Calgary, Canada / Cheseaux, Switzerland, October 25, 2018 — IN-FLIGHT Data, one of Canada’s leading commercial drone operators, has, in collaboration with senseFly, the industry’s leading provider of fixed-wing drone solutions, completed North America’s first urban BVLOS UAS (drone) project in a major city.
The project, carried out in the city of Calgary, Alberta, was commissioned to collect mapping data to support the development of a new graveyard site, the city’s first new cemetery since 1940. The mapping of the area, completed using a senseFly eBee Plus fixed-wing drone, saw IN-FLIGHT Data’s team conduct a total of 414 km (257 mi) BVLOS operations at an average distance of 2.35 km (1.46 mi) from the pilot, and began as part of IN-FLIGHT Data’s wider BVLOS UAS operations trial earlier this year. The aim of the trial was to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of BVLOS UAS flights and the cost and efficiency benefits they can provide to citizens and governments alike.
“As the first new municipal graveyard built in Calgary in over 75 years, this is a landmark development for the city,” said Chris Healy, owner of IN-FLIGHT Data. “The trial we completed earlier this year, which was Canada’s largest BVLOS UAS operations trial to date, demonstrated that this technique can provide highly geo-accurate aerial data in a variety of different applications. This project was no exception and, importantly, flying beyond line of site ensured that all of our take-off and landing areas were respectfully located outside of the graveyard.”
Restricted ground access to the site meant that remotely launched drone operations were the obvious option. Since the site was situated near a protected nature reserve and bird sanctuary, drone use also minimised the project’s environmental impact, negating the need to drive vehicles onto the site and disturb wildlife.
Completed on Sept. 29, 2018, the data collected during the project was delivered to the City of Calgary and will support construction management as the development of the graveyard commences. In addition to providing valuable inventory data, enabling city officials to identify the real estate available at the site, the findings will also be shared with the citizens of Calgary to follow the progress of the site construction.
“The success of this project indicates that the potential for BVLOS operations in urban, city environments is huge,” said Healy. “When correctly planned and executed, including ongoing communication with local air traffic control, and live air traffic monitoring within the drone’s flight software, BVLOS operations are an incredibly efficient, safe and cost-effective tool for mapping cities. With fewer personnel and operational requirements, BVLOS drone flights are key in facilitating and reducing the costs of urban UAS operations, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for BVLOS in other urban applications.”
In 2017, senseFly became the first drone operator to be granted ‘anytime’ Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) authorisation in Switzerland, plus its systems are currently approved for BVLOS use in France, Spain, Denmark and China. senseFly was also one of several organisations that were instrumental in the success of last year’s groundbreaking Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) demonstration in Geneva (Swiss U-space demo). The eBee Plus, eBee SQ and albris were designated ‘Compliant Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)’ by Transport Canada in August 2017, while senseFly’s original eBee drone became Canada’s first compliant fixed-wing drone back in 2015.
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About senseFly
At senseFly, we believe in using technology to make work safer and more efficient. Our proven drone solutions simplify the collection and analysis of geospatial data, allowing professionals in surveying, agriculture, engineering and humanitarian aid to make better decisions, faster.
senseFly was founded in 2009 and quickly became the leader in mapping drones. The company is a commercial drone subsidiary of Parrot Group. For more information: www.sensefly.com
About Parrot Business Solutions
Parrot, the leading European drone group, offers business solutions spanning drones, software, sensors and services, mainly focusing on 3 major verticals:
Founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux, the Parrot Group designs and engineers its products in Europe, mainly in France and Switzerland. Headquartered in Paris, Parrot has been listed since 2006 on Euronext Paris (FR0004038263 – PARRO). For more information: www.parrot.com
Press contact
Jessica Sader
PR Manager
Parrot Business Solutions
+1 586 879 7104
[email protected]
About IN-FLIGHT Data
Since 2014, IN-FLIGHT Data has been delivering timely, high quality spatial data acquisition that our partners and customers have trusted to make important business and mission-critical decisions.
IN-FLIGHT Data has a proven track record of safe UAV operations with zero safety incidents over work sites that are routinely measured in sections. We work on projects using compliant aircraft and field-tested procedures to ensure the highest quality aerial work anywhere in Canada, for some of Canada’s largest and most respected companies, organisations and government agencies.
