LiDAR Magazine: Exploring Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Effectiveness for Landfill Surveys

May 29, 2016–Can the rapidly advancing technology of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), a.k.a. “drones,” be effective in collecting data on the nearly 2,000 landfill facilities in the U.S.? In February 2016, McKim & Creed teamed with landfill engineers Garrett & Moore, Inc. to find out.

On February 20, 2016 McKim & Creed and Garrett & Moore conducted a pilot study at Buffaloe Landfill, a land clearing and inert debris (LCID) landfill south of Raleigh, North Carolina, to explore the efficacy of employing unmanned aerial system (UAS) technology (a.k.a., drones) for landfill surveys.

The equipment used for the pilot study included a 3D Robotics Solo equipped with a Sony QX1 camera. The site was approximately 60 acres and consisted mostly of cleared, bare earth.

Christian Stallings, CP, research and development manager for McKim & Creed, provides details, results and conclusions of the UAS study in “Exploring UAS Effectiveness for Landfill Surveys: A Case Study,” published in the June 2016 issue of LiDAR Magazine.