, fundamentals of drone image capture, techniques for capturing aerial data for mapping, use of the DroneDeploy platform, and ways to improve map accuracy.

"Many of our students are interested in offering their aerial mapping services to architects, engineering firms, construction companies, farmers, and environmentalists,” DARTdrones CEO and Co-founder Abby Speicher says. “Mapping can be confusing and complex to get into. We are excited that our Workshop will increase the number of qualified aerial mappers in the market."

“We’re thrilled to partner with DARTdrones to create a training program for the commercial drone industry,” says Mike Winn, CEO of DroneDeploy. “Our goal is to provide commercial pilots with the training and tools to expand drone mapping into every industry.”

The Workshop will be offered three times in 2017:

September 9th and 10th in Las Vegas, Nevada

September 30th and October 1st in San Francisco, California

November 2nd and 3rd in Ashburn, Virginia

The October course in Virginia will be hosted in partnership with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) at the NTSB Training Center. A team from the NTSB has already been using drones for site documentation, which can include mapping, 3D modeling, wreckage search, terrain mapping, and viewpoint photography and video. The NTSB will use the workshop to expand their team of trained UAS pilots.

The Aerial Mapping and Modeling with DroneDeploy Workshop is launching in conjunction with three other DARTdrones workshops: Rapid Daytime Aerial Search and Rescue, Drone Journalism, and Aerial Roof Inspections.

DroneDeploy is the leading cloud software platform for commercial drones. Trusted by users in more than 160 countries across a variety of industries including agriculture, construction, mining, and insurance, DroneDeploy is transforming how businesses collect, manage, and interpret drone data to improve workflows.

Scalable image processing, data storage, and sharing in real time form the backbone of the DroneDeploy platform, while user-friendly applications make it intuitive to fly and capture drone data, and view and analyze maps on any device. The DroneDeploy platform enables users to leverage best-in-class apps through the App Market, and to leverage open APIs to build custom tools and integrations.

DARTdrones provides drone training and consulting, as well as offers courses in 42 cities throughout the United States covering topics such as flight training, FAA exam preparation, industry specific training, and custom organizational training for enterprise clients, police and fire departments, and government agencies. DARTdrones was featured on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ on 24 February 2017.

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