Until recently, drones, i.e. unmanned aerial vehicles, were used only by the armed forces and were used to observe areas of military operations. Today, the sight of a drone moving just a few meters above our heads does not surprise anyone, and the devices - surprising with their simplicity and efficiency - find more and more new applications.
Here are the most interesting of them.

Observation of hard-to-reach areas
Despite the constant development of transport in the world, there are still places where access is limited or - due to various types of threats - even impossible. These are not only areas of warfare and places disconnected due to natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes, but also protected and virgin areas where "civilization" has not been reached yet. One of the most interesting projects of this type is carried out in the polar regions. Drones there perform advanced measurements, e.g. the thickness of the ozone layer and ice, develop maps of land and water reservoirs, study air pollution and the state of ocean waters, and count the population of animals (e.g. seals). In the latter scope, drones also “work” in North America.

Delivery of parcels
Drone as a courier? If you carefully analyze this solution, you will find that it has many advantages. The unmanned aerial vehicle not only generates savings but is also able to reach places where the courier is limited by hours and working area. But delivering packages or letters is not the only use of drones. According to the concept of international non-governmental organizations, the devices can also deliver boxes with food, clothes, and hygiene products to people affected by natural disasters or staying in the zone of military operations. Such packages could also contain medicines and even blood.

Search actions
Although the search services do not lack funds to support actions (both from the ground and the air), it turns out that drones are an increasingly desirable tool used in this type of operation. No wonder - the devices can be operated from any ground position, and thanks to the wide range of their cameras, locating the person or object you are looking for can be much easier than using standard tools. Unmanned aerial vehicles turn out to be particularly useful during chases, being able to "look" into places inaccessible to larger air units.

Air pollution monitoring
More and more countries in the world are struggling with the problem of smog, and individual cities are competing in implementing ways to fight air pollution. In Europe, drones examining the composition of smoke coming out of the chimneys of houses turned out to be a hit this year. The devices were equipped with special sensors that analyzed the chemical composition of the smoke for the presence of hazardous substances. In the event of detecting a violation of the law, the dispatcher informed the relevant services, which verified the case at the address indicated and - if confirmed - issued a ticket.

Tax enforcement
Drone law enforcement also applies to taxes. The first steps of this type were taken in Argentina, where the government successfully collected debts from owners of more than 200 unregistered properties.

Drones as protection tools
Protection and control are among the most common applications of unmanned aerial vehicles. PKP Cargo used drones for the first time in 2015 to secure its trains and railway areas. The use of devices has proved to be an effective tool in the fight against cargo theft. Their undeniable advantages turned out to be quiet operation (drones move almost silently), small size, and colors, thanks to which they are difficult to see. Also, they can - unlike conventional cameras mounted on the walls of buildings - move and collect data from different places and perspectives. Such drone protection is also more and more common on construction sites and guarded areas of large complexes.

Drones in surveying and mining
Quadcopters are also entering the field of surveying and mining (not crypto-mining, too bad!).
In the first case, drones are used for spatial analysis of engineering facilities. The image from the 3D camera will help to determine parameters such as free area, the volume of earth masses or to recognize the edges of roads, slopes, or buildings. The devices will also help in creating orthophotos and tracking the progress of works. In the case of a mine, the drone will measure heaps or the collected material. It can also be used for monitoring and identifying geological and mining conditions.

In search of oil and gas deposits
Orthophotos made by drones will also prove successful in the fuel industry, more specifically: searching for deposits of raw materials such as natural gas or crude oil. Specially programmed functions will take into account not only the shape of the surface but also the presence of possible obstacles, such as water reservoirs, roads, or power lines.