DEC's Drone Program Takes Off
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sent this bulletin on 09/25/2017 03:01 PM EDTDEC Delivers - Information to keep you connected and informed from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation |
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DEC's Drone Program Takes Off |
Fleet of 22 Drones and Professional Operators Undertake Critical Search and Rescue, Forest Fires, Wildlife Management and Forest Health MissionsDEC Drones Dispatched to Assist in Hurricane Recovery Efforts in Texas and Puerto Rico New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today that the agency has deployed a fleet of 22 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or "drones," across the state to enhance the state's environmental management, conservation and emergency response efforts. Recently completed missions have greatly improved DEC's ability to monitor and protect the state's lands, waters, and wildlife while ensuring environmental quality and safety for residents. "DEC has a wide range of responsibilities in protecting the state's environment and ensuring the safety of our citizens and visitors, and well-being of our communities," Commissioner Seggos said. "The use of drone technology will help us do our jobs better and faster while saving taxpayer dollars. We live in a changing world with technological advances being made at an exponential rate, and UAVs give us a safe and efficient way to collect and analyze data, assess threats to the environment, and quickly respond to emergencies. This technology is helping DEC with everything from petroleum spills and wildlife surveys to search and rescue missions, forest fires, and natural disasters." DEC developed its UAV program with guidance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and received a Certificate of Authorization (COA) from the FAA authorizing use of UAVs within national airspace. Fourteen DEC pilots trained for several months under the guidance of the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research (NUAIR) team at FAA's UAS test site at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, one of only six national test sites in the nation, and with staff from SkyOp, a private UAS training company. The drones are equipped with both standard and thermal infrared cameras and can legally fly at heights below 400 feet. Each drone is operated by a human pilot that can control the vehicle with a remote control from the ground and at a distances of up to three miles. Currently, DEC stations drones in DEC Region 1 (Long Island), Region 2 (NYC Metro), Region 4 (Capital District), Region 5 (Adirondacks), Region 6 (Tug Hill), Region 7 (Central New York), and Region 9 (Western New York). The majority of DEC's drones will be piloted by UAS-certified Forest Rangers and Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs). DEC anticipates using drones for a number of duties, including but not limited to search and rescue missions, forest fire suppression, wildlife management and surveys, invasive species detection, and forest health evaluations. Spills Response - Staten Island, NYC Fire Island Beach Restoration Survey - Suffolk County, Long Island Southern Pine Beetle Survey - Suffolk County, Long Island Phragmites Survey - St. Lawrence County Bat Cave Survey - Mineville Monitoring Traffic at the Great New York State Fair - Syracuse Lake Ontario Coastal Erosion Survey DEC Deploys UASs to Texas and Puerto Rico DEC also anticipates that drones will help staff to quickly assess environmental damage from natural disasters such as dam breaks, ice jams, flooding, hurricanes, tornados, and air quality events. Drones will also give scientists new opportunities to observe landscapes from above and provide baseline and change-comparisons over time for enhanced data analysis. Each year, Forest Rangers respond to approximately 250 search and rescue calls, and many times environmental conditions, such as low visibility and night conditions, prevent manned aircraft from providing support. This lack of information often increases the time to respond to stranded and distressed persons in critical need of medical attention. To solve this problem, UAVs equipped with infrared sensors will have the ability to transmit real-time location information to ground search-and-rescue crews, potentially saving time and lives. Additional benefits of DEC's drone program include:
DEC encourages anyone flying a UAV to familiarize themselves and comply with FAA rules and regulations. DEC has jurisdiction over the public's launching, landing, and operation of drones on DEC land. If you launch or land from private property and operate over DEC lands, the FAA has jurisdiction. DEC is in the early stages of determining what kind of public drone use will or will not be allowed on most state land. The allowable uses and the regulatory mechanism for such use will depend on the land designation. Drone use will not be allowed on lands classified as wilderness in the Adirondack and Catskill parks and areas classified as primitive and canoe in the Adirondack Park. DEC's proposed policies and regulations will be subject to a robust public comment period in the coming months. |