For its first projects, Medici gathered
location data from manned aircraft
surveys plus ground-level data
collection to capture fine details of
the places they were contracted to
cover, White explained. Besides the
cost being much more, the
knowledge gained by this method
was limited as well as the quality of
the data.
"With drones, I budgeted 70,000
dollars, which was 150,000 dollars
less than for manned aircraft data
capture," White said. "And you also
have to figure the in-house
A land registry based on high-
accuracy location data can help
people move out of poverty and
enjoy a higher quality of living. First
of all, owned property can be taxed
in order to fund and expand utilities
and services. Drone data can back up
the exact area parameters of
properties. Environmental conditions
improve as well, because if people
have proof that they own land,
they're more likely to make
sustainable developments and
increase investments in land.
"The sense of owning one's property
and having accurate, tamper-proof
records of that ownership is
invaluable. It provides financial,
social and psychological security,"
White said. "It's also really important
in terms of having a sense of 'home'
and a sense of place during
international crises like this
pandemic."
"Land titling
improves socio-
economic status and
impacts the social
determinants of
health. Medici Land
Governance is a
cutting-edge
company that offers
land registry
systems at a lower
cost. And
WingtraOne now
plays a major role in
making this
possible."
- Ben White
GIS Engineer at Medici Land
Governance
knowledge gained with a drone. For
me to be an airplane pilot, I need a
commercial license in the US, which
is so much more investment. We are
a startup. We're on the ground to
help people, and it's a lot more
feasible with the drone."
In addition to high cost, airplanes
presented safety concerns and
issues with cloud cover, since all of
Medici's images must be cloud-free.
Satellite data wasn't sufficient either,
White said. Fixed-wing drones could
get the data they needed, so they
invested in an eBee. But in a place
like St. Kitts, they realized they
would also need VTOL.
I N D U S T R Y
Figure 1: White, left, and Nick Kiraly, right, along with two other team members from Medici
Land Governance surveyed St. Kitts efficiently and at high quality with WingtraOne.
Cutting Costs and Overcoming
Challenges to Map a Volcanic
Island
G I S R E S O U R C E S | M A R C H 2 0 2 1 1 1
