Watch: Part 1 of Global BC series on drones
Increasingly more affordable and accessible, drones were one of the most popular gifts this holiday season.
Widely available in stores and online starting at only a few hundred dollars, drones made it under the Christmas trees in many Canadian households.
“Our drone sales this season were quite strong,” says Faizul Fahim with Best Buy. “We had a lot of units honestly flying off the shelves.”
Once only thought of as weapons of war, drones are in popular demand, with a growing army of amateurs behind the controls.
But for many people here in British Columbia, drones are more than just a toy.
There is a community of drone enthusiasts flying drones for fun, but also for business.
WATCH: Hobbyist Jeff Nye talks about the drone community here in B.C.
Dozens of local businesses offer anything from bridge inspections to real estate photography.
Abbotsford grape grower and vineyard owner Andrew Etsell is planning to use a drone to help him with monitoring his crops.
“This will help us in terms of planting and in planning for future plots,” says Etsell. “It will also help us throughout the growing season to be able to monitor our plants and find problem areas that we may not see just walking through the rows by ourselves.”
What Etsell is talking about is called ‘precision agriculture.’
Paul Bennett with Aerobotika that provides the service says the drone allows them to collect data that will help monitor the health of grape vines for Etsell.
Etsell says the technology is still very new, but is another tool for them.
“It less time in the field for him,” says Bennett. “It is better data about the plants and better information on the land that he has here. We try to get as precise as possible to get the best yield for the farmer.”
Meanwhile, local search and rescue teams say the technology could help save lives.
Michael Coyle with Coquitlam search and rescue has been experimenting with drone technology since 2013.
He says drones would give them real-time feedback and allow them to go places where other aircraft can’t.
They would also help crews search at night when a helicopter is not available.
“If we can’t get a helicopter up in the air, there is a bit of frustration there,” says Coyle. “This is like an obvious thing that would let us put another eye in the sky.”
However, Coyle’s team is still waiting for approval from Emergency Management BC to start using drones.
But for Coyle, there is no question in his mind drones are the future of search and rescue.
“They will make search and rescue faster, more efficient and safer.”
WATCH: Abbotsford farmer Andrew Etsell and Coquitlam search and rescue spokesperson Michael Coyle talk about how drones would help their respective industries
Comments