On October 11-12, 2018, the First UAV Industrial Innovation and Application Congress (2018), sponsored by the UAV Application and Control Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and organized by the Digital Ecosystem Group of the State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, was successfully held at the Beijing Institute of Botany.

The purpose of this conference is to introduce the application and development of UAV in various industries, promote the application of UAV industry, guide the Industrial application standard and enhance the applied advantages of UAV better. More than 140 people from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, Wuhan University, as well as China University of Geosciences and so on attended this conference.

Academician Xu Guanhua

Cao Aimin, the deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Botany, and Zhang Wenhao, the director of the State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environment, delivered an opening speech for the conference. Xu Guanhua, the former Minister of Science and Technology and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Liao Xiaohan, Director of the UAV Application and Control Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Party Secretary of the Institute of Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Visiting Professor Yi Qun, Department of Navigation, Civil Aviation Management Cadre College; Gao Xianlian, Director of the Satellite Remote Sensing Application Division of the Investigation and Design Institute of the State Forestry Administration; Xu Qiang, the Yangtze River scholar and the professor of the School of Environmental and Civil Engineering at Chengdu University of Technology; Peng Chigang, director of Aircraft patrol operation center the Guangdong branch of China Southern Power Grid Co; Xie Pinhua, deputy director of the Anhui Institute of Optics and Precision Instruments, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Yang Guijun, researcher of National Agricultural Information Technology Research Center; Xiao Qing, a researcher at the Institute of Remote Sensing of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and deputy director of the UAV Control Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Guo Qinghua, a researcher at the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and deputy director of the UAV Control Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a series of wonderful academic reports on the innovative applications of UAV in various industries. Among them, Academician Xu Guanhua used big data as an entry point to explain the application of UAV in geospatial research and big data era, and carried out a series of prospects to encourage contemporary scholars to stand on the forefront of science and climb the peak. Director Liao Xiaohan gave a report on the basic concepts and key technologies of the UAV remote sensing data, which pointed out the direction for the future development of UAV remote sensing. Professor Yi Qun introduced the government supervision and service of civil drones. Director Gao Xianlian explained the application of drone technology in forest resource survey and supervision. Professor Xu Qiang explored the application of UAVs in early identification, monitoring and early warning of geological hazards. Director Peng Chigang reported on the status and development of UAV power inspection applications. Researcher Xie Pinhua discussed the application of drones from the perspective of atmospheric detection. Researcher Yang Guijun explained how to use drones to obtain plant phenotypic information and make use of it. Xiao Qing researcher explained the application of UAV in remote sensing scientific research. Finally, Researcher Guo Qinghua discussed the combination of UAV and Lidar, and made a summary of the conference.

After the special report, the workshop on UAV photogrammetry and UAV remote sensing application was organized by conference sponsor Digital Ecology Research Group. The training teachers introduced the principle and flow of the UAV remote sensing data acquisition and processing by combining the on-site demonstrations with practices, and provided lots of on-site operation opportunities. The members who participated in the workshop expressed their interest and learned the latest developments in UAV technology and applications, enhancing their confidence in UAV application research.

The two-day conference, with a carnival atmosphere and full seats, built a platform for exchange of ideas and wisdom. This conference not only promoted the exchange and cooperation of UAV technological application among various industries, but also promoted the exchange of knowledge between experts and scholars and young students. It will play a great role in promoting the development of innovation and application of China’s UAV industry in the future!