Through a series of small but decisive steps taken over the past 18 months, Deveron UAS Corp., a drone data services company that focuses on the agriculture sector, is slowly taking flight.
The latest development in that steady build came Monday when Deveron announced that it had been given the green light by the Minister of Transport to operate across Canada.
Prior to this, Deveron, which started life in 2012 as Deveron Resources and whose major shareholder is Greencastle Resources, had received government approval to operate in three additional provinces, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, alongside its home base of Ontario.
“With national compliance, we have the ability to fly anywhere under one area of interest. It makes things easier for us as we scale (up) and talk to nationally-based agricultural providers,” said David MacMillan, chief executive. Accordingly, because the firm’s clients have a national perspective, the new licence allows Deveron to adopt a national approach to its business.
“We are excited about (the business) because the data we generate produces intelligence that can help farmers increase yields and reduce costs,” benefits he argues the farmers can achieve through variable rate application, a technique that allows resources (including additional seed or fertilizer) to be applied to areas with the greatest need.