CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Carson City Public Works officials are getting a bird's-eye view of their projects and property thanks to a small drone they think will help save them lots of money in the future.
The Nevada Appeal reports that the department in September purchased a 3-pound unmanned aerial drone as well as a dedicated iPad to operate the machine and has since been using the camera-equipped aircraft for maintenance inspections and other tasks that need an aerial view.
The department has used consultants who fly aircraft to take aerial imagery of property, disaster sites, and city roads for various purposes like data collection and permitting. Officials say a drone could do some of that work faster and for far less money.
Department Operations Manager James Jacklett says so far the drone has been on about 20 flights.