Surveying Archives | Draper Aden

April 12, 2017

[caption id="attachment_6306" align="aligncenter" width="770"] DAA and Altavian team preparing for flight[/caption] It is all about synchronization! For the first time in Virginia, an unmanned aircraft conducted an aerial survey, launching and recovering from an airfield, in a remarkably coordinated effort by the airport staff, flight crew, and Draper Aden Associates. DAA and Altavian collaborated to conduct an aerial survey for Faulconer Construction utilizing a fixed wing small un-manned aircraft system (sUAS) at the Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport in Blacksburg, VA. Coordinated efforts between flight operations crew and the airport manager played an important role in maintaining safe operations. [caption id="attachment_6305" align="aligncenter" width="770"] aUAS in flight over the airport[/caption] The process included filing a notice with the Federal Aviation Authority’s Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). A NOTAM is a notice filed, 72 hours in advance, with an aviation authority to alert aircraft pilots of potential hazards along a flight route or at a...

December 8, 2016

in Blog, DAA News, Imaging, Surveying

by Draper Aden Associates

Sky-High Service: Drones for Commercial Use

Would it be confusing to say we’re in on the ground floor for a sky-high service? It may sound a little complicated but that is just where Draper Aden Associates’ Darren Goodbar has placed the firm. Director of DAA’s Aerial Services and Piedmont Virginia Community College’s (PVCC) co-instructor of the schools unmanned aerial systems program, Darren is bridging the gap between academic research and direct application. PVCC is the first college in the US to conduct research and development using small unmanned aerial systems (UAV) for public safety purposes. In June, the Virginia Unmanned Systems (UMS) Commission approved its recommendations to the Governor to increase business opportunities for the use of unmanned systems in the Commonwealth. These recommendations include funding the continued expansion of UAV to be used by first responders in life-saving applications in Virginia. The PVCC course is promoting usage of drones for public safety but the practice is taking off...

October 20, 2016

in Blog, Surveying

by Draper Aden Associates

Over the Edge: Construction Surveying Safety

When you think of a prism, a rainbow easily comes to mind. Water droplets form a type of prism to reflect, refract, and disperse light that results a multi-colored arc. Surveyors think of something else. A surveying prism sets a control point for the rest of the points located at a project site and is an important surveying tool that has a major impact on the quality of your measurements. Conventional prisms are tripod mounted and placed on the ground in an advantageous spot. In most cases, they have to be moved numerous times over the course of a project. In one of our current projects, DAA come up with a solution that added a safety bonus. [caption id="attachment_5808" align="aligncenter" width="725"] A 360 degree prism[/caption] Surveyors Dereck Perry and Johnathan Vaughan, from our Charlottesville office, set 360-degree prisms on rooftops of four adjacent buildings for the UVA Hospital Expansion Project. The prism, put...

Surveying

First in Flight: Unmanned Aircraft Conducts Aerial Survey at Airport

Sky-High Service: Drones for Commercial Use

Over the Edge: Construction Surveying Safety