White House Use Of Drones Across Various Government Departments

Following news that the White House wants to encourage the use of drones across various government departments and has released new privacy best practices to support this, Matt Jones, Technical Research Manager at Esri UK commented below.

Matt Jones, Technical Research Manager at Esri UK:

 “The news that the White House is looking to encourage the use of drones throughout various government departments is a major step in bringing geographical information systems (GIS) technology into the heart of government operations in the United States.

With GIS, we are now able to do things we couldn’t have dreamt of three years ago. Through the use of emerging technologies, GIS can empower governments and businesses by capturing, storing, manipulating, analysing, managing and presenting all types of critical spatial or geographical data – in almost real time. This not only enhances the capabilities of the organisation and any field based operatives involved, but also provides a specialised tool for capturing information in sensitive conditions. Inspection of critical infrastructure using drones is a growing practice that improves the ability to inspect fixed assets, including those that span vast areas.

We are now seeing the next generation of geospatial intelligence evolve to use emerging technologies, such as drones, to enrich data. Any government or organisation can use a drone to gather data to drive results, reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies by capturing professional 2D and 3D imagery in a matter of minutes. Due to the variety of applications it can be used for as well, it’s clear to see why the US government believes drone technology has the potential to add $82bn to the US economy over the next decade.”