Drones will be used for environmental monitoring of the territory of Sverdlovsk Oblast

"We are actively introducing unmanned technologies into environmental protection activities. As Governor Denis Pasler previously reported, in 2025, under the national project 'Unmanned Aviation Systems,' we purchased 26 drones. The Geoscan 801 drones are successfully used by forestry employees and the Ural Air Base for patrolling forests and protecting them from fires and illegal logging. In the near future, we plan to expand the range of drone applications and conduct environmental monitoring," said Denis Mamontov, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Sverdlovsk Oblast.

Specialists of the Ministry of Natural Resources involved in supervision and environmental control have already mastered the theory and practice of working with the Geoscan 801, from preparing drones for flight to conducting aerial photography and processing the data obtained. The drones will help solve a wide range of tasks and prevent potential risks to the region's ecology.

First and foremost, the drones are planned to be used to identify unauthorized waste disposal sites and dumps. The unmanned aircraft will make it possible to monitor large areas, as well as hard-to-reach and remote territories, significantly reducing patrol time. High-quality aerial photography from a drone will allow violations to be accurately recorded and measures to be taken promptly.

An important part of the drone work will be assessing the condition of water bodies. They will be used to survey riverbeds and riverbanks, as well as to monitor water levels in spring during floods.

The Investment Promotion Agency of Sverdlovsk Oblast also facilitates the development of civilian applications of unmanned aviation systems in the region and the formation of a services market in this sphere — from the emergence of new technologies and projects to the search for potential customers and areas of practical application of UAS. In August, Agency representatives took part in a meeting of the commission of the Sverdlovsk Regional Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs devoted to the development of unmanned systems. The participants discussed the creation of a cluster of unmanned technologies in the region, the development of the necessary infrastructure, experimental legal regimes and support measures, as well as the transition from technology testing to their full-scale application in the economy.

"The key area of development and a promising investment niche is becoming not so much the production of UAS and unmanned aircraft systems (this market has already been globally formed), but rather the services market, the introduction of civilian use scenarios, the creation of corresponding infrastructure, and the training of personnel for the operation of unmanned autonomous systems. For Sverdlovsk Oblast, experts estimated this market at 3.4 billion rubles. In addition, our region has all the key competencies and, most importantly, an interest in supporting and developing this industry," said Yuri Patanin, General Director of the Investment Promotion Agency of Sverdlovsk Oblast.

As a reminder, drones help specialists in forest fire monitoring to promptly identify fire hotspots, determine the boundaries of the fire, and the direction of its spread. In addition, thanks to thermal imagers, drones are capable of detecting even underground peat fires. From the air, it is also easy to identify illegal logging and other violations in forest areas.