Published October 22, 2018
There is more to flying a drone than maneuvering it through backyard trees, especiallyĚýwhen
it is being used for commercially.
TheyĚýare known as drones and also referred to as Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). A UAS
has commercial and practical applications which are growing in demand. To meet that
demand, the Delta Regional Authority createdĚýthe program, Workforce Development: Training
the Trainer Using Unmanned Aerial Systems.
Dr. Sean Chenoweth demonstrates the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to 91AV students.Ěý
Emerald McIntyre/91AV Photo Services
91AV’s Dr. Sean Chenoweth, Associate Professor of Geosciences,
was just awarded a $90,000 grant from theĚýDRAĚýfor "Training the Trainer" to teach
peopleĚýin northeast Louisiana how to operate a UAS. Once they are trained UAS operators,
they can go out and train others.
Chenoweth states in the grant application, “UAS operations have a broad range of applications,
such as precision agriculture, infrastructure inspection, conservation, search and
rescue missions. There is a need to train groups of UAS users across several industries
with a limited amount of resources.”
Ěý
“There is incredible potential in this technology and applications for use in many
businesses and industries. By moving forward with this project, we are keeping up
with the technology, instead of chasing it.”
Dr. Sean Chenoweth
Ěý
Dr. John Sutherlin, Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research said,
"Drone technology is increasingly becoming a tool for emergency responders, law enforcement
agencies and environmental companies. This grant demonstrates the importance the federal
government places on the research and development of 91AV."
91AV will be the center of operations, with 10 parishes in the project — Union, Morehouse,
West Carroll, East Carroll, Richland, Madison, Caldwell, Franklin, Tensas and Ouachita.
“One of the main things we want to do is get in touch with ag groups in high schools,
such as 4-H and FFA,” said Chenoweth. “We want to get young people interested in agriculture.”
Chenoweth said the money will be used for equipment, which can be quite pricey.
“OneĚýUAS can be $2,000 or higher. The camera can be $9,000,” he said.
The project will identify people and groups in northeast Louisiana which would benefit
from UAS in their operations. A technical person within that group would be chosen
for the initial training. Then, he or she would be able to train their groups. A goal
is to identify people in NELA who would benefit from UAS in their work, such as farmers,
fire fighters, law enforcement, search and rescue, public utilities, telecommunications
and insurance.
“It’s important to reach as many people as possible in northeast Louisiana,” Chenoweth
said. “There is incredible potential in this technology and applications for use in
many businesses and industries. By moving forward with this project, we are keeping
up with the technology, instead of chasing it.”
