A new client company has joined the Innovation Center’s incubation program. Shawn Dark, CEO of Guardian Imagery, plans to develop his business in the South Texas region.

The goal of Guardian Imagery is to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more commonly known as drones, for capturing images for commercial use. Commercialization of this technology can be implemented in search and rescue, infrastructure surveying and inspection, precision agriculture and freight delivery.

UAV’s capture horizontal and vertical imagery covering specific areas, which can then be transmitted to a geographic information system (GIS) where an analyst interprets the images for a specific, commercial purposes.

An article by National Geographic emphasizes the endless applications of drones in the article, “5 Surprising Drone Uses (Besides Amazon Delivery),” and lists areas in which drones are progressing in the market. Drone usage is incredibly versatile and can be used in hurricane hunting, 3-D mapping, protecting wildlife, etc.

UAV imagery offers a burgeoning avenue of economic growth within the Coastal Bend region.