Insitu pacific support disaster relief efforts in queensland

Insitu Pacific support disaster relief efforts in Queensland

Queensland-based Insitu Pacific, who have traditionally operated the ScanEagle platform for the Australian Defence Force, are expanding their scope in the commercial sector using smaller unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

In the wake of Tropical Cyclone Marcia, the company conducted a trial with the Rockhampton City Council in March to assess the utility of quadcopters in disaster response and reconstruction planning.

Flights were conducted under the direction of the council to assess slip damage and examine potential creek blockages from fallen vegetation. Insitu Pacific provided data to the council in real-time and this data will be retained for future assessments and engineering work.

Insitu Pacific also deployed a team to Cooktown in advance of Cyclone Nathan to assist with Urban Search and Rescue operations as required. Fortunately Cooktown suffered only limited damage so the team was employed further north to conduct overhead analysis of flooded road crossings.

These missions highlight the functionality of UAS for search and rescue applications and complement other UAS development projects in Queensland such as Insitu Pacific's illegal fishing and weed detection trials conducted with the Queensland Government, as mentioned in our June 2014 newsletter, and their trials with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services; and the work of the Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation (ARCAA) under Project ResQu and through the UAV Challenge with CSIRO.

Watch footage from Insitu Pacific's recent mission in Rockhampton.

Footage courtesy of Insitu Pacific Pty Ltd