City of Albany Launches it's Drone Project!

Great news! The City of Albany has secured funding to purchase one drone and to train & license up to 10 individuals to use a drone, thanks to a grant from the NYS Attorney General’s Office. The grant money was secured from the Zombies 2.0 grant, and administered by LISC.

The city has hired DartDrones to train the staff and assist them in getting the right drone and equipment. They also helped to train and equip the Water Department, which uses their drone to patrol the reservoir and assist in projects such as the recent daylighting of the Patroon Creek and the Green Infrastructure project on Ramsey Place.

How this helps

The city is hoping to use drones to improve upon its ability to perform rooftop inspections, particularly of vacant buildings, to catch issues with roofs earlier and prevent further damage and deterioration. This video of the Green Infrastructure project that Albany Water took on Ramsey Place gives an idea of how quickly and easily they can get views of rooftops across the City.

The Water Department has occasionally allowed the Department of Buildings & Regulatory Compliance to borrow a drone and pilot for test runs of this project, with one test run resulting in catching a roof problem at the vacant building at 346 Madison Avenue (see image below). Due to the images they were able to capture, they ordered an emergency stabilization of the roof, sidewall, and front façade, undoubtedly saving the building from further deterioration and giving it additional time for a more permanent solution to be found. 346 Madison Avenue is currently up for sale.

Over the next few months, the Department of Buildings & Regulatory Compliance will undergo further training towards taking and passing our Part 107 FAA Licensing Exams, as well as purchasing the drone and drone equipment. They anticipate being able to officially begin full-time aerial inspections this Spring or Summer at the latest.