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Interested in Partnering with Us?
SCiDUC is nonprofit organization managed my South Carolina state employees for South Carolina state employees. If you are interested in connecting with our members to expand your brand and support the SCiDUC mission, please contact us using the form below
SCiDUC is nonprofit organization managed my South Carolina state employees for South Carolina state employees. If you are interested in connecting with our members to expand your brand and support the SCiDUC mission, please contact us using the form below
Events for 2024
UAS Thermography Workshop
On February 13th, 2024, SCiDUC was proud to present an immersive class led by Dr. Joe Burgett from Clemson University. Dr. Burgett, a Level 3 thermographer, taught applied infrared (IR) application at Clemson University. This workshop wasn't just about understanding the colors of heat; it was an in-depth journey into the world of infrared radiation. The first hour was a lecture about what infrared radiation is, how to interpret thermal images, and the best practices for collecting IR data. This session promised to deepen knowledge beyond the basic "red equals hot and blue equals cold."
But it didn’t stop at theory! In the second hour, attendees took to the skies as they flew thermal drones, applying the principles they had just learned. This hands-on experience was an opportunity to see thermography in action in the real world. Afterward, participants joined for a catered lunch sponsored by AINautics.
Events for 2023
2023 Q3 Meeting
Let's Talk Remote ID
August 23rd
Part 107 Exam Prep Course 2023
Good Luck On Your Part 107 Exam!!
Whether interested in earning a Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate or getting a refresher on Part 107 rules and regulations, all government employees working in SC were invited to take advantage of a free online FAA Part 107 Knowledge Test Prep course. The training was provided over eight “lunch-and-learn” type video conference calls on July 31st - August 3rd and then the following week on August 7th - 10th. During each of the calls, a SCiDUC instructor reviewed sections of the FAA Study Guide. Electronic copies of the FAA Study Guide, Test Supplement Booklet and post class access to the daily presentations were provided.
2023-Q2 Meeting on June 5th
Another meeting well attended and received. In case you weren't able to attend, you missed very informative and interesting presentations that highlighted how some of SCiDUC's participating agencies use drones in the coastal environment. Additionally, Stephen Baxley with Airworx Unmanned Solutions provided some really cool flight demonstrations and he displayed some of his company's latest in aerial drone tech.
We thank all of the presenters, Airworx Unmanned Solutions and sponsors for making SCiDUC's second quarter meeting so awesome!
We will be posting some meeting pictures in the near future.
2023-Q1 Meeting on March 1st
Well, the bar has been set for the remainder of this year’s quarterly meetings… and it has been set high! We thank Tyler, Mark, Joe and the rest of the SC ETV folks for allowing us to take a peek at how it is SC ETV Engineering uses drones in their daily workflows and for sharing some to the challenges they face in implementing their program. We were able to see how a drone looks when flying at an altitude of 1,400 feet AGL. Plus, we gained a whole new perspective as we viewed things on the ground from that 1,400 ft. altitude- how often do most of us get a chance to see that!? The weather was perfect… all around, it was a fantastic way to spend a few hours midweek. Meeting photos will be coming soon!
liDAR Webinar on February 9th
Are you even just a little curious about the use of drone supported LiDAR? Or maybe you are not sure what LiDAR really is? Whatever may be fueling your LiDAR curiosity, we have a solution for you and it comes in the form of a short webinar.
Eric Harkins, CEO of Back Forty Aerial Solutions, provided a webinar presentation that focused on various aspects of drone-based LiDAR systems: what LIDAR is, how it works, how it differs from photogrammetry, and the versatile applications of this accurate data collection technology. Eric touched on the advantages, applications, technology, and some best practices and then opened the session up to questions from the participants. Click for Recording.
2022 Events
2022-Q4 Meeting on November 16th
... And that's a wrap for our 2022 quarterly meetings. The Q4 meeting, "Drone Products and Data Services: What drones can do for us?", brought this calendar's years quarterly meetings to a brilliant close. Six of our SCiDUC members headlined with short presentations highlighting how the agencies/institutions for whom they work utilize drones in their day to day operations.
Back Forty Aerial Solutions (BFAS), our newest and principal sponsor for this meeting, provided for an awesome lunch and learn session. BFAS is a Columbia SC based company offering a wide range of drone services. Please take a look at their website for more information.
Maybe you missed the meeting or maybe you attended but want to reminisce; either way, here is a link to a photo slideshow (or click on the picture). A video of the meeting, in its entirety, can be viewed as a SCiDUC webcast here.
2022-Q3 Meeting on September 16th
The quarterly meetings just keep getting better! If you missed it… bummer… because you missed Daryl Jones’ (SC Forestry Commission) and Scott Reynolds’ (SC Dept. of Health and Environmental Control) great presentation on starting a drone program. Then, there was the awesome lunch catered by Hudson’s Smokehouse and the ‘Lunch and Learn’ style presentation by our newest sponsor, Skydio; all followed by Skydio’s afternoon demo. We promised there would be a lot going on at the meeting!
If you weren’t there, no worries. We’ll be having our 4th quarter meeting on November 16th. In the meantime, regardless if you want to relive some of the moments or if you want to see what you missed, there is a slide show available for you to view.
Thank you to Skydio for being the 3rd quarter meeting’s principal sponsor, and to Airworx, Bentley and Zephyr for their support of our mission as Business Leader sponsors.
2022-Q2 Meeting on May 20th
May 20th 2022 was a perfect day for SCiDUC’s second mapping workshop and our 2022 Q2 meeting. The workshop took place at the Clemson Experiential Learning Yard and was sponsored by Air Worx Unmanned Solutions, Bentley Systems and Zephyr. Thank you to our sponsors for making these type of events possible!
After the mapping workshop, we had 12 members take and pass the APSA flight proficiency exam and become BPERP certified. For those not familiar with the BPERP, it is the only nationally recognized credential certifying basic flight proficiency for small multirotor UASs. Special thanks to Chris Medlin for proctoring the exam for us.
Take a look at the short slide show and see for yourself how the workshop went. The only thing that can't be appreciated from the pictures is the delicious lunch that was catered- you would have had to come in person to enjoy that!
2022-Q1 in Columbia on February 23rd
A great return to in-person meetings! This informative, not to mention well attended, meeting featured a panel presentation and discussion on UAS Night Operations. The panel presentation was led by Scott Newsome and Darryl Jones. Scott is a seasoned law enforcement officer with extensive experience in crewed aviation. He also serves as a SC Flight Standards District Office FAASTeam representative. Darryl Jones is the Forest Protection Chief for the SC Forestry Commission and SCiDUC's Board of Director's Vice President. We discussed the specific challenges, considerations and best practices when operating a UAS at night. This meeting also kicked off our brand new 'Poster Session' initiative. Click here to see our meeting and poster session pics. A recording of the meeting will be made available in the near future-perhaps as a SCiCAST- stay tuned.