The Government of India, in the year 1979-80, initiated a scheme for Integrated Development of Small & Medium Towns (IDSMT). The main objectives of the Scheme were Improving infrastructural facilities and helping in the creation of durable public…

Virtual Surveyor introduces Curb & Gutter Mapping
Virtual Surveyor has introduced Curb & Gutter mapping functionality in Version 7.6 of its popular drone surveying software. The new capability enables surveyors to create a lightweight CAD model of curbs and gutters along the edges of streets and parking lots from standard orthophotos and elevation models captured …

IRDAI committee recommends insurance for drones
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) constituted a Working Group in June 2020 to study and understand the insurance needs of RPAS owners and operators and make recommendations relating to design and development of products meeting the needs of RPAS owners and operators, including Third Party Liability.
The Working …

SUAVE clinches Smart City award
The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is proud to announce that the Smart Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Enhanced (SUAVE) project has been chosen by IDC (International Data Corporation) Government Insights as the best Asia Pacific Smart City project under the “Urban Planning and Land Use” category of IDC’s 2020 Smart City Asia …

VSR700 prototype performs first autonomous free flight
The prototype of Airbus Helicopters’ VSR700 unmanned aerial system (UAS) has performed its first free flight. It performed a ten-minute flight at a drone test centre near Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. It derived from Hélicoptères Guimbal’s Cabri G2, is an unmanned aerial system in the 500-1000 kg …

Indian Government issues draft rules for manufacturing and using drones
The Civil Aviation Ministry of India issued draft rules for manufacturing drones and using it in the country. As per the new policy authorized manufacturer or importer can sell its devices only to an individual or entity approved by the aviation regulator DGCA. The draft …

Wingcopter awarded
UAV startup Wingcopter is named as one of nine winners of Germany’s top global hackathon to kick-start humanitarian drone delivery. It partnered with UNICEF and the African Drone and Data Academy to develop a concept to deploy humanitarian drone delivery services. The goal will be to improve health supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. …

Funding for safe drone navigation
The European Space Agency (ESA) has funded Ampyx Power, developer of a next-generation wind energy technology, and Omnisense, developer of locating and tracking solutions, to develop a robust fail-safe navigation system. The positioning solution will be used for automated take-off and landing of Ampyx Power’s wind energy aircraft when applied …

SUGUS kicks off, a European project for integrating drones into the airspace
GMV has been awarded the SUGUS project (Solution for E-GNSS USpace Service), which aims to speed up the takeup of GNSS and Galileo in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) segment. SUGUS, an 18-month, 485,000- euro, European Union R&D project, is to be carried …

NAV CANADA signs strategic agreement with Unifly
Canada’s civil air navigation service provider, NAV CANADA, has entered into an agreement with Japan-based Terra Drone Corporation’s portfolio company, Unifly, to help drone pilots plan future missions. As a strategic technology partner to NAV CANADA, Unifly will facilitate the deployment of a national system that would provide …