Page 40 - College Planning & Management, June 2017
P. 40
The capabilities of and uses for drones are growing at a rapid pace. How can they be used for campus safety... and should they? By Brandon Barrett
Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, are growing in popularity on college campuses across the country. With each passing day, there seems to be a new use for the rapidly evolving aerial technology, whether it is for recreational, academic or professional purposes. The issue of campus safety and security remains a hot topic and the idea of leveraging this new technology to keep students, faculty and staff safer holds lots of promise, but also comes with a variety of issues related to student privacy, FAA compliance and property damage.
Just what is a drone, exactly? Ac- cording to most definitions, a drone
is a pilotless vehicle that can be equipped with cameras and other implements. The device is able to be remotely guided from a location on the ground, allowing the craft access to places humans may not be able to go, or to see things from vantages other- wise unreachable without a helicopter or airplane.
AN EYE IN THE SKY
PHOTO © HALFPOINT
40 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / JUNE 2017
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