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Melina Giannelia

Airborne Sensing at the AOLS AGM

At the end of February every year, the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors gathers for their Annual General Meeting. This year, Alex and Robin went up to Huntsville, ON to rub shoulders with the top brass of the AOLS, and, of course, to refresh friendships in the industry. Conferences like this are an ideal opportunity to explore what is happening in the field, to catch up with colleagues and make new friends, and determine how to position Airborne Sensing for the future.

The AOLS is an association with a long history using classical techniques of land surveying. As such, it was great to hear about the great interest in new technologies. Robin was pleased to note the shift toward more innovative techniques in land surveying, as well as opening up to diverse perspectives in the field.

As the new president of the Canadian Institute for Geomatics, Alex led a group discussion of the future goals for Canadian professionals in the surveying business. This was an exciting nexus of new and seasoned professionals eager to work together to promote geomatics in Canada and beyond. As a country once bemoaned for having “too much geography and not enough history”, the mapping industry in this proud nation continues to march forward.

While we missed them here in Toronto, we got to see some pictures of the gorgeous scenery in Huntsville!

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Central Park Flyover

One of our camera operators at Airborne Sensing, Patrick O’Dea, was hired in 2012. A native of Ireland, Patrick’s technical skills have proven invaluable for our operations — he frequently puts on his apprentice mechanic’s hat to conduct repairs and modifications to equipment. He is an enthusiastic crew member and we are very pleased to have him on board.

A few weeks ago, Patrick sent an email to the office, describing a unique opportunity he had to see one of New York City’s landmarks:

“Hi Guys,

We were instructed by ATC to descend to 1,500’ and make a 360° over Central Park on our ferry back from the NY job yesterday.

Didn’t have the GoPro but did get some footage on my digital cam.

[…]

Epic stuff!

Next time I’ll bring bread for the ducks…”

The video footage from his digital camera is here for you to see some of the excitement that goes on behind the scenes at Airborne Sensing.