SD Wing Provides “Best Ever” Drone Disaster Photography to FEMA
South Dakota Wing was praised for the quality of its drone photography after responding to a call for aerial imaging after deadly tornados in Iowa in May. Iowa Wing requested support from the South Dakota drone team.
The mission, led by the Iowa Wing incident staff, was to collect aerial photography to assist FEMA with damage assessment. CAP aircraft had already documented the scene extensively, but FEMA also wanted “orthographic” photography, in this case meaning photo pointed straight down with parallel lines to allow measurement and analysis. South Dakota Wing’s large fixed-wing Wingtra photography drone is ideal for such photography.
South Dakota’s expert Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) team transported its Wingtra to Des Moines. By the time they arrived, FEMA has determined that they already had sufficient photo documentation of the damage, but FEMA suggested that the South Dakota team perform Wingtra flights in a nearby area not directly affected by the tornado.
A FEMA official said the Wingtra results were the best UAS imagery they've ever seen from Civil Air Patrol, yielding a resolution of less than two inches per photo pixel.
“A lot of people are familiar with the little quad-copter consumer drones, but the Wingtra is several levels above them in terms of capability and quality,” said Col, Michael Marek, SD Wing Commander. “South Dakota Wing has been a leader in the developing CAP unmanned aerial systems from the beginning, performing the first mission anywhere in CAP to use a drone on a search and rescue mission.”
The South Dakota Wing UAS team members Col. Mike Beason, Lt. Col. Howard Steiner, and Maj. Tim Modde were awarded Disaster Relief ribbons, with the V device, recognizing participation in a Presidential-declared disaster.
You can see a clip of the SDWG Wingtra drone at about a minute into this news report.
The SDWG Wingtra produced resolutions better than two inches per pixel.
These photos demonstrate how authorities could determine damage to roof tiles, trees, and other structures.
