The Edo State Flood Erosion Watershed Management Agency (Edo FEWMA) has acquired a 25km-reach capacity drone to improve topographical mapping, land administration and erosion mitigation.

The Chief Executive Officer of EdoFEWMA, Dr. Tom Obaseki, disclosed this to journalists at the Edo FEWMA Drone Centre, in Benin City.

He said the drone with the capacity to capture 1,000 hectares of land space daily was acquired through the agency’s drone centre.

Dr. Obaseki noted, “The Edo FEWMA Drone Center now has a drone that can reach a distance of about 25km, can capture data of 1,000 hectares of land in a day and can stay in the air for 55 minutes before changing its batteries.

“The drone has an interchangeable gimbal that can carry up to 3 different sensors at a time, carrying a LIDAR sensor for topographical mapping in thick vegetation. It can also carry out mapping of the floor of river beds, analyze crop health, has a high precision GNSS/GPS device for engineering designs and measurements, as well as night vision sensor for security and surveillance among others.”

According to him, “The drone can capture the entire city and give the exact measurement of land occupied for tax revenue generation and land administration. With its night vision capability, the drone can help security personnel carry out surveillance at night, tackle kidnapping and random banditry activities, facilitate the inspection of transmission lines and pipelines and enhance oil spill investigations, among other security and emergency needs.”

The Edo FEWMA boss further noted, “The drone centre will make the process for engineers and other professionals easier.  For example, designs that would normally take weeks or months to do can be done in a matter of hours using drone technology which can reach places otherwise difficult or dangerous for humans.”