Japan’s Terra Drone Corporation has signed an investment agreement with Ontario, Canada-based Unmanned Aerial Services Incorporated (UAS Inc.) to form a new subsidiary in Canada called Terra Drone Mining. The new subsidiary will provide UAS mapping and inspection services to underground mines across the globe.  With this new investment from Terra Drone, Terra Drone Mining will be able to expand UAS Inc.’s business beyond the U.S. to cater to areas of “thriving underground mining operations” such as South/Central America, South Africa, Central Asia, Russia, and Australia.

UAVOS and Polynesian Navigation Inc. have collaborated to develop a long-distance autonomous UAS for 3D mapping. Powered by UAVOS's autopilot, the UVH -25EL unmanned helicopter has increased performance with a carrying capacity, a flying range, and an extended temperature range. A number of its functions are conducted automatically, including take-off and landing, and the actual missions themselves. “We have been extending into UAV service market to meet its goal of offering state-of-the-art systems that are easy to use and offer excellent cost/performance value to our customers,” says UAVOS CEO Aliaksei Stratsilatau.

Members of the Airborne International Response Team (AIRT) formed a joint-reconnaissance team with members of the Southeast Florida Region 7 All-Hazards Incident Management Team (SEFL-R7 AHIMT) to survey damage across the hardest hit areas of the Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands in the Northern Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian. Using UAS, the team conduced damage assessment operations at the University of the Bahamas – Northern Campus, and nearby neighborhoods that were hit hard by the deadly hurricane. “We saw first-hand the damage that this hurricane leveled upon the Bahamas,” says Nigel Baker, team coordinator and incident commander of SEFL-R7 AHIMT. 

Wounded Eagle (WE) UAS Inc., a veteran run non-profit organization that trains disabled veterans to become experienced and skilled FAA Part 107 UAS operators, has announced that with help from its student UAS operators, it completed aerial mapping of VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System's (VAGLAHS) 388-acre VA West Los Angeles Medical Center (WLA) campus. WE used a UAS and UAS mapping software to capture thousands of images of WLA. The images were stitched together to make a three zone orthomosaic map. WE also created 3D renderings of several historical buildings including the Wadsworth Chapel and Brentwood Theater. “A truly great opportunity was given to Wounded Eagle UAS by the VA,” says Joseph Dorando, the team lead and remote pilot in charge of UAS operations.