A lecturer in drone technology said so last evening, and I would agree in a heart beat. And I would also say that it’s a BIG lead in both civil litigation and insurance and getting bigger as we speak.

This quickly came to mind last evening when I attended an introductory lecture on drones by Dr. Ian MacVicar entitled Drones – Detectives, Deliverers, Deceivers, Spies, and Murderers. He outlined what he was going to talk about in the six, two hour lectures organized by SCANS (Seniors’ College Association of Nova Scotia). I was there as the one time guest of another student. The course is filled and over subscribed 🙁 so forget about getting in during this session.

I know that drone photography is out in front of law and insurance in forensic engineering investigation of failures and accidents in the built environment. No question about that. I don’t go on a site and investigate an issue without some drone video of the site – it has been the tie breaker on two recent cases. I’ve mentioned this in previous blogs. Usually the drone video is inexpensive for invaluable engineering data.

But I was taken aback by where drone photography has got to in the fiends covered by Dr. MacVicar’s planned lectures. Listen to the news and see how it’s being used in the wars in Europe these days. Go see how it was used for the first time in 1917 in WW1 and where it’s at now.

The lectures are so good you should consider sending a representative from your company and get up to speed, if the course is offered again. Not with the idea of becoming a tech-savvy drone photographer but to know what to look for in your expert’s report.

(Posted by Eric E. Jorden, M.Sc., P.Eng. Consulting Professional Engineer, Forensic Engineer, Geotechnology Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, January 31, 2024 ejorden@eastlink.ca)