Exploring the Full Potential of Drone Technology

Drone technology is a hot topic around the country, and here in the St. Louis region, drones are becoming increasingly popular. Industry and city leaders, as well as representatives from construction and engineering firms, utility and mining companies, first responders, photographers and hobbyists gathered on September 26 in St. Louis to learn more about the subject at a forum hosted by St. Louis Downtown Airport and Bi-State Development. Despite the popularity of drones, attendees agreed that we are really only seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to exploring the potential uses and implications of the newer technology.

With the capabilities of drones constantly evolving, many businesses and agencies seem to be moving quickly to invest in the latest technology, and some are doing so without fully understanding the challenges and opportunities unmanned aircraft systems can present.

One of the three panelists, Tomislav Žigo, offered insight into both the drone challenges and the opportunities. Zigo is Vice President of Virtual Design and Construction for CLAYCO and he said his company was one of the first in the United States to get permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly a drone over the perimeter of its construction sites. He also mentioned CLAYCO recently created a new company that is providing a piloting network across the country.

One of the biggest challenges he said CLAYCO is seeing is reconciling the huge amount of information a drone gathers on a construction site, adding that a 30-minute mission typically produces between 800 and 1500 images that need to be catalogued for him to extract useful information to share with superintendents, construction managers and project executives so they understand the case for using the drones.

Žigo talked about some of the reasons his company flies drones, including: documenting the location of underground utilities; monitoring safety through deployment of artificial intelligence; and helping to eliminate risk aligned with sending someone to inspect different aspects of a job site.
He said he looks forward to the day when a drone becomes just another tool on a work site, and there’s one in every project manager’s hand, but with insurance requirements and the need to have certified pilots, that day is still a way off. He added the software that can quickly translate the data gathered into usable feedback also needs to be improved, and storage for all the data is another challenge that has to be addressed.

Another panelist Ravi Sahu said how drone data is accessed and how it can be used, is key, and he likened the current rush to embrace drone technology to the PC revolution in the 1980s. During that period, he said smaller businesses equipped their employees with personal computers because they saw the business value of the increased productivity. He believes we have entered the phase where we are transitioning from this being a revolution to where the technology is in use.

Sahu is the CEO and founder of St. Louis-based Strayos which is a drone data backbone software company, which analyzes the data collected and processes it into more usable information for its clients. Among the clients are companies in the mining industry who can use drone technology to analyze the geotechnical attributes of a 500-foot tall eye wall without having to send a person to analyze it. He said he sees drone technology being used to collect data, and job sites are already changing in terms of how the data is analyzed, ultimately shifting the business model so the technology is being integrated into existing business models.

For example, he said drones can play a role in improving the transportation of materials in the mining industry, where 40-percent of the cost is the transportation. The drones provide a better way of understanding where you can send the product or how the route is designed.

Panelist Dr. Srikanth Gururajan talked about how research can help people choose the appropriate drone for their needs. Gururajan, Assistant Professor of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering at Saint Louis University, suggested the performance of the flight controller should be a major factor in selecting a drone capable of completing the required job safely.

Gururajan said his team evaluates the performance of flight controllers in their lab, looking at how each flight controller performs when asked to do the same task on the same flight path. He said it goes back to making sure the platform one chooses is the right fit.

Some first responders in the St. Louis area who attended the forum have found the right fit for their drone programs. Matt Pagano, a paramedic and firefighter with University City Fire Department and the department’s drone coordinator, said his department launched its drone program earlier this year, and already has six drones and six pilots 107 certified to fly them. The drones are being used to get a bird’s eye view at fires to help provide valuable information to influence firefighting efforts.

All three panelists agreed that while they see great potential for drone technology to be used more widely to deliver products in a better way, deliver a safer job site, or even possibly deliver an entirely new commuting experience, it will take collaboration to get there. They said the collaboration will need to involve companies that can efficiently leverage the vast amounts of data the drones can gather, as well as the regulatory agencies that manage what moves through the air space.

Erick Dahl, director of St. Louis Downtown Airport, explained airports do not have control over drones moving through the air space. How drones fit into the general and commercial aviation landscape will be the focus of another forum in St. Louis on October 24. To learn more, visit Details And Registration or contact Erick Dahl at [email protected].

Patti Beck is director of communications for Bi-State Development. Bi-State Development owns and operates St. Louis Downtown Airport.