University of Idaho Drone Lab

The Drone Lab was created to coordinate and support the use of drones for research and teaching at the University of Idaho.

Projects
People
Learning
Equipment
Services
Resources
Events

The mission of the University of Idaho Drone Lab is to serve as a hub for drone-related activities and provide a pool of drones, sensors, equipment, software, and knowledge to support the use of drones in high-quality research and teaching across all University departments.

The Drone Lab serves its mission by providing:

  • Shared Resources including drones, sensors, batteries, survey equipment, and software
  • Trained and Experienced Pilots that can help collect drone data or provide project support
  • Maintenance and Repair Facilities to create sensor mounts and maintain drones
  • Training and Support for regulatory compliance, flight operations, and data processing
  • Facilities and expertise for geometric and radiometric Calibration of Sensors
  • Resources and knowledge for drone Data Processing and Visualization
  • Collaborative Research Space where faculty, staff, and students can meet
  • A Knowledge Hub that leverages the collective drone experience across campus
  • Outreach Opportunities for engaging students and the public across Idaho

Upcoming Events

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News

Our Location

UI Moscow Campus, IRIC 205

Drone Lab Projects

Learn more about what drone-related projects are going on at the University of Idaho.

See more Drone Lab Projects

Learning Resources

Learn about drones and drone data! The learning resources here provide in-depth and hand-on instruction for all different aspects of using drones and drone-collected data. Most of these resources contain exercises, detailed instructions, and sample datasets for you to use.

See all learning resources

Equipment

A primary role of the Drone Lab is to provide a pool of shared-use equipment to support the use of drones in research and teaching. This is not just drones! It includes supporting equipment too like battery chargers, GNSS surveying equipment, generators and power stations, and more.

See the list of Drone Lab Equipment Contact the Drone Lab about using lab equipment

Services

The Drone Lab is a University of Idaho Service Center. That means we can provide drone flight and data analysis services for projects, both within the UI and for external partners. The Service Center allows us to charge grant indexes for drone services to support the lab’s equipment and staff.

Learn more about Drone Lab services See the current Drone Lab service rate sheet

Knowledge Resources

A key value of the Drone Lab is the collective knowledge of all the people involved with it. This section compiles some of the wisdom gained by the many people who have been affiliated with the Drone Lab over the years.

Access the Drone Lab knowledge resources Learn about UI’s drone policies