Kespry Inc., a Menlo Park, Calif.-based designer of automated drone systems for commercial use, says it has been selected by Woolpert to provide drone systems supporting the firm’s surveying and mapping needs.
Woolpert – a national architecture, engineering and geospatial (AEG) firm operating a fleet of a fleet of planes, sensors and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – has held a commercial UAV exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration since December 2014. With more than 25 offices across the U.S., Woolpert serves the needs of customers including federal, state and local governments; private and public companies and universities; energy and transportation departments; and the U.S. Armed Forces.
Kespry’s technology serves the construction, construction aggregates, mining, surveying and mapping industries by allowing entities to safely collect aerial images, maps, 2D and 3D models, and other valuable data.
In turn, they can better track site progress, measure stockpiles, manage resources, reduce downtime and track project status, Kespry explains. Founded in 2013, Kespry received initial backing from Chmod Ventures and Series A funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Specifically, surveying and mapping customers launch Kespry’s drone on their job site as frequently as needed. The UAV maps 60-90 acres in one flight and automatically creates multiple flights to map sites up to 600 acres. It also features automatic takeoff, auto flight path, and auto landing – no joystick required – with full safety controls. Aerial site photos are captured on the drone and automatically uploaded to the iPad tablet application and secure cloud storage for access by project teams.
“The Kespry Cloud, fueled by efficient, repeatable Kespry UAV flights, allows us to quickly collect site information, process it and deliver results to our customers,” says Mark Power, survey team leader at Woolpert.
Paul Doersch, CEO and founder of Kespry, explains, “Commercial customers have enthusiastically embraced the Kespry Drone System because they realize how much time and money they can save while getting dramatically more accurate site assessments – safely and reliably.”
