Why we use unmanned aircraft systems

To support our agency Mission Statement and Core Value, Washington State Department of Agriculture created our unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drone program in early 2021 to provide guidance and oversight for diverse data collection needs during agency inspections. The program supports FAA certified remote pilots using agency accepted hardware and software solutions configured to enhance our fieldwork when staff conducts routine or regulatory inspections. WSDA operates our drones under an official agency policy and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations. 

How do we use UAS? 

The benefits of the available technology of UAS allows our programs to track pests, collect data, and will be an added resource to enhance our inspections. 

The applications for UAS vary widely but can be used to capture high resolution imagery and video that give our inspectors and scientists a new perspective and important information that supports data driven, real-time decision making. 

For information regarding UAS Pesticide applications please visit the program's page.

Applications of UAS at Agriculture

• Aerial photography/videography.
• Ensure pesticides are used safely.
• Emergency response.
• Mapping and site inspections.
• Lidar (Light detection and ranging).
• Air and water quality surveys.
• Communications products and storytelling.

Benefits of using UAS for agency operations

• Increased safety and reduced risk for our staff. 
• Scale of the landscape to be surveyed exceeds the capacity of staff and/or conventional aircraft. 
• The above-ground level operational requirements exceed the safe operation limits of conventional aircraft. 
• Survey equipment, such as cameras, video cameras, infrared cameras, radar, sonar, and Lidar, are best deployed using these vehicles. 
• Manned aircraft is usually unavailable and not cost effective. 

Projects 

We fill out a project checklist every time we use UAS to support our work. Below is a list of all approved projects. 
 

Project Name

WSDA Program

Date

Contact Information

Jason Gambill 
WSDA  Safety Program Assistant Manager & UAS Administrator
jgambill@agr.wa.gov
360-742-7512

WSDA Communications Team
pio@agr.wa.gov