Australian UAV drone services expands into the Riverina
Australian UAV Pty Ltd (AUAV) drone services announced today the continued expansion of its business with a new location in Wagga Wagga, NSW.
In recent years drone data has provided increased efficiency and safety across a wide range of industries. Drone aerial mapping of land and the environment allows for more effective analysis, planning and monitoring over time. Precise and detailed 3D data can record the condition of any site or asset, from heritage items through to maintenance inspections of high-value assets and infrastructure. Digital capture reduces the need for people to travel to site and avoids most work at heights or in hazardous conditions.
The opening of AUAV’s Wagga Wagga office recognises the city’s position as a major regional centre, with a growth rate exceeding the national average and with important new economic developments underway such as the Intermodal Freight & Logistics hub. “We’re excited to be bringing this technology directly into the heart of regional NSW”, says AUAV’s NSW Operations Manager, Andrew Chapman. “We will be able to better service the area, be more responsive to local events, and avoid the travel costs from our Sydney and Melbourne offices”.
Regional areas stand to benefit from drone technology to perhaps an even greater degree than the capital cities, due to the large expanse of land and environment needing to be managed and the distances involved when mobilising engineers and other specialists to project sites. Drones are the perfect way to cover more ground in regions where there are often less staff available. For example a drone aerial survey can typically achieve in an hour what a traditional land survey team would cover in a day.
The expansion also represents a positive move for jobs growth in Wagga Wagga and other regional areas for highly-skilled technical and engineering roles.
In addition to AUAV’s most common inquiries around survey, engineering projects and assisting local councils, it is anticipated there will be specific requirements in the region around irrigation design, flood modelling and environmental management, as well as opportunities to work with the university on development projects and to provide high-quality research data. “CSU has run an innovative teaching and research program in the areas of precision agriculture and remote sensing which have incorporated drone technology for a number of years”, says Dr Remy Dehaan, Senior Lecturer in the School of Agriculture and Wine Sciences. “We’ve done some projects with AUAV in the past and are excited to see them setting up here and look forward to future collaborations. Combined with the university program and Silvertone drone manufacturing, Wagga is now very much a hub for drone innovation in the region.”
The new Wagga Wagga location is helmed by Lachlan Feeney, previously a member of the Australian Defence Force and more recently working with the local branch of the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. Lachlan has a degree in Environmental and Spatial Science, and is also completing a Masters of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems, making him a perfect fit for AUAV’s work in the area. “I love the Riverina area and in particular our Murrumbidgee River”, says Lachlan. “I’m excited to see what we can achieve working with the local government and industry to take best advantage of this new technology to improve the environment and grow our local economy”.
AUAV is a leading provider of drone flight services and data solutions throughout Australia, with existing offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart and regional centres. The company is on a fast-growth trajectory since it was founded in 2013, with a focus on large area drone mapping and the inspection of assets and infrastructure for Top 500 companies and government agencies throughout the country.
For more information contact AUAV’s NSW Operations Manager Andrew Chapman (0488 130 900, andrew.chapman@auav.com.au) or Lachlan Feeney (0417 026 318, lachlan.feeney@auav.com.au).