Check Out How Drones Could Be Used To Spot Wildlife And Even Predict Avalanches

In Utah, drones are hovering near avalanches to watch roaring sw. In rth Carolina, y’re searching for nests of endangered birds. In Kansas, y could soon be identifying sick cows through heat signatures. 

Public transportation ncies are using drones in nearly every state, according to a new survey by American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. report released Monday finds a sharp increase in ir use over last few years, showing that governments as well as hobbyists have rapidly opted techlogy. 

In 2016,  nprofit group found state transportation ncy was using drones every day. w, 36 states have certified drone pilots on staff. When survey was done this month, all but one state was using drones in some way. Since n, lone holdout — Rhode Island — has bought a drone, group spokesman Tony Dorsey said. 

small, unmanned aircraft are often used for mundane tasks, like inspecting bridges and ros. With sophisticated cameras and rmal techlogy, y can detect tiny cracks and identify potential potholes before y’re visible to human eye. 

“You’ve seen cost of drones come down significantly, and capabilities that come along with some drones increase significantly as well,” said group’s executive director, Jim Tymon. 

Drones have raised privacy concerns, but Tymon said new techlogy lets m be programmed to avoid entering certain s. 

Drones also have caused ir share of heaches for officials over years as personal devices forced grounding of planes at airports or those fighting wildfires. 

But y can be useful for work that’s dangerous for people. In Utah, drones record from air as state workers set off planned avalanches, allowing m to watch slides close up in real time, said Jared Esselman, director of aeronautics at state Department of Transportation. 

Drones also can measure sw and or elements of state’s rugged terrain to keep m from blocking ros or or infrastructure. 

“We can predict t only sw slides, but mudslides and water ruff as sw melts,” Esselman said. “Drones are a perfect tool for any job that is dangerous or dirty.” 

When a mudslide cut off access to a city about two years ago, Idaho sent a drone up to pinpoint best spot to use heavy machinery to clear ro, said Brian Ness, director of Idaho Transportation Department. 

In rth Carolina, drones are finding nests of endangered species like red-cocked woodpecker, said Basil Yap, unmanned aerial systems program manr at state’s transportation department. 

People used to fan out in helicopters or all-terrain vehicles to check for evidence of protected birds before building new projects, but drones can do job quicker with less disruption, Yap said. 

“re’s little to ise compared to a helicopter,” he said. 

y’re also used to check for protected bats nesting under bridges and to spray herbicide on invasive plants near shorelines. 

rth Carolina is one of three states working with Federal Aviation ministration to test drones beyond operator’s line of sight, at night and over people. FAA does t usually allow those uses without a special waiver. 

Also part of program is Kansas, where workers are using drones to create sophisticated farming programs and monitor cattle heat signatures to prevent any illnesses from spreing. 

A number of states are beginning to explore how to regulate a flood of private drone traffic expected in future. In Ohio, state is working on an air-traffic control system called SkyVision, which would allow drones to detect and avoid or aircraft in flight. 

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