Virtual Permaculture Tours: Edge Perma

I just heard from fellow Permie Andrew Tuttle of Edge Perma, who has a vision to create unique online learning resources in the form of robust, info-dense, layered 3D virtual tours of existing permaculture facilities.  He's leveraging good videography, drone technology, and GIS integration to create these tours.  He's just getting started though, so he could use some help and feedback.

Here's a bit of their intro video:


I can see many ways this service would be useful on my farm.  Off the top of my head:
- virtual tours for promotion of on-farm activities/hospitality
- selling virtual tours for side income
- using drone data for site development
- using 3D images for educational applications

Would you be interested in services like this?  How else could you see things like this being useful to a permaculture farm?

**If you have the time, he's asking for more robust feedback here: https://permies.com/t/190437/Drones-VR-Teach-Permaculture

I would advise him to read & follow FAR part 107 to the letter. FAA is very picky if he makes even one penny from the flight. Even if it's not direct profit from the flight itself. Posting the video on a monetized youtube channel or using it for a class where participants pay for the class can lead to heavy fines.

Thanks for sharing Beau!

Hi Mike. I appreciate your input. I am a licensed drone pilot. I have been since I first started flying a couple of years ago. I am also a big advocate for getting endorsed through the FAA. Flying drones can be dangerous when you don't know the laws and best practices. I talked a bit about that in our Global Earth Repair Summit presentation. I have attached that here in case you would like to check that out.

Good. You obviously understand the implications of commercial flights. One point that is a pet peeve rather than anything else. It's called a pilot certificate, not a license.

Haven't watched the entire video yet but watched everything in the first half about the hardware & software. Thanks for that. I have a pilot certificate for airplanes & am considering getting into drones soon. The Skydio2 is my most likely choice because it's made in USA & has the excellent obstacle avoidance. I live & work in a forest so avoiding trees is very important. My intended uses are checking for poachers, finding wild hogs, & observing controlled burns & potential wildfires. The follow me function would be fun to play with.

You mentioned the Skymap software. That is almost certainly class C controlled airspace. Possibly class B. Not restricted airspace. Big difference from a legal standpoint. You might want to get the sectional for each area you fly in. Especially if you fly near the edge of controlled airspace or something looks funky with the Skymap. I'd trust the sectional far more than the drone software. At least you would have a leg to stand on if some sort of airspace infraction occurred. The link to download free sectionals is below. The other link will let you check for NOTAMS. Notices to airmen. That will give the info about TFRs. Temporary flight restrictions such as during large public events or natural disasters, etc. If wxbrief isn't available for drone pilots your local FSS (flight service station) might provide that info to you. There might be similar services specifically for drone pilots. Vaguely remember seeing something like that exists but not 100% sure.

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/productcatalog/vfrcharts/sectional/

https://www.1800wxbrief.com/Website/#!/

Browsed through the rest of the video. That's some excellent photography & I love your business concept. I think it has great potential. You & your partner did some impressive work with that. Good luck with it. Be safe up there!

Mike,

I see your points. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. In Airmap, you can apply for LAANC Authorization from your exact location and flight area. It is very convenient and the method many drone pilots use.

The Skydio 2+ is a phenomenal beginner drone for smaller sites. What size property are you using this on?

Thanks again Andrew. I looked up Airmap on the FAA site & it seems that is quite official. That certainly simplifies things.

Let's just say it's big enough to be a forest. Would require 3 or 4 battery changes for a Skydio2 or any other consumer drone I know of to fly around the perimeter in no wind conditions. Would definitely need a waiver for the "must remain in sight" rule. I dug deeper into the Skydio rabbithole the other night & discovered it won't handle the kind of waypoint flying I need. Can only do it via one particular commercial site but that would require a $100/month fee & the routes would be stored in the cloud rather than my own device. That's not happening. Don't want anything from the C country so maybe I'll end up building my own. Half way intended to do that eventually anyway. Have the hardware & electronic skills but my programming ability is mediocre. Need to learn more about the software side of things first. Also will keep looking for something more plug & play. Any suggestions for that? So much to learn still.

Mike,

Sounds like you have a fun project ahead of you! The DJI Mavic Pro 3 will be your best bet for a larger property. I believe it has the best battery life of 46 minutes, in its class.

Beau Davidson wrote:How else could you see things like this being useful to a permaculture farm?

Possible Uses: Describing paddocks, making sales for new land, organizing work groups, display of seasons, how to prepare your own orchard operation, affiliate link for tools and machinery...

Possible Evolvement: invisible to the eye diagrams appear and pictured object ghosts/fades, customizable based on recorded data which shows outcome of production, map a village to show more human connections,...