Drone enthusiasts assemble in Dehradun for ‘Dronathon’

DEHRADUN: The second edition of “India Drone Festival — Dronathon @ Dronagiri 2.0” organised by the Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA) of the state government, started on Wednesday at the IT Park in Dehradun.
The two-day-long event was inaugurated by chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. Speaking at the event, Rawat said, “Drones can play a major role during natural disasters like floods and other natural calamities.They can be of great help especially in our state which is prone to natural disasters. The country’s first centre for drone technology was also established in our state and I am sure that young people will get inspired by the use of such technologies.”
Officials of around 20 companies from across the country are attending the event which is focussed on addressing various issues related to counter drone technologies to promote the creation of intelligent solutions. A DARC Mapper Software was released during the inauguration ceremony which generates professional maps, elevation models, 3D models, and point clouds from aerial images.
Several sessions were also held to stress on the importance of drones in supplying medicines in remote areas and during natural calamities like floods.
The event also saw several drone-related competitions which gauged speed, control, and other skills of the participants while operating drones. Some of the competitions held during the event were — Drone PFV Racing, Scan and Lift the Payload, Dhanvantri, Real Time Helicopter Landing Area Detection, Tie the Knot, and others.