Students and staff from Lane Community College’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems program are helping the City of Cottage Grove map its public parks pro bono using drone technology. The collaboration provides valuable data for planning and infrastructure improvements while giving students practical, career-ready experience.
The project involves flying drones over city parks to collect aerial imagery, which will be used to create high-resolution maps and three-dimensional models. These assets will assist city staff in identifying infrastructure needs, tracking usage patterns and planning future upgrades.
Students in the program plan flight paths, operate unmanned aircraft and process the resulting data, preparing them for work in industries such as surveying, public safety, agriculture, construction and environmental monitoring. The program also prepares students for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 107 certification exam.
Mapping flights began in May and will continue through the summer, covering multiple park locations throughout Cottage Grove.
This program is part of Lane’s Aviation Academy, which offers hands-on technical training in both manned and unmanned flight. For more information about Lane’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems program, visit lanecc.edu/aviation-unmanned-aircraft.
Lane Community College educates over 15,000 students annually at six locations across Lane County and online. Students and alumni from all 50 states and 79 countries create more than an $675 million dollar impact on the local economy, helping to support more than 8,900 local jobs. Lane provides affordable, quality, professional technical and college transfer programs; business development and employee training; academic, language and life skills development; and lifelong personal development and enrichment courses.