Drones for Municipalities: What You Need to Know in Order to Fly (Hands-on Workshop)

Drones for Municipalities:  What You Need to Know in Order to Fly!

(Hands-on Workshop)

Monday, May 13, 2019

(Rain Date, Wednesday, May 15, 2019)

8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Digital Geography Laboratory, 325 Meier Hall

Salem State University

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This one day, hands-on workshop will help municipalities know what drones can do for municipal work and what you need to know before you fly. The central themes of the workshop are:

• To learn about the current uses of drones for municipalities
• To learn about how different departments in government can use drones with special focus on the Department of Public Works and Department of Public Safety
• To learn about the different drones currently available
• To learn about the necessary software to fly drones and create imagery
• To learn about the legal aspects of flying drones and the FAA requirements
• To learn how to get a Remote Pilot’s license
• To learn about additional needs, such as insurance
• To gain hands-on experience on how to set up a drone project, fly the drone, produce final imagery through various software packages.

Part of the day will include lecture and discussion and part of the day will include field work with hands-on exercises. By the end of the workshop you will have all of the information necessary to set up a drone program for your town government.
This workshop will be taught by:
Dr. Stephen Young is a Full Professor of geography and specializes in remote sensing and environmental sustainability. Dr. Young has worked with satellites for over 30 years with over a dozen publications. He has been flying drones and teaching with drones for the past two year and is FAA certified as a Remote Pilot.
Mr. Richard Ames is a GIS professional with over 25 years’ experience in the municipal and private sectors.  In addition to an undergraduate degree in Cartography/GIS from Salem State, Mr. Ames holds a MA in GIS and International Development from Clark University.  Mr. Ames established Natick’s drone program and became an FAA certified pilot in September of 2016.
Sergeant Christos G. Zamakis is a member of the Peabody Police Department and is currently assigned to the Research and Development/Training Division. Sergeant Zamakis has earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Criminal Justice from Salem State, and is currently enrolled in the Geo-Information Science master’s program at Salem State University. In his master’s program Sergeant Zamakis is studying drone use for police departments.

Presenter

Stephen Young

Dr. Stephen Young is a Full Professor of geography and specializes in remote sensing and environmental sustainability. Dr. Young has worked with satellites for over 30 years with over a dozen publications. He has been flying drones and teaching with drones for the past year and is FAA certified as a remote Pilot.

Presenter

Richard Ames

Mr. Richard Ames is a GIS professional with over 25 years’ experience in the municipal and private sectors. In addition to an undergraduate degree in Cartography/GIS from Salem State, Mr. Ames holds a MA in GIS and International Development from Clark University. Mr. Ames established Natick’s drone program and became an FAA certified pilot in September of 2016.