Drones: a hype or here to stay?

Are drones here to stay or are they a hype? They are relatively easy to use and, in time, may even be able to deliver your pizza. In a new book called ‘Drone Professional 1’, Jasper Schmeits, innovation manager at Tauw, explains how drones are used to collect data every day and what role he believes drones can play in the future.

Drone Professional 1 is a book where 16 drone experts from across the globe share their visions concerning the future of drone technology, and provide surprising insights about using drones for day-to-day tasks and commercial purposes. The book is not only ideal for drone professionals, but is also an interesting read for people who are less familiar with drones. Since being published in February, the book is among the top 3 most-downloaded books in the United Kingdom and United States!

Daily use for drones

Jasper's work at Tauw has allowed him to be involved in various initiatives, developments and applications when it comes to drones. For instance, Tauw regularly performs batch surveys with drones and uses them to create 3D visualisations of specific environments. In this book, Jasper highlights the opportunities and threats of drones, also in relation to existing legislation. Which issues do we encounter when drones are deployed to collect data and, in particular, when this data is used?

‘Hot technology’?

Jasper also wonders how long we will continue to see drones as a ‘hot technology’. “I have noticed that other technologies also continue to develop, like smartphone cameras that can be used to create 3D images of objects and spaces. Who knows; perhaps we will soon be able to perform our batch surveys with a smartphone. No matter how innovative it is to perform such surveys from the air using drones, it is still safer and - technology permitting - more efficient to do so on the ground.”

The book Drone Professional 1 can be downloaded via Amazon (Kindle edition). The printed version will soon also be released in the Netherlands.

 

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