Was it a bird? Was it a plane? Or was it an eBee?

Singleton council have been utilising new technologies to assist in the gathering of information lately, and they’re having a bit of fun doing it.

In March, James Rennie from Australian UAV was in Singleton to fly his eBee UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) for high quality aerial imagery and 3D surface imagery. The eBee is a sophisticated autonomous GPS controlled fixed-wing aircraft used for photogrammetry, vertical true colour and near infrared photography.

Singleton Council commissioned flights over sites such as the soon to be redeveloped Singleton Regional Livestock Market, Sedgefield Cemetery and Council’s waste and water facilities.

The images taken using the eBee will assist Council in monitoring environmental progression, identifying assets for renewal and future design of planning and development.

It’s believed this was the first time a UAV has been utilised to gather such information within the Hunter Valley for local government purposes.

Australian UAV is CASA certified and holds a UAV Operations Certificate. “The UAV is a cost effective, safe method of aerial imaging and inspection,” says Acting General Manager Gary Thomson. “The rapid deployment and data turn around capabilities of the system allow us to start analysing the data weeks before more traditional data capture methods would allow.”