Skylights

Data is an invaluable asset and requires management by professionals who are committed to quality assurance (QA) and information security. When evaluating drone service providers for utility inspection, it’s important to understand how a standardized QA program contributes to overall service quality and operational success.   ...

Monitoring foliage growth and identifying potential hazards are key to a successful vegetation management program for utilities. Failure to control vegetation can result in dangerous conditions that may directly lead to downed power lines and fires, but also impact the ability of workers to safely access power lines for routine maintenance and repairs.   ...

Medical drone delivery refers to the use of drones to transport healthcare supplies such as medication, blood, vaccines, and other medical equipment between facilities or to remote or hard-to-reach areas. The use of drones for medical delivery has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency and speed of delivering medical supplies and services, particularly in...

Before drones can begin to realize their potential impact, they need buy-in from regulatory authorities and the public at-large. Operationally this means that drones need to be successfully integrated into the National Airspace System (NAS) which will require updated policies, procedures, and minimum equipment requirements. From a societal perspective, people need to understand, trust, and...

The use of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) is revolutionizing the utility industry by improving the speed and efficiency of line inspections. One of the primary benefits of UAS inspection is the quality of images delivered by the state-of-the art cameras affixed to the drones.   ...

On a recent bright fall day, the Spright team advanced the implementation of commercial drones in the U.S. by completing the longest unmanned commercial Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight between healthcare facilities. This is an important step in developing Spright’s delivery drone network that will exclusively service the healthcare market including labs, hospitals,...

Beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) UAS technology allows operators to fly drones further than what is visible to the human operator, depending on the landscape and terrain. As part of a broader drone program, BVLOS operations enable electric companies to substantially increase the efficiency and effectiveness of long-linear inspection and vegetation management activities. For example, capturing, processing, and...