Down to earth goes back to school with the drone surveyors of tomorrow

Learn about the Mohawk Valley Community College Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Program Real surveyors. Real work. Really good data.

Rome, NY- Down to Earth, is heading into one of its most challenging environments yet- the classroom. However, this is no ordinary lesson. The drone surveyors of tomorrow are students today – and there’s a lot to learn from the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Program at Mohawk Valley Community College featuring drone surveying equipment from Microdrones. The next 3 new episodes are set to premiere
Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Viewers can register to watch at either 9am ET or 6pm ET at the following link: CLICK HERE

In this edition of Down to Earth, we follow MVCC Professor Bill Judycki as he teaches his students both in the classroom and out in the field. See how students gain incredible hands-on experience flying drone surveying equipment, learning about the mechanics, workflow, and software capabilities.

Then watch as they put their education to the test and use the mdMapper1000DG from Microdrones to provide a local golf country club with an updated course map of the 200-acre project- all while dealing with winter weather and new technologies in these educational episodes of Down to Earth.

This webinar will feature the first 3 episodes of Down to Earth: Higher Education, as Professor Judycki reviews his curriculum, discusses the partnership with Microdrones and examines the mission planning, data capture and analysis of the final deliverables from his students.

The first episode introduces Professor Bill Judycki, an electrical engineer and a licensed pilot, who helped develop the RPAS Program at MVCC and incorporate drone surveying equipment from Microdrones. He takes his students from the classroom to a real-world drone mapping project.

“Fieldwork is extremely important,” Judycki said, “and using the drone surveying equipment from Microdrones is an exceptional resource for my students. I have one platform that can perform multiple applications, and with the modular approach, I can snap out one payload, snap-in another and we’re off to another application. That’s the best part about it. We can shoot high-resolution maps with the photogrammetric payload or switch to LiDAR to create a 3-D point cloud. The learning curve is very short with this equipment.”

Episodes 2 and 3 follow Professor Judycki and his students as they face the challenges of mapping the Yahnundasis Golf Club then creating the final deliverable in the MVCC FABlab.

“I wish I had a Professor like Bill Judycki when I went to school,” said Microdrones Marketing Director Bret Burghdurf. “In addition to his experience and knowledge of remotely piloted aircraft systems, he finds a unique way to connect with his students; and it’s not just because they’re getting to use drones and new technology. Bill has developed a comprehensive program that looks at all aspects of RPAS, from design, to testing, flying and the many applications available- these students are getting fully prepared to start in the real world. I’m excited to share how drone surveying equipment from Microdrones is a part of this curriculum and to showcase the RPAS program from MVCC in our next Down to Earth.”

Find out how MVCC is giving new meaning to the term Higher Education with their RPAS Program and Microdrones.

About Mohawk Valley Community College

Mohawk Valley Community College, established in 1946, is New York State’s first community college with a mission to provide accessible, high-quality educational opportunities for everyone. As the community’s college, MVCC is committed to student success through partnerships, transfer and career pathways, and personal enrichment. With campuses in Utica and Rome, MVCC is the region’s primary provider of college education, offering 90 degree and certificate options for its enrollment of 6,000 full- and part-time students. MVCC also serves an additional 6,000 people through its corporate and community education programs, and its campuses welcome more than 50,000 people annually for community events.

About Microdrones

Microdrones grew out of the collaboration between the German inventor of the world’s first commercial quadcopter and a determined surveying payload and software developer in North America. The result is a global aerial mapping technology company that delivers complete and reliable mapping systems specifically developed for the surveying, mining, construction, oil & gas and precision agriculture industries.
Microdrones Integrated Systems are industrial tools addressing specific complex mapping challenges for professional customers, relying on a fully integrated geospatial workflow that enables cutting-edge software technology from Microdrones to transform raw data collected in the field by Microdrones survey equipment into valuable high-quality survey-grade data. Microdrones is widely recognized for its
LiDAR technology leadership.

Microdrones has engineering centers and manufacturing facilities in Germany, Canada, France, China and the United States, as well as a sales, support and distribution network spanning six continents.

Microdrones serves markets around the globe. To learn more about Microdrones, visit
www.microdrones.com or follow @Microdrones on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.