Monday, August 3
Introduction and Getting Started
9:00 am
to 9:30 am
to 9:30 am
Welcome and Logistics
Sean Hogan
GeneralBIT Auditorium
9:30 am
to 10:45 am
to 10:45 am
Drone Camp Spotlights
Meet the DroneCamp organizers as they share their expertise and preview what you’ll explore in their sessions this week.
Sean Hogan, Becca Fenwick, Brandon Stark, Pat Iampietro, Corey Snipes, Jon Detka
SpecialBIT Auditorium
10:45 am
to 11:00 am
to 11:00 am
Break
BreakBIT Atrium
11:00 am
to 11:30 am
to 11:30 am
Meet the Presenters
See the full range of what’s possible with drones, straight from the people who will be teaching it.
Anderson Safre, Pete Church, Andy Lyons, Michael Hang, Eleanor King, Michael Matkin, Jewell Graham, Chris Cruz, Bo Yang, Shane Feirer, Robert Johnson, Karem Meza, Jordan Snyder, Jenna Contuchio, Mel Baldino, Samantha Mladjov
SpecialBIT Auditorium
11:30 am
to 12:00 pm
to 12:00 pm
Kick-off Open Forum Q&A
An open Q&A with camp presenters. Ask anything, follow up on what you heard, and start making connections before the week gets underway.
Sean Hogan
PanelBIT Auditorium
12:00 pm
to 1:00 pm
to 1:00 pm
Lunch
BreakBIT Atrium
1:00 pm
to 2:45 pm
to 2:45 pm
Tour de Drones
A walk-around showcase of current and near-future drone hardware. Explore the equipment up close, ask questions, and get hands-on familiarity with drone technology.
Sean Hogan, Pat Iampietro, Becca Fenwick, Brandon Stark
SpecialBIT Auditorium
2:45 pm
to 3:00 pm
to 3:00 pm
Break
BreakBIT Atrium
3:00 pm
to 4:30 pm
to 4:30 pm
Rules, Regs and the FAA
A high-level overview of the rules governing drone flight. Who needs a license, where you can fly, what exemptions exist for educational and recreational use, and how federal restrictions are shaping what drones you can legally operate.
Brandon Stark
LectureBIT Auditorium
4:30 pm
to 4:45 pm
to 4:45 pm
Exit ticket
“What topic from today do you want to go deeper on this week?”
Andy Lyons
GeneralBIT Auditorium
4:45 pm
to 5:00 pm
to 5:00 pm
Close and day summary
Andy Lyons
GeneralBIT Auditorium
6:00 pm
to 8:00 pm
to 8:00 pm
Welcome Reception @ MBEST
Join us for an evening reception at the UC Monterey Bay Education, Science and Technology (MBEST) Center, an off-campus UC facility just a short distance from CSU Monterey Bay. Enjoy appetizers and drinks while mingling with fellow participants and exploring research posters on display. A relaxed way to kick off the week and start making connections before sessions begin.
SpecialUCMBEST
Tuesday, August 4
Flight Practice and Flight Safety
8:30 am
to 9:00 am
to 9:00 am
Welcome
Becca Fenwick
GeneralBIT Auditorium
9:00 am
to 12:00 pm
to 12:00 pm
Group 1
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Drone Flight Practice
Basic Introductory Flight Instruction in groups of 5.
Sean Hogan, Pat Iampietro, Becca Fenwick, Corey Snipes, Jon Detka, Eleanor King, Michael Matkin, Michael Hang, Andy Lyons, Anderson Safre, Pete Church
Flight Zones
Group 2
9:00 am – 9:45 am
Safety and Risk Management
Safety awareness and judgment in drone operations, including hazard identification, risk assessment, hazardous attitudes, crew coordination, and go/no-go decision making.
Brandon Stark, Jewell Graham · BIT Auditorium
9:45 am – 10:00 am Break
10:00 am – 10:45 am
Mission Planning and Field Operations
Campaign-level planning, site considerations, logistics, documentation, and field safety practices.
Brandon Stark · BIT Auditorium
10:45 am – 11:00 am Break
11:00 am – 11:45 am
Aerial Imaging Fundamentals
Core principles of aerial photography and video, including framing, perspective, camera settings, and motion for imagery.
Jewell Graham · BIT Auditorium
11:45 am – 12:00 pm
Exit ticket
“What is one safety consideration you will think about differently the next time you fly a mission?”
Brandon Stark
12:00 pm
to 1:30 pm
to 1:30 pm
Lunch
Charge Batteries!
BreakBIT Atrium
1:30 pm
to 4:30 pm
to 4:30 pm
Group 1
1:30 pm – 2:15 pm
Safety and Risk Management
Safety awareness and judgment in drone operations, including hazard identification, risk assessment, hazardous attitudes, crew coordination, and go/no-go decision making.
Brandon Stark, Jewell Graham · BIT Auditorium
2:15 pm – 2:30 pm Break
2:30 pm – 3:15 pm
Mission Planning and Field Operations
Campaign-level planning, site considerations, logistics, documentation, and field safety practices.
Brandon Stark · BIT Auditorium
3:15 pm – 3:30 pm Break
3:30 pm – 4:15 pm
Aerial Imaging Fundamentals
Core principles of aerial photography and video, including framing, perspective, camera settings, and motion for imagery.
Jewell Graham · BIT Auditorium
4:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Exit ticket
“What is one safety consideration you will think about differently the next time you fly a mission?”
Brandon Stark
Group 2
1:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Drone Flight Practice
Basic Introductory Flight Instruction in groups of 5.
Sean Hogan, Pat Iampietro, Becca Fenwick, Corey Snipes, Michael Hang, Michael Matkin, Andy Lyons, Eleanor King, Jon Detka, Pete Church, Anderson Safre
Flight Zones
4:30 pm
to 5:00 pm
to 5:00 pm
Close and day summary
Becca Fenwick
GeneralBIT Auditorium
Wednesday, August 5
Mission Planning and Photogrammetry
8:30 am
to 9:00 am
to 9:00 am
Welcome
Brandon Stark
GeneralBIT Auditorium
9:00 am
to 9:15 am
to 9:15 am
App Stream Orientation
A quick-start guide to using App Stream for the computer-based workshops at Drone Camp.
Shane Feirer, Robert Johnson
WorkshopBIT Auditorium
9:45 am
to 10:00 am
to 10:00 am
Break / Transition to rooms
BreakBIT Atrium
10:00 am
to 11:00 am
to 11:00 am
Hands-on Tutorial for Mission Planner and Q Ground Control
An introduction to two of the most widely used mission planning simulators