by Chioma Innocent | Wed Nov, 2022 | Drone, Drone Service, Drone training in nigeria, Geo Store, Geoinfotech Blog, Lagos Training, Tips and Tricks, Training & Event |
7 tips to increase your drone flying skills
Drones are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles used for many different functions, ranging from monitoring climate change to carrying out search operations after natural disasters, photography, filming, agriculture and delivering goods.
Flying a drone can be very exciting but, at the same time, it isn’t really that easy and simple, especially for those who are first-time flyers.
Being a beginner can be a good excuse to fly badly for a while till you can find your footing.
Here are 7 tips that are sure to help you improve your drone flying skills.
- Take a training course: Let’s face it, there are some things you just can’t do on your own or learn online. You’d need to attend a physical class with instructors who will take you on a step-by-step basis. It is so much easier to learn to fly a drone when you have someone directing you on what to do. Taking a course is a sure way to improve your skills in a very short time to the point that you can go from beginner to expert in a hurry without too many growing pains.
We offer two phases of Drone Pilot Training- Beginner and Professional. The beginners class is a good place to start if you have no prior knowledge of how to fly a drone. Check out our drone pilot training courses here.
- Practice with a small and cheaper drone: Controlling a smaller drone is easier because of how light they are. It is also more economical as bigger drones are more expensive and power-intensive. Smaller drones may not be the easiest to pilot but you don’t want to end up losing a lot of money if your expensive drone crashes. Our Geostore offers drones from as low as ₦120,000.
- Don’t just dive into photography. Be patient to learn the basics of flying the done first, making it stable, landing etc. Forget about photography at first even if that is your sole purpose of learning.
4. Watch Training Videos online. Search for a great drone training video and use it as a guideline for how you fly your drone or to augment what you are being taught. You can also read through articles and manuals like our ‘Introduction to drone piloting’ manual. You can watch drone-flying content on our YouTube Channel
- Make friends who share your interest in drones. This is a great way to learn new skills, as you watch what others are practising, and ask them questions about how they are able to do certain things. It’s also a good way to keep yourself motivated to advance your own skills when you see others learning and progressing as well. You can get this at your training centre as well.
- Learn one step at a time. You don’t have to start doing difficult aerial manoeuvres and tricks that only the experts can easily pull off. There is also no reason for you to take the drone 50 feet up in the air the moment you take it out of the box. Start slowly, with time you too can learn all the tricks you see online.
- Try to Fly around in a perfect circle: This is a great way for you to instantly improve your drone piloting skills. It can be difficult to do for a lot of beginners but we recommend that you try to find a point of interest such as a house or a pole and try to make that the centre of the circle.
It is important to know your main reason for learning how to fly a drone. Have a goal and let all your actions lead to the achievement of that goal. It is possible to learn more than the basics of flying a drone in a short time if you put your mind to it.
by Chioma Innocent | Fri Nov, 2022 | Drone, Geo Store, Geoinfotech Blog, Tips and Tricks |
What to do if my drone gets wet?
It’s totally NOT recommended to fly drones in the rain, mist, high humidity, or over water bodies with strong winds. Many drones have venting holes that can expose the electronics inside to moisture. Once water gets inside, short circuits can occur and possibly damage your drone.
Some drones are able to resist brisk rain, but not for extended periods of time.
Generally, entry-level drones have venting holes, which expose the electronic board to water droplets. Once water gets inside, short circuits can occur and your drone may get damaged to the point of no return.
Here are FIVE REASONS why you shouldn’t even allow your drone to get wet.
- If your drone gets wetter than it’s built to withstand, the electrical systems could suffer short-circuiting. However, if your drone is water-resistant, it might survive a quick landing while it’s raining. But even water-resistant drones have a hard time handling a violent storm.
- Water in the drone could cause irreparable battery damage that could affect even new batteries after you have repaired or serviced your drone.
- Water in the lens could destroy the frame of your camera and make it impossible for you to capture more breathtaking shots of the landscape as you would love to.
- Most Drones are not waterproof or even water-resistant so they are not adapted for use in the rain, snow, mist or fog. Flying such drones in the rain could damage the internal hardware resulting in permanent damage and a costly repair bill.
- Getting your drone wetter than usual will cause the ESC (Electronic Speed Controller) that controls the motors to most likely burn out causing the propellers to stop spinning. Additionally, all circuit boards may blow fuses and components, rendering the drone useless.
What do I do if my Drone gets wet?
- Power it off immediately and take the battery out
- Carefully disintegrate the parts, clean and air them to dry individually
- Do a quick distilled water flush (if it fell in salt water)
- Dry your aircraft for as long as possible.
