Predator drone now part of Calif. wildfire battle
Source: AP
GROVELAND, Calif. (AP) As crews advanced against a giant wildfire around Yosemite National Park, fire commanders said they would maintain use of a Predator drone to give them early views of any new flare-ups across in the remote and rugged landscape.
While unmanned aircraft have mapped past fires, use of the Predator will be the longest sustained mission by a drone in California to broadcast information to firefighters in real time. The plane, the size of a small Cessna, will remain over the burn zone for up to 22 hours at a time, allowing fire commanders to monitor fire activity, determine the fire's direction of movement, the extent of containment and confirm new fires ignited by lightning or flying embers.
The drone is being flown by the 163rd Wing of the California National Guard at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside and is operating from Victorville Airport, both in Southern California. It generally flew over unpopulated areas on its 300-mile flight to the Rim Fire. Outside the fire area, it will be escorted by a manned aircraft.
In 2009 a NASA Predator equipped with an infrared imaging sensor helped the U.S. Forest Service assess damage from a fire in Angeles National Forest. In 2008, a drone capable of detecting hot spots helped firefighters assess movement of a series of wildfires stretching from Southern California's Lake Arrowhead to San Diego.
Read more: http://hosted2.ap.org/RIPRJ/f7ded15e4d4846268a17b79c1c4b7cb8/Article_2013-08-29-US-Western-Wildfires-Yosemite/id-e28c0144c87246b88c846a0197ac4053
There are many peaceful uses for drones - the key is to put them into the hands of civilian agencies with no ties to the military or police.
Rebellious Republican
(5,029 posts)First good use of a Drone I have heard about.
FailureToCommunicate
(14,026 posts)trying to track down Pancho Villa's band:
http://blogs.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/2009/03/mexico-march-1916-the-first-us-air-force-mission/
marble falls
(57,353 posts)sparse environment in Pakistan or Yemen?
hack89
(39,171 posts)there are many peaceful uses of drones.
marble falls
(57,353 posts)hack89
(39,171 posts)my comment is that there are peaceful uses for drones. They can be non-Predator drones that have no military capabilities.
My comment is a general one about the civilian use of drones, not a specific endorsement of the dual-use of military drones.
marble falls
(57,353 posts)delivering a gallon of milk in a public relations white washing of a weapons system currently being used to murder women and children as well as unarmed men in civilian areas. Sorry, Predators don't warm the cockles of my heart.
hack89
(39,171 posts)OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)hack89
(39,171 posts)there are hundreds of valid uses for the civil uses of drones.
niyad
(113,612 posts)hack89
(39,171 posts)Mines - Mining companies are already deploying drones worldwide with great efficiency and safety gains to accurately measure site conditions, inspect pit walls, calculate quantities, and measure and map in 3D. Photogrammetric techniques are used for 3D modeling to date, however more precise laser LiDAR sensors for UAV platforms will be developed in time.
Construction Sites - The monitoring from above of construction project sites provides a new input during all phases of a project lifecycle. Aerial photography is done now for only the largest projects, however the input would be used more widely and more frequently if more readily accessible. The ability to quickly model from above in 3D with increasing precision will provide a check on projects with as-builts compared to plans, as well as the better coordination of materials on the job site.
Infrastructure Inspection - From pipelines to powerlines, to towers, to processing plants, the inspection of complex infrastructure will benefit from regular aerial monitoring. The ability to sense in three dimensions, take thermal readings, and to detect metal strain will greatly improve infrastructure inspection. Small and unmanned platforms that can hover and get close and surround infrastructure, such as a bridge or plant, will provide a new level of detail to improve performance.
Wildlife Research - Drones are being used internationally to monitor and track wildlife, providing new insight into animal behavior, as well as protection from poachers. With the ability to operate at night, and with thermal camera sensors, drones provide unprecedented protection.
Prospecting - Mineral and oil and gas exploration is a natural fit for drones, with field prospectors extending their toolset with aerial sensors to confirm and expand their insight. Magnetometers on aerial platforms can be used to detect ferrous metals and gravitational fields, with less of a disturbance due to their size.
Storm Tracking/Forecasting - Sending drones into hurricanes and tornadoes provides new insight into their behavior and trajectory. Unmanned systems are the best approach to these dangerous situations, and with specialized sensors to detail weather parameters, new insight becomes possible.
Emergency Response - After a natural or manmade disaster, a drone provides a quick means to gather information, navigate debris with a portable and useful technology that doesnt drown out cries for help, and that can be deployed by teams that are working a specific area.
Environmental Monitoring - Drones fill a gap between manned aerial inspections and traditional fieldwork, monitoring hard to reach areas, or taking reading in contaminated areas where human health would be at risk. The ability to quickly deploy and capture an area of interest in concert with in-situ measurements, provides an advantage to contamination and reclamation work. Near-infrared sensors provide details of plant health to determine environmental health. The site-specific insight will greatly improve habitat restoration, environmental assessments, monitoring, and remediation.
Search and Rescue - With thermal sensors, drones can quickly discover the location of lost persons, and are particularly useful at night or in challenging terrain. The search and rescue mission is a battle against time, particularly in harsh conditions, and drones become a powerful tool because of the ease of deployment.
- See more at: http://www.sensorsandsystems.com/dialog/perspectives/30861-what-are-the-top-ten-civilian-uses-of-drones-that-don%E2%80%99t-impinge-privacy.html#sthash.1d691R74.dpuf
niyad
(113,612 posts)hack89
(39,171 posts)my point merely being that there are valid civilian uses for drones. Now is the time to discuss how they will be regulated because they are not going away.
niyad
(113,612 posts)hack89
(39,171 posts)KansDem
(28,498 posts)Gotta play it safe...
Look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! IT'S...!!!