Inuvik drone-for-hire group could double in size by spring

Adrone-for-hire business inInuvik, N.W.T., is set to grow this spring, with 15to 20 new pilots getting drone operator licences.

IgutchaqUAV was established in March 2018 and is run through the InuvialuitRegional Corporation. Currently the company hasmore than20 trained and licensed drone pilots across the InuvialuitSettlement Region.

After this spring, that number could almostdoublesaidPatrice Stuart, the pilot-in-command.

"We're really excited that we have local and knowledgeable Indigenous pilots in all of our communities that we can contract to work," she said. "Igutchaq[UAV] can be an umbrella that encompasses a lot of small businesses or independent pilots."

Pilots operating in communities such asFort McPherson, Tuktoyaktuk, and Ulukhaktokusetheir drones to assist in different research projects.

Mostprojects involveland surveying, but the hope is to be able to do bigger projects, Stuart said.

"We did training in a pit and we mapped out the entire pit."

She said the project was contracted out to them from the Inuvialuit Land Administration.

"If we wanted to go out and kind of monitor the reindeer herd for example it would definitely cut down a lot of costs," she said. "We could just go out and use our quadcopter and get aerial views of the herd ... we could do herd counts, calf monitoring, things like that."

New technology could help with repairs

There are no drone repair shops inInuvikand all equipment must be sent to Calgary or Edmonton to be fixed, said Stuart.

"Luckily we've not had any down drones or any malfunctions."

But new technology could provide a solution forlocal drone maintenance, should the need arise.

Proactively, Igutchaq UAV has enlisted the help of LOOKNorth and Kognitiv Spark two organizations based on the East Coast to ensue their equipment can getfixed in house, if need be.

RemoteSpark is augmented reality software developed by Kognitiv Spark. It's similar to the softwarebehind the video game Pokemon Go. It's compatiblewith the Microsoft HoloLens and uses three dimensional holograms to help a person fix troublesome equipment.

If a workerin a remote areahasproblems withgear a drone for example the workercan put on a headset, activatethe software,and call an expert, said RodneyMcAffee, Kognitiv Spark vice president. The expert thenwalks the person through how to fix the equipment.

"You could initiate a call with the company that made the drone and they can confirm or walk you through the procedure," said McAffee. "You can reach out to an expert and find out if there's some maintenance or repairs that need to be done on the drone."

The furthest call McAffee said he has made was from St. Johns, N.L. to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Being able to access the new software could save a lot of time,said Stuart.

"It could mean a lot less downtime for a drone, which is what would be awesome," she said. "To usethis new software and new equipment to quickly identify what the issue is and have it fixed locally ...it's definitelya plus for sure."