The Verge has partnered with the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College to collect data on the businesses now allowed to fly drones over US soil. The article, written by Ben Popper, is entitled “These Are the First 500 Companies Allowed to Fly Drones over the US.” and is “a fascinating snapshot of a fast-growing industry still in its infancy.” Featured is an “interactive database that allows you to drill deeper into details, exploring the companies that have been given permission to fly and what they are planning to do with their drones. You can also search by state and figure out who near you is planning to put a drone in the sky.” This is interesting indeed. Doing a search for “Nevada” pulled up six companies with a few descriptions (directly quoted) reading:
Electronic news gathering in Las Vegas, Nevada during active news, traffic and weather events.
Aerial photos, videography, and cinematography for academic community awareness, to augment real estate property listing videos, and video production to small businesses.
Aerial mapping of mine sites in Nevada and California.
Here are some interesting descriptions from other locations:
Operations to map crop acres and assess crop damage.
Examination and monitoring of power lines, pipelines and related utility structures.
Inspections of hydroelectric system assets, specifically remote penstocks, flow lines, dams, and reservoirs; remote or impassable section of natural gas and/or oil pipelines; and bridges supporting gas and oil pipelines.
Disaster and catastrophe events to assist members and communities.
