Drones have become part of Logan Simpson’s technical toolkit. Our staff uses drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, for site mapping, elevation modeling, aerial photography, and capturing video footage. Our FAA-licensed pilots have used drones to generate orthomosaic and elevation models for the post-excavation phase of the Sonoqui Wash Data Recovery project in Central Arizona. Other projects include conducting an orthophoto survey of the El  Rancho de Las Golondrinas outdoor architecture park and surrounding land near Santa Fe, New Mexico, as well as a vertical cliff wall aerial survey of ancient petroglyphs and site-level aerial reconnaissance surveys.

Logan Simpson began to use drones at the suggestion of our staff, who took advantage of the firm’s “Denali Trek” program. The Denali Trek is designed to encourage innovation in how we carry out our work. Each year, Logan Simpson staff may submit proposals to the firm so that they may purchase equipment and dedicate a portion of their time to developing innovative methodologies. In addition to drones, the Denali Trek program has enabled Logan Simpson to begin to use virtual reality and ground-penetrating radar.