A UAV for tomorrow’s surveyors

Students studying for a land surveying vocational diploma at the Cantau School in the Arkinova Technology Park, are learning to fly UAVs for future land surveying purposes.

For two years, students on the surveying work-study course at Anglet’s Cantau School have been learning to fly UAVs. The 18 students in the class of 2016-2018 (like those of 2014-2016 before them) have all passed the ultralight aircraft theoretical exam.

This diploma, issued by the Directorate-General for Civil Aviation (DGAC), is mandatory for any professional use of a UAV. It can be obtained in a few weeks from an official training centre. Future land surveyors currently studying on-site at Arkinova Technology Park in Anglet will use a UAV equipped with multi-spectral cameras and sensors to take measurements of land and buildings.

As well as learning to fly, the students learn photogrammetry, a means of taking measurements from aerial photos to determine dimensions and volumes and show 3D perspective views of buildings.

In September 2017, the Cantau Technical School plans to open a vocational degree programme in “GEO 3D Building and Construction” to teach how to design and use digital blueprints for construction. The curriculum for this new programme also includes “Land and Air (by UAV) Photogrammetry and Geolocalisation”.

To find out more, visit www.lycee-cantau.net/index.php/les-formations-a-cantau/bts/licence-professionnelle-batiment-et-construction-geo-3d-apprentissage