The Department of Public Works and Highways Regional Office VIII (DPWH VIII) will now be using the latest, state-of-the-art and one of the most sought-after equipment in planning and surveying today, a very expensive toy called DRONE.
DPWH VIII state-of-the-art surveying equipment, DRONE airborne on its maiden flight at DPWH Regional Office Candahug, Palo, Leyte.
Acting Regional Director Edgar Tabacon personally witnessed the maiden flight of the drone at the DPWH grounds in Government Center, Baras, Palo.
The drone, pegged at P2 million is equipped with camera capable of taking 3D aerial shots and can provide accurate contour and elevation of the terrain.
The drone has a total span of about 1 meter and can be airborne 20 minutes.
According to DPWH personnel who were being trained to handle the equipment, its flight time and maximum 2-kilometer radius reach, it can cover around 20 square kilometers of aerial high-definition footages.
Tabacon said that he is willing to expand its drone equipment if the first one will give satisfactory performance on the field.
Tabacon said that the equipment will be primarily be used in planning and designing. “This will be useful basically in identifying areas for road openings,” he said.
The equipment can also help in the agency’s monitoring activities. The infrastructure agency chief said that his people can just fly the drone in any work area of DPWH.
Ronald Lago, DPWH Supply Officer, said that the procurement of the equipment is one of the best buys. “I will not be surprised if our director will order another set for faster project implementations and monitoring,” Lago said.
According to him, this kind of technology had been approved already at the national level and can be used as high value equipment to achieve its mission.
The added acquisition of the agency will boost its commitment to quality and excellence in delivering services of international standards as it is now ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9001:2008 certified.
ISO 9001:2008 Certification is an accreditation conducted by external certification bodies to ensure that an organization performs their inter-related processes with international standards.
As DPWH RO8 is now QMS Certified to ISO 9001:2008, the department will enhance its infrastructure development process to better serve the interest of its stakeholders.