Drones for good

A British non-governmental organization is working with the government of Angola to clear mines from one of Africa’s largest and most diverse wildlife areas. Among the goals in making the region safer for all life in it is to allow tens of thousands of elephants trapped in neighboring Botswana to return to their native Angolan habitat.

A pair of organizations dedicated to protecting oceanic environments is teaming up to clean up the enormous gyre of marine litter known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. As part of that effort, amphibious drones will be flown to collect information that will be used in developing more efficient trash collection strategies and techniques at sea.

Since the start of 2020, large ships around the world have had to comply with lower maximum carbon and nitrogen emission levels permitted by international authorities. So what does that have to do with drones? Because they’re catching violating vessels out as they chug dirtily around Europe’s waters.

Between the G7 summit, a surprise drone proposal video, and bird-mimicking craft developers, Cornwall sure seems to be making a lot of news as of late. Now, it’s creating another headline by testing automated drone delivery services to British islands 30 miles south of its coast.

Everyone loves animals – especially the younger critters. But a Belgian nonprofit association may be taking the term “drones for good” to a new level by flying missions to prevent deer fawns from being hacked into bits.

Get. Ready. To. Bawl. Professional drone pilot Douglas Thron has dedicated his skills to locating and rescuing animal victims of natural disasters – then returning them whenever possible to their human friends. Now the world can be thrilled (and moved to shameless blubbering) by Thron’s big-hearted work in a new six-part documentary.

DJI unveiled a new video today that shows its products at work over the ocean. The mission? To identify whales that might be entangled with fishing lines or other discarded debris. Getting a good look from the air is a safe way to prepare to help disentangle these amazing creatures – often saving their lives in the process.

Unmanned aerial system service specialist, DroneSense has introduced mobile streaming and asset management capabilities to its interface platform. The company says the features will be of particular value to first responders in emergency situations.

Public officials around the globe are discovering the effectiveness of drones in battling a scourge that every country – and indeed the entire planet – needs to turn back: the relentlessly rising tide of litter.

We’re always happy to see news from Zipline. The organization saves lives every single day in Rwanda and Ghana, delivering critical medical supplies on demand to remote communities. And soon, that mission will expand to Nigeria’s Cross River State.

The Airborne International Response Team (AIRT) and its DroneResponders unit announced their joint development of a worldwide geo-referencing database of groups and pilots using drones in emergency response.

Authorities in India have authorized test use of drones for COVID-19 vaccinations as part of their response to the unprecedented surge of coronavirus across the country.

An organization dedicated to using drones for emergencies and disaster response has been awarded a grant from the US government. A news release says the funds will be used to “support drone operations within federal, state, and local public safety agencies and emergency services organizations.”

A Wisconsin drone company has partnered with the local school district to provide reliable internet to rural Northwoods kids. The drones will essentially act as mobile cellular towers to give the kids access to the internet for school work.

Oil and gas giant Neptune Energy has partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to measure methane emissions from offshore rigs with drones. Methane is a component of natural gas and a greenhouse gas required to be reduced according to the Paris Agreement.

Regular drone flights are about to commence shuttling COVID-19 tests, personal protective equipment, and other medical supplies between two communities in Scotland. There was a proof-of-concept phase last year, but the service is about to become fully operational.

Wingcopter, the German company with an innovative eVTOL aircraft, has joined the Flying Labs network as a technology partner. As it states in a news release, “The goal of the partnership is to improve supply chains through locally led cargo drone projects and to equip local talent with the skills to operate Wingcopter’s unmanned systems in long range drone applications, including beyond visual line of sight.” Let’s find out more.

A new video is out from DJI. It’s not promoting any particular DJI product, but rather the use-case scenarios for drones at the French ski resort of Val Thorens.

It started out as a fun drone flight by the beach. It ended with a high-stakes rescue.

Public safety drone consultancy Skyfire has announced its brand-new drone as part of a first responder (DFR) program for public safety agencies and first responders. The program aims to reduce response times, provide situational awareness, and increase efficiency.

One of Canada’s leading UAS innovators has been carrying out trials, flying drones on COVID-related BVLOS, or Beyond Visual Line of Sight, deliveries. The BVLOS tests involve InDro Robotics using a drone to deliver supplies to and from a remote First Nations community in British Columbia, Canada. And that’s a big deal.