She Maps Spatial Discovery Day

Last week, students in the Years 7 and 8 Tech Explorers group attended a Spatial Discovery Day at Novotel Central. The day was run by She Maps which aims to bring diversity and support to STEM by providing drone and geospatial programs for schools. 

The girls were introduced to the increasing drone market and heard from a landscape ecologist, an SES Officer and a geologist who rely on drones in their daily work. They learned about safety elements and drone rules established by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority before forming teams to fly drones. Each student was assigned the role of pilot in-charge, co-pilot and safety officer, rotating through these roles as they learned how to take off, fly, flip and land a drone. They developed skills in precision, accuracy and speed in manual flights, before undertaking an automated flight and an aerial survey, which required coding.

Once they had mastered their skills as first-time drone pilots, the students visited an industry exhibition for Australia’s geospatial community. Here they heard from government departments and businesses involved in spatial measurement, mapping data, analytics, location intelligence, and discussed the tools, technology and expertise required in these fields. All students had a wonderful day and are keen to explore drones further in their education.

Sarah Thompson, Leader of Innovative and Global Connections