RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems has been developing what it claims to be the world’s first survey-grade UAS LiDAR sensor, the VUX-1. Continue reading
Pix4D Integrated Editing Software Combines Computer Vision and Photogrammetry
Pix4D has released a new software package Pix4Dmapper, a fully integrated editing tool providing extended CAD and GIS possibilities. The rayCloud, Pix4D’s latest innovation included in Pix4Dmapper, combines the 3D point cloud with the original images for easy viewing as well as highly accurate semantic annotation and project improvement. Continue reading
Malaysia to Procure UAS for Maritime Security
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) will use UAS as eyes in the sky to fight crime, smuggling and intrusion at sea. The agency’s director-general Maritime Admiral Mohd Amdan Kurish said the agency expected to rely on fixed-wing and rotary-wing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) as part of its strategy. Continue reading
X-47B Will Pair With Manned Aircraft in Testing Later This Year
The U.S. Navy plans to take the Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstrator (UCAS-D) aircraft out to sea onboard an aircraft carrier this summer to test how well it operates together with manned aircraft around the ship and on the flight deck. Continue reading
UAS Firefighting Technology in New South Wales, Australia
Firefighters meanwhile are always looking toward the latest technology with the Hot Fire Training Facility at Mogo an example of how local Rural Fire Service brigades are on the cutting edge. Now Cobargo resident and UAS enthusiast Warren Purnell is convinced the remotely operated flying machines are a perfect platform to assist firefighters in their bushfire duties. Continue reading
Lockheed Martin Gets $440M FAA NAS Support Contract Extension
The FAA awarded a $440 million extension through 2017 to Lockheed Martin for continued support of the National Airspace System (NAS) Integration Support Contract (NISC). Extending the NISC allows the FAA to have quick access to a team of high-level technical, engineering and information technology specialists where it needs to implement or integrate equipment and components related to the modernization of the U.S. air traffic management system, NextGen. Continue reading
UAS to Help with Search & Rescue in Metro Vancouver
Local search and rescue teams and fire departments in Metro Vancouver are considering the use of unmanned aircraft systems to provide a cheaper — and infinitely safer — way of finding people in treacherous or difficult-to-access terrain. Continue reading
University of Louisiana-Monroe UAS Students Monitor Crops
Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or UAS, is now a concentration within the University of Louisiana-Monroe Aviation Department. Led by Dr. Paul Karlowitz, Associate Professor of Aviation. A group of seven students will become the first in the state to gain clearance by the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, for the use of UAS for commercial use.