Take GIS to the sky | March 2025

"The unique perspective of drones provides a means of storytelling previously limited to high budgets and technical knowledge. The technological evolution of small UAS [unmanned aircraft systems] has provided the capabilities of individuals to create and share valuable imagery of the environment surrounding them documenting the ever-changing aspects of this human-influenced world." —Tyler Copeland, student winner of the 2021 ArcGIS StoryMaps Challenge

In this month's StoryScape, meet businesses, communities, and students using drones to solve problems and drive positive change. Read impactful stories that seamlessly incorporate drone imagery to explain technical topics, show examples first-hand, and encourage action. And access user-friendly information about drone tools and ArcGIS technology — a primer for beginners — for your own stories.

Bonus features

When the Red Rocks project was presented at the 2024 Esri User Conference, footage of the drone operations elicited a collective ‘whoa’ from the audience. It was inspiring and exciting, and perhaps a little intimidating. But here's the good news: creating a digital twin like this is achievable through a few tools and a simple GIS workflow.

Discover the art of the possible.

When you begin a new project, you probably have more questions than answers. What are my goals? What do I want to build? Why do I want to build it? It's important to know the options.

Before you jump into your own drone workflow, familiarize yourself with the basics with this exploratory app, which highlights 3D digital twins created with drone, aerial, and satellite imagery. Click Drone and select a place, like Angel Island. Now experiment with the settings, using the menus on the top left. Change the time of day, cloudiness, or weather. Oh, go ahead, make it snow on Angel Island.

Start with the basics.

You've considered the art of the possible. Now, you need some tools to turn your vision into a reality. Look no further — here's a new handy step-by-step guide to launching a drone program. It's packed with great information, but don't miss the Selecting the right technology and equipment section. It takes the guesswork out of your drone workflow

Build your skills.

Site Scan for ArcGIS or ArcGIS Drone2Map? If you’re unsure which tool best suits your needs, Reality Mapping Using ArcGIS, a Learning Plan by Esri Academy, covers both. Learn to perform mission planning, conduct drone flights, process and analyze drone imagery, and share drone image products — all at your own speed.

 

Check out use cases.

You're building your foundational knowledge and technical skills. Now learn how your peers — across industries and geographies — are using drone technology to achieve their goals.

Click an image to read the article.

FEATURED STORYTELLER

Alex Posen

The challenge. The City of Denver, Denver Fire Department, and West Metro Fire Department wanted an innovative way to enhance situational awareness for public safety at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

The solution. Enter Alex Posen — a solutions engineer and certified Part 107 Remote Pilot — and Esri's Imagery and Remote Sensing team. Together Esri and the agencies captured a digital twin of the site using ArcGIS drone technology. And Alex captured the process in this month's featured story, Drone Collection Rocks.

Now get his take on the project outcomes for the agencies and the public.

Related stories

The drone workflow includes three essential steps: planning and capturing your images; analyzing and creating a solution; and communicating and sharing the results. See the workflow land in ArcGIS StoryMaps.

Drone-based aerial mapping of landslide

Dinesh Lamichhane, Nepal Flying Labs Team

The Flying Labs Network, with local knowledge hubs in over 40 countries, supports the use of drones, data, and AI for good. In this 2024 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition finalist, see how Nepal Flying Labs leveraged drones to research rugged, mountainous areas for disaster planning.

A birds eye view

Philip Burgess, Jeff Kerby, and Miguel Villoslada, CHARTER

How have drones transformed scientific research? For CHARTER — a multidisciplinary project with researchers from 9 countries and 22 different institutions — researchers use drones to better understand some of the more remote and challenging environments on our planet. Explore case studies from the Arctic, including new reindeer footage.

Seagrass: A struggling ecosystem in a unique perspective

Tyler Copeland

Tyler Copeland — then a graduate student at the University of Central Florida — won second place in the 2021 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition for Seagrass. The story, an interactive report on his drone-based ocean research, encourages other students and citizen scientists to tell stories about the world they know. Read his takeaways about how drone technology eliminates barriers to engagement, like limited budgets and knowledge.