We here at DRONELIFE are as vulnerable as anyone else to the joys of reality TV, so we were pleased to see that drone provider Microdrones is scheduled to release a reality TV styled video webinar series named Down to Earth.  The idea is to show the challenges and hazards that surveying crews face in the field.   

The series will premiere next Wednesday, February 19.  Viewers can register to watch at either 9am ET or 6pm ET.   To catch a glimpse for yourself, and to sign up, CLICK HERE or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://bit.ly/31aFQbN

DRONELIFE  had a chance to review the episodes prior to release. While we promised not to give anything away,  I can say that the episodes are  between 5-10 minutes in length, professionally done, and give you the opportunity to learn some things about how drones can be used to survey difficult terrain.

From the team’s description:

“Episodes 1-3, titled “The Ozarks” will take you on an edge-of-your-seat journey alongside engineering and surveying company Crafton Tull, as they attempt to map a path for a road through Arkansas’s treacherous Ozark Mountain Region.

Throughout “The Ozarks,” you’ll see how Crafton Tull attacked this challenging terrain head-on with the Microdrones mdLiDAR1000, leveraging the drone to navigate an elevation change of more than 500 feet.”

DRONELIFE reached out to Bret Burghdurf, Marketing Director for Microdrones based in the US.  Here is what Bret told us: (Edited slightly for readability).

DroneLife: This seems like a interesting idea on how to market drone products.  Can you tell us more about the idea and how it came about?

Bret Burghdurf:   “We’re excited about our new show, Down to Earth.  This is a new series totally sponsored by Microdrones to showcase how surveyors use our systems in the field to overcome challenges and capture powerful data deliverables like 3D pointclouds, orthomosaics, or methane inspection concern maps.”

DL: How did the idea come up for a reality TV drone show?

BB:  “The idea for this series came about from a previous video shoot.  We were on-site, with surveyors from Crafton Tull, creating a traditional marketing video for our systems. At the end of the job, the surveyors shared with us some stories about their work- everything from encountering upset landowners, trudging through swamplands, and dodging dangerous wildlife, insects and pests.  We thought to ourselves, “THAT’S the type of content that our customers can relate to.” So, we took a camera crew and followed the team from Crafton Tull for 3 days, as they worked a particularly challenging survey site in the middle of the Ozark Mountains. The end result was “Down to Earth.”  The first 3 episodes came out great, and really show what a difference our integrated solutions can make for surveyors- they help keep them safe, get the job done faster, and acquire very accurate data for their customers.”

DL:  When will this be released and how will people get to see it?

BB: “To launch the series, we are having a Webinar presentation on February 19 at 9am EST or 6pm EST, which requires a registration.  The webinar will not only premiere all 3 episodes, but will feature the participants from the video providing extra commentary and analysis of the mission and the data collected. Then, beginning on the 20^th, we will have Down to Earth available for all to view on our website or YouTube channel.”

DL:  What is the goal?

BB: “…the overall goal is to showcase our systems and the benefits they provide.”

DL:  Thank you very much for your time.