Federal agencies have been rushing to adopt drones for various uses like border surveillance by the Department of Homeland Security, weather monitoring by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and inspections of decommissioned radiation sites by the Department of Energy. Interior officials say their drone program has been used on missions including mapping archaeological sites, wildlife studies, and inspections of remote infrastructures. “We are seeing as a rule of thumb they’re taking one-seventh of the time and one-tenth of the cost compared with manned aircraft performing similar missions,” said Mark Bathrick, director of the Interior Department’s Office of Aviation Services.
Full Story: Wall Street Journal
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