- Turn it on again and assess its situation
- Take it for servicing and necessary repairs
Check here for tips on how to waterproof your drone.
by Chioma Innocent | Mon Jul, 2022 | Geoinfotech Blog, Geospatial technology, Service, Tips and Tricks |
7 WAYS GEOSPATIAL DATA HELPED DURING THE OUTBREAK OF COVID-19
Geospatial Data Helped During Covid-19
Geographic information science (GIS) has been established as a distinct domain and is incredibly useful whenever the research is related to geography, space, and other spatial dimensions.
However, the scientific landscape on the integration of GIS in COVID-related studies is largely unknown. Let us assess the implementation of GIS and other geospatial tools during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 is part of the coronavirus family that causes a range of familiar diseases from the common cold to SARS. Covid-19 is referred to as a novel coronavirus because it is new to humans. It is transmitted through the air with high risk in proximity.
The main advantage of GIS is mapping the many different locations of treatment and isolation facilities which helps in better monitoring and surveillance of the disease.
GIS was also employed to:
- Forecast the disease
- Predict areas where outbreaks were likely to occur
- Identify disease cluster or hotspot
- Evaluate different strategies to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
- Map/track the spread of the virus throughout different locations
- Constantly update the number of people affected and provide real-time information
- Identify the catchment areas, vulnerable groups, health centers, and movement of carriers of the disease.
With these data, it was easier for governments, health bodies, and associations to use the power of GIS to visualize all of the health data during the outbreak and spread of Covid-19 and therefore employ the best tactics and practices to combat the virus.
The widespread use of GIS for COVID-19 response has demonstrated the power of geospatial thinking and the scalability, speed, and insight it provides.
More than simply mapping phenomena, GIS uses geography to furnish context for events in a common reference system.
by Chioma Innocent | Mon Jun, 2022 | Geoinfotech Blog, Geospatial technology, Service, Tips and Tricks |
How Can Gis Be Used To Estimate Flood Damage?
We are currently in the rainy season here in Nigeria. In many areas, as people are happy to have the rains, including farmers and ranchers, others are unhappy due to the damages the heavy rains could cause to roads and properties.
Many parts of the country are known to be unable to withhold the impact of heavy rains which can lead to flooding, erosion, damage to buildings and infrastructure, loss of crops and livestock, and landslides that can threaten human life and disrupt transport and communication.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provides a broad range of tools for determining areas affected by floods and for forecasting areas that are likely to be flooded due to high water levels in a river. GIS will be extensively used to assemble information from different maps, aerial photographs, satellite images, and digital elevation models (DEM).
Input parameters such as flood data, land use, socioeconomic data, and rainfall values are used to estimate flood damage. For any particular geographic area, it is important to have certain tools and software. These programs and data sets are top-notch for the GIS researcher.
Computer programs:
- ArcGIS 10 (ArcView)
- HEC-GeoHMS for ArcGIS 10
- HEC-GeoRAS for ArcGIS 10
- ArcHydro tools (the version that works with ArcGIS 10)
Required Datasets:
- Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for the study area;
- SSURGO soil data;
- Land cover grid from USGS;
- Hydrography data
Several models and tools can be developed using these parameters. It all depends on the discretion of the researcher, their knowledge, expertise, and the purpose of the research.
If used properly, these tools can be used to determine information, including hazard, vulnerability, financial losses, the risk to life, and prevention, and control of dangerous floods.
by Geoinfotech | Wed Jun, 2022 | Geoinfotech Blog, Geospatial technology, Service, Tips and Tricks |
GIS and the Environment
GIS means Geographic Information Systems. It is a potent tool for environmental data analysis and planning. Through the application of GIS technologies, the environment can be monitored for an effective and improved understanding of its physical features and the factors that influence certain environmental conditions.
GIS helps in identifying the impact of human behavior on natural resources and leads to more effective utilization and understanding of these factors. Data about natural resources could be collected through remote sensing, aerial photography, or satellite imagery and then they are mapped using GIS technology.
In order to plan and monitor the environmental problems, some of the ways GIS is used in environmental management include:
- Identification of contamination sources, assessing environmental constraints, and evaluating proposed highway alignment alternatives.
- Assessment of hazards and risks for effective disaster management and protection of the environment by showing the areas that are much more likely to be prone to both man-made and natural disasters.
- Discovering how natural atmospheric processes might affect global warming and climate change.
- Evaluation of flood damage by mapping core risk areas for documentation and provision of disaster relief funds.
- Soil Mapping for prevention of environmental deterioration due to land misuse. Farmers in developed countries can use this to determine the suitability of soil and the extent of soil nutrients.
In summary, GIS is used in the delivery of crucial information about the environment to the environmental managers and the public with the intent that such information should be applied for the betterment of the environment. GIS provides an ideal atmosphere for professionals to analyze data, apply models, and make the best decisions.
