Managing a drone project can be daunting task, regardless of size or desired outcome. Simultaneously meeting clients’ timing and accuracy demands, staying in compliance with local and federal regulations, and managing a team is imperative to any project. With all these task being easier said than done, the Drone Project Management Strategies Across Industries session at Commercial UAV Expo will break down the elements of well-executed management strategies through detailed case studies and lessons learned.

This session will feature deep-dive case studies where drone operations played a pivotal role in the project’s success. Speakers will share how they leverage, digital twins, and GIS workflows to improve infrastructure inspection data, used to enhance bridges and wastewater facilities. More data collection examples will be shown through the work drones are doing to help conservation efforts for the US Forest Service. Gathering high-resolution lidar images of forests and agricultural lands serves decisionmakers with actionable data. Other presentations cover the critical work drones do to secure areas where it’s not viable to have personnel. This includes using AI-powered Surveillance, Tracking, and Recognition systems to monitor pipelines for leak detection. Alternate autonomous response systems used to secure buildings will be showcased as well. To tie it all together is a presentation on how to navigate regulatory, technical and operational hurdles, using a UAS security case study as an example.

From each presentation, attendees will walk away with the ability to develop comprehensive drone project plans, how to measure project success and demonstrate ROI to stakeholders and clients, and how these projects can demonstrate value to drive broader adoption.

Key technical takeaways from this session will include how to:

  • Use UAS, digital twins, and AI to autonomously collect data 
  • Detect defects in inspection data with AI and infrared 
  • Utilize drones with GIS workflows for multiple project operations like construction, safety, and community relations 
  • Select the best drone for your project 
  • Navigate regulatory hurdles 
  • Help clients make data driven decisions 
  • Improve operational efficiency 

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Presenters include Michael Lever, Technical Director at 24-7 Drone Force; Ryan Smith, President of Titan Protection & Consulting; Mark Hastings, CEO of Aero Velocity; Barritt Lovelace, Vice President of UAS, AI and Digital Twins at Collins Engineering, Inc.; Peter Keum, Drone Program Lead / GIS Analyst at King County Wastewater Treatment; and Oyin Aluko, Director of Pendulum Rise Global.  

With decades of combined experience, these presenters will share how drone technology proved its value in the project itself and to their customers. The presenters agree that true efficiency comes from rethinking traditional processes, not just adding new tools.

“The most common mistake is incorporating drone workflows but also wanting to perform the work with traditional methods,” Lovelace told CUAV News “We must be willing to abandon traditional methods to take advantage of the cost savings.”