DRONEVIEW7: Bay areas first live drone broadcast

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) –ABC7 is the first television station in the Bay Area to broadcast live from an unmanned drone. Watch as DroneView7 flies over and around Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

Hobbyists have been flying drones for years and now television stations are, too. This is one of the first drones in the country operating under new federal guidelines that allow television stations to fly. With it, it’s now possible to present a whole new perspective on news.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then video from DroneView7 will spark an entire conversation. Drones are now a part of modern life and many are looking for a way to use them better, including ABC7 News.

Las Vegas-based Arrow Data is the first company in the nation to get permission to fly drones commercially. ABC7 News asked them to show off what was once Candlestick Park.

The stadium used to be home to both the San Francisco Giants and the 49ers. It is now a pile of rubble, but it won’t be for long. Developer Lennar has been working with the city to turn the whole area into a new neighborhood, one that will include thousands of housing units, acres of parks and a new outlet mall.

“The area for Candlestick is scheduled for an intensive, major revitalization that will really transform that area of the city and really provide great connectivity,” said Tiffany Bohee with the City of San Francisco.

From DroneView7 it’s possible to see just how large the new neighborhood will be.

Commercial drone flights were approved by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2012. Strict new rules for flying them commercially were just released earlier this year.

The developer expects to have the area cleared in the next couple months. Work on the new neighborhood will start immediately after.

http://abc7news.com/technology/droneview7-bay-areas-first-live-drone-broadcast/838447/