Dear Editor:
National Geographic’s February issue has a lengthy article on surveillance with the use of satellites and other devices which can now track most everything that is happening on our planet’s surface.
There are now more than 1,700 satellites circling the earth at any one time.
One American company, Planet, has 202 of them, each not bigger than an apple box which can send data back once every day covering the earth from the Arctic to the Antarctic and everything in between.
Not as sophisticated as some of the larger camera satellites, they can still see the movement of ships and armament, and slower moving aircraft.
The U.S. Navy has developed small drones, hardly larger than your hand which can be deployed at high altitudes like a swarm of bees to catch all sorts of activities below.
The drone I have has a little camera on it which allows me to take some nice pictures during daylight hours.
With an added infrared lens, I could take close-ups of orchard trees that show drought conditions or insect infestations. They could also be used in forest fire situations, reducing the number of aircraft that are used to relay instructions to fire fighters and bombers, or for realtors who want low level pictures of large acreage or homes from different angles.
Besides that, they are a fun thing to have, much like model aircraft, only with the capability of stopping in midair before you crash into trees – most of the time.
Frank Martens
Summerland