SAN FRANCISCO, CA - If you’re looking to get a piece of that drone action but you still haven’t quite set your heart on it, you’re in luck. Meet SkyCatch, the “Uber for Drones.”
With unmanned aerial vehicles on their way to becoming a hot new technology among companies in need of land surveying, SkyCatch’s “Workmode” service provides businesses with a drone and a certified pilot without having to dole out the dough to own the technology for themselves. That’s a massive selling point for companies that are interested in drones, but don’t yet see them as a necessary investment.
Check out the 39 second video below to see what drones can do for agriculture...
The business model works both ways. Companies can now afford drones for quick, one-off surveying projects, and independent trained pilots for hire can make money by leasing their drones and flying them on-site. According to Wired’s Klint Finley, pilots interested in joining Workmode need to pass both a flight test and a knowledge test that includes topics such as photogrammetry, aerospace law, and more, to appear as “verified” pilots on the website.
For those of us in the produce industry, drones can be outfitted with cameras that can map and monitor farm activity. Skycatch’s platform, in particular, can scan companies’ farms on a daily or weekly basis to develop vegetation indices that offer insights on irrigation and disease management, according to the company website. Skycatch also tracks assets in the field and provides information on equipment conditions.
The San Francisco, California-based startup is backed by major investors such as Google Ventures, and is currently working with the FAA to solve a number of legal issues with flying drones for commercial purposes.
“The FAA’s biggest worry is public safety, which we share,” Christian Sanz, SkyCatch Founder, tells Wired. “They don’t want these drones flying around in parks, in highly populated areas.”
Earlier this year, the FAA issued the first-ever drone authorization permit to a company in the agricultural industry to use drones for “crop sourcing.” The FAA has already made steps to approve Yamaha Motor Corporation’s RMAX crop dusting drone for crop spraying purposes, as well.
So if you’re itching to see a drone in action, but aren’t yet convinced of this technology, SkyCatch could be an interesting option to try out.
