Read Michael Horgan’s blog on the latest technology foresters are using.
The forestry industry is known for hands-on professionals, but the Forest Resources Association (FRA) meeting on Drones and Data this month shows that the guys working in the forest are now actively embracing the latest in high tech tools. The FRA invited Introspective Systems to participate with two other experts to participate in a discussion about some of the latest technology that can be used by the forestry industry. Trevor Gionet talked about Introspective Systems xGraph software platform and how its collaborative AI can work with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) data, and other data to build models of the forest to influence many decisions that forestry management need to make.
At the meeting, we saw a wide range of high tech used in forestry, including mobile phones, tablets, UAVs, tablets, exciting new software tools, and mapping data, which make operations safer, easier, and ultimately more profitable.
UAVs currently are being used to survey pre and post-logging conditions, get a good approximation of the logging harvest volume and deliver realistic aerial pictures of the stand. Combining UAV standard pictures with the likes of infrared, LIDAR and other data opens up new opportunities for a wide range of new capabilities. For example, identifying tree species, stream mapping and creating realistic models of the forest and characteristics needed for forest management…
Loggers are excited at the possibility of using UAVs to check out harvest sites, optimize skid roads, and determine harvest locations, among other applications. While UAVs will not replace boots on the ground, they can make things easier for foresters.
The applications that these tools are being used for are still being developed but with the release of new software and technology, there will be many in the logging industry that will be keen to put them into use.
