Vanderbilt GIS Drone Services
Vanderbilt GIS provides drone services to support campus mapping, documentation, and project needs. Drone operations follow established Vanderbilt procedures, including required flight notifications, pre-flight documentation, airspace authorization, safety checks, and post-flight documentation.
Request Drone Services
To discuss a drone flight contact VUGIS@vanderbilt.edu or submit a ReADY request using the GIS(maps), drone flight, & Archive Records tile located here: https://ready.app.vanderbilt.edu/ready
Drone Services
Aerial Mapping & Surveying
- High-resolution orthophotography
- Campus aerial imagery updates
- Leaf-on and leaf-off imagery collection
- Progress mapping for construction projects
Facility & Infrastructure Inspections
- Roof inspections
- Building envelope inspections
- Facade assessments
- Tower, stack, and elevated structure inspections
- Parking garage inspections
- Solar panel inspections
- Stormwater infrastructure inspections
Utilities & Asset Management
- Utility corridor documentation
- Construction verification imagery
- Asset inventory support
- Site condition assessments
- Utility access and maintenance planning
Construction & Capital Projects
- Pre-construction site documentation
- Construction progress monitoring
- Contractor coordination imagery
- Monthly progress reports
- Completion and closeout documentation
- Time-series project photography
Emergency Management & Public Safety
- Incident documentation
- Emergency response mapping support
- Campus situational awareness
- FEMA and emergency management documentation
- Clery and safety-related mapping support
- Disaster assessment imagery
Environmental & Landscape Services
- Tree canopy mapping
- Landscape inventory and assessment
- Environmental documentation
- Erosion and drainage monitoring
- Vegetation management support
- Campus grounds analysis
360° & Reality Capture Services
- 360-degree site photography
- Indoor and outdoor virtual tours
- Facility documentation
- Remote site assessments
- Digital twin support
- Historical campus documentation
Our Drones
Vanderbilt GIS currently maintains two registered Skydio drones:
- The Anchor — Skydio X10
- The Commodore — Skydio 2+
Both aircraft have FAA Small UAS Certificates of Registration documented in the GIS records.
Drone Services Outside Nashville
Vanderbilt GIS also maintains documented procedures for drone operations in New York City and San Francisco. These locations have additional permitting, insurance, documentation, and notification requirements that must be addressed before operations.
Need drone services for your project? Contact VUGIS@vanderbilt.edu to get started.