Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/skywatch/page/2/)
This is a series of stories of how remote sensing technologies examine or are proposed to examine the environment of the Great Lakes region.
The status of using what are also called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles — UAVs -commercially is in a holding pattern after a federal judge ruled last month that the Federal Aviation Administration had no authority to issue a $10,000 fine against a Virginia drone pilot.
That set off celebrations in the drone community that were short-lived.
As firefighters and several fire trucks work to put out the flames, that’s when Harry C. Arnold launches his drone and flies towards the big cloud of grey smoke.
Filmmakers like the unmanned aerial vehicles for providing an informative vantage point.
But Civil War reenactors say that they detract from the authenticity of their efforts.
You’ve heard of the annual Audubon bird count. Now you can take part in a drone count. Not the bees – the unmanned aircraft. Here at Great Lakes Echo we’ve been running a series of stories about the use and potential of unmanned aerial vehicles. If nothing else, we’ve discovered that no one seems to have a clue of how many of these things are out there.
The U.S. government isn’t expected to open airspace for civilian unmanned drone flight until 2015.
But Northwestern Michigan College students can fly drones today.
Michigan State University officials hope to collaborate with a landscape services company to use unmanned aerial vehicles to determine turf health.
Seeking the high ground: Two new Echo features and another longstanding one produce a different sort of environmental journalism.
By Evan KreagerGreat Lakes EchoThe small town of Reese, just south of the crease of Michigan’s Thumb, was once a bustling supply center at the crossroads of two railways. This true-color image, taken by NASA’s Earth Observing — 1 satellite on May 21, 2012, shows the town at their intersection. The green and white square plots of land also gives insight into some of the area’s history, according to a description of the image produced by NASA. In the late 18th century, the Continental Congress decided how to govern the newly settled lands west of the Appalachian Mountains, according to the NASA description. The Ordinance of 1785 divided the land into townships, and then again into individual square mile plots, creating the colorful collage seen here.
West Michigan company shoots projects as diverse as extreme sports, high end real estate, marketing materials.
Minnesota and Ohio are also among the states that unsuccessfully sought the designation to host test sites for drones.