Implementation and Application of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in a Diverse Public Utility Environment

摘要

The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) will discuss how they started their internal Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) program. This will include an outline of the original business case, gaining authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate, and choosing/training pilots. LCRA will then discuss the different types of drones, and how these apply to a particular scope. Specific work products will be explained, along with how these were chosen as the deliverable for a particular site, such as a substation, transmission line Right-of-Way, etc. Specific examples of the use of drones for substation and transmission lines will be discussed and also future application of this technology. The subject of housing and distributing the data will also be discussed, as well as the integration of the resulting data in a GIS system. The product derived from the UAS is photography, which can then be converted to a 3D point cloud. These files can be very large, and you must have a plan of how you will effectively manage this.