Irish specialist software developer Treemetrics has won a €1.2 million contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) to provide a system for tracking tree and forest growth.
Millions of hectares of forest discovered
Scientists have discovered a whopping 467 million hectares of previously unreported forest scattered around the world, a finding that they say could have a big impact on global carbon budgeting moving forward. The finding boosts estimates of global forest coverage by 10 percent, and changes our understanding of how well drylands, where these forests happen to be situated, can support …
Airbus now moving into commercial drones
Airbus has announced the launch of a new commercial drone start-up, named Airbus Aerial, that will focus on developing new imagery services. These services will leverage technology that Airbus has developed over the years and uses with satellites and complement that with imaging from drones and other high altitude aircraft. “Through Airbus Aerial, we are uniquely positioned and fully committed …
Laser system recognises tree species automatically
A joint research project by Tampere University of Technology’s mathematics laboratory and the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) has developed a new method of recognising tree species based on laser scanning measurements. The method enables the calculation of classification features in a completely new way. The researchers from TUT and Luke received promising results when testing a fully automatic method …
US Department of Defence funding paper airplanes
For all those interested in UAV’s, here’s an interesting story. DARPA, the U.S. Department of Defence military research agency, whose work has resulted in staples of modern life such as the Internet and GPS systems, is now working with a San Francisco-based R&D lab – Otherlab – to develop the world’s most advanced industrial paper airplanes. The project is part …
Combining the best technologies for 3D Modeling
Cambridge startup Scanifly isn’t just another drone data platform. With a background in solar technology and a clear view of the value proposition for drone data, founder John Novak and his team are combining technologies for the best in 3D modeling for the enterprise – and beyond. Starting with solar technology applications, Scanifly has developed feature-rich solutions designed to maximize …
When Birds Attack! — A real threat to drones
When it comes to operating commercial drones, there are some challenges that every operator needs to address: gaining official permission to fly, knowing where you can safely operate, staying on top of the weather… a professional dronist is rarely bored. But one issue, globally at least, is rarely discussed: the very real problem of birds of prey attacking unmanned aircraft …
Australian drone regulations need tightening
A Coalition senator is calling on Australia’s Federal Government to toughen up laws on the use of small drones. Queensland senator Barry O’Sullivan said he feared a “catastrophic” accident was possible if measures to govern the use of drones that weigh less than 2 kilograms were not considered immediately. Last September, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) relaxed rules around …