Global UAV Technologies (Global UAV) acts as an umbrella company for several divisions. Could you describe your company structure and focus?

Global UAV provides technology solutions to the industry and develops in-house drone technologies. Approximately 80% of our revenue stems from the mining and exploration industry. The company is also involved in the aggregate industry and the defense space for unexploded ordinance detection. We entered the mining sector as a consolidator able to accompany clients throughout their whole journey. We purchased innovative startup companies in the services, manufacturing, and regulatory compliance sectors, to build a vertically integrated drone solutions company. Today we have a manufacturing and engineering division which builds high-end commercial grade helicopter drones used for surveying and mapping. We also have a services division which is comprised of two companies – Pioneer Aerial Surveys and High Eye Aerial Imaging. The latter is predominantly focused on land surveying work, including high resolution LiDAR surveys and change-detection on tailings impoundments. Global UAV prides ourselves in providing high resolution data solutions through using drone technologies which are safer and more cost effective in the industry.

You developed the UAV-MAG^TM  through Pioneer Aerial. Could you describe this subsidiary’s focus and what differentiates this product in the market?

Pioneer Aerial is probably the leading drone service provider in the mining industry worldwide in terms of exploration and geophysics. In 2014, we developed a way to fly geophysics surveys using drones, which has since been very widely adopted amongst juniors and majors in the mining industry, including Rio Tinto, De Beers, Dundee, and Anglo American. Our clients have all been very pleased with the results in terms of how the UAV-MAG^TM technology increases safety in field work, reduces costs, and generates better data.

The Procyon 800E helicopter drone, built by NOVAerial Robotics, our engineering and manufacturing division, is targeted at the commercial level and the product cost is approximately USD$65,000. The drone is built to lift very expensive high-end payloads of up to 3.5 Kg, such as a LiDAR sensor, which is worth approximately USD$300,000. We designed a purpose built product from the ground up, reducing the mechanical complexity to mitigate the risk of component failure. The drone is more efficient, reliable, safe, and has longer flight times of up to 50 minutes with greater high-wind and low-temperature stability. We currently have 12 production prototype Procyon 800E products in operation around the world and are in the process of transitioning to full scale commercial production. We will be selling and leasing the product to customers in the near future.

Are there any regional targets which the company would like to expand into?

Our presence and operations are significantly widespread, with projects in Serbia, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Argentina, Brazil, the US and Canada. There has been a significant amount of interest for our surveys in areas that do not have access to geological survey providers. For instance, South America is experiencing a huge challenge in terms of surveying, as the elevations are very high. These environments are too risky to fly with a manned helicopter, and surveying is physically impossible to do by foot. Drones are thus the only solution and we are able to fly surveys at approximately 15,000 ft of elevation. We are not only disrupting the existing survey methods, but we are also opening up an entirely new market, which has never had a solution before to collect high resolution geophysical data in challenging areas year round.

Can you elaborate on Global UAV’s regulatory compliance services?

Global UAV’s regulatory services range from assisting smaller clients with obtaining flying licenses, to helping larger corporations establish internal drone programs. We assist with licensing, permitting, training, insurance, and setting all approvals in place with Transport Canada to operate commercially. This division also is critical for Global UAV’s ability to obtain beyond visual line of sight flight (BVLOS) permission in Canada and abroad for our survey operations.

What is Global UAV’s strategy to continue growing moving forward?

Global UAV is positioning itself as a premier drone manufacturer and one of the largest drone service providers globally. We aim to replicate our services in as many industry verticals as possible, such as public safety, construction, and agriculture. We also provide services with regards to data processing and our initial survey designs can ensure high quality data collection. Innovation is critical and Global UAV can provide industries with unique solutions across the value chain.