Geospatial Mapping Services at Virginia Tech: UAVs/Drones Information and Services

Federal 

• FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems Educational Users
  Got a drone? Whether you're a novice drone pilot or have many years of aviation experience, rules and safety tips exist to help you fly safely in the National Airspace System.

State

• Code of Virginia
  ​Use of unmanned aircraft systems by public bodies.

Virginia Tech

• Virginia Tech Drone Policy
  This policy applies to all Virginia Tech faculty, staff and students flying on university owned property or operating university-owned aircraft, contains specific protocols  for different circumstances.
• Operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
  Virginia Tech's Policy 5820 on the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems facilitates drone use  for research, education and recreation and helps preserve a safe, secure environment.

Facilities (Virginia Tech) 

• Drone Park
  The football-field-size facility gives students, researchers, employees and members of the community a place to explore UAS operations without the constraints of registration, certification, or specialized training.

Training 

• Virginia Tech Workshops and Classes
  Mapping with Drones workshops offered across Virginia. 
• LinkedIn Learning
  Open to all Virginia Tech students. 
• Federal Aviation Agency (FAA)
  FAA Courses, Seminars and Webinars. 

• YouTube
  Many videos on flying drones and UAVs. can be found on here. 

Conferences  

• Drone Analyst Drone Conference, Shows and Expos 
• Unmanned Systems Technology - SPIE. 
• InterDrone 
• Commercial UAV Expo.

Hardware (UAV Equipment)

• How to choose the right drone for you?
• Top Professional Drones.
• Selecting Cameras for UAV Surveys 
• UAV / Drone Cameras 
• Geospatial World UAV Lidar products. 
• What sensor to choose for a given application. 
• Lidar Sensors for Drone Aerial Mapping.

Software (Flight & Sensor Data Processing)

• Commercial: DroneDeploy, ESRI Drone2Map & Pix4D 
• Open Source: OpenDroneMap & Pix4.

Journals/Publications 

• Drones - Open Access Journal
  Drones is a international peer-reviewed open access, peer reviewed journal.  The journal focuses on design and applications of drones, including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV),  Unmanned Aircraft systems (UAS), and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), etc.rdware 
• Journal of Unmanned Aerial Systems
  This journal an interdisciplinary forum for an ongoing scholarly dialogue of original research, articles, books, essays, and commentary by both internationally established and developing experts in the various disciplines constituting the field of UAS.

Online Catalog & Databases (Virginia Tech faculty, students and staff access) 

• Discovery Search Tool and Databases List

Forums/Listservs/Groups & Associations 

• DroneLife: A guide to the top drones forums and Facebook Groups.
• Association for Unmanned vehicle Systems International 
• Drone User Group Network 
• Drone Base: Organizations You Should Know About.