Idea of the Day: Directory of Places to Drone

[cyeung]

Here’s an idea for a web site: A crowdsourced directory of places where we can drone! For each place we’ve flown, we can mark with a pin:

• Green = Drones are explicitly allowed.
• Yellow = No explicit prohibition.

As more people fly at those locations, they can give the location a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, depending on whether they had difficulties (like the rate that a coupon from RetailMeNot works). People can also comment on caveats or experiences.

What do y’all think?

 

[Mavic Mac]

And how would that be set up - by towns, counties, states or countries? Would take a big data base

 

[PhantomFandom]

Here’s an idea for a web site: A crowdsourced directory of places where we can drone! For each place we’ve flown, we can mark with a pin:

• Green = Drones are explicitly allowed.
• Yellow = No explicit prohibition.

As more people fly at those locations, they can give the location a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, depending on whether they had difficulties (like the rate that a coupon from RetailMeNot works). People can also comment on caveats or experiences.

What do y’all think?

Personally I think it is redundant and will lead to issues with people thinking it is authoritative. I stick with the FAA regulations on where I can and cannot fly.

 

[cyeung]

And how would that be set up - by towns, counties, states or countries? Would take a big data base

Yes, it would take a big database. I would imagine it as something that is organized by country, state, and town.

 

[cyeung]

Personally I think it is redundant and will lead to issues with people thinking it is authoritative. I stick with the FAA regulations on where I can and cannot fly.

It is absolutely not meant to be authoritative. The intent is to be a single point of collection of everybody’s favorite places to fly. I would certainly like that for when I go traveling and want to get some drone shots while the place I’m visiting.

For example, I can indicate that Piedmont Park in Atlanta is “yellow,” because there are no explicit prohibitions against flying there. Someone from out of town can then fly and provide feedback on whether it is a good site.

 

[pelagic_one]

By just perusing Local & Regional Discussions, I’m seeing quite a bit of flying location data available. For instance, the local flyers here in the San Francisco Bay Area have been quick to share spots, but I’m seeing this in various other locations, too.

I think your website idea is a good one, but we’ve already got a great compendium of locations and empirical observations already shared here. I’ll give credit to members like @Hauptmann, who travels here to visit his son, but shares tons of local knowledge for here...and everywhere else around the world he flies.

We’ve got a living, breathing database with mostly up-to-date information on where we can and cannot fly anymore. As things change, someone local or a visitor posts their latest discoveries or updates on local regulations. A separate website would require constant updating, and if not, would be misconstrued as being accurate when certain info may no longer be valid (e.g. We can not fly at Big Sur along the Pacific Coast any longer).

 

[Gringorio]

Here’s an idea for a web site: A crowdsourced directory of places where we can drone! For each place we’ve flown, we can mark with a pin:

• Green = Drones are explicitly allowed.
• Yellow = No explicit prohibition.

As more people fly at those locations, they can give the location a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, depending on whether they had difficulties (like the rate that a coupon from RetailMeNot works). People can also comment on caveats or experiences.

What do y’all think?

Personally, I don't like the idea. It's akin to sharing cool hikes or camp spots. Before you know it, everyone and their drone-flying grandma are there and it's no longer a special place.

 

[diego]

I have been thinking of creating an app like this. It would have to work via user submitted locations as well as ratings and comments. Almost like an instagram for droners.