Use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems/Drones Policy

The public exhibition period for this project has concluded.

Council is seeking feedback on its draft Use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems/Drones Policy.

More commonly known as drones, the use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) by Councils across the country is increasing, and for good reason. They are both a cost effective way of exercising some of the critical functions of Council and indeed can significantly reduce if not eliminate some of the risks of injury to employees where they are employed.

Many Councils have introduced these devices as one of the technologies being applied to ‘smart cities’ initiatives and Bathurst Regional Council has an opportunity to follow suit by embracing the use of RPAS across many Council services such as:-

• Asset management – inspections, asset data capture and geo-tagging
• Urban planning – baseline and ongoing aerial surveys of proposed and new development sites
• GIS – Mapping, 2D/3D imagery
• Environmental - inspections, compliance monitoring, detection and control

There is a low level of risk associated with the use and application of RPAS by Council officers, which will be managed through the policy, an operational manual and procedures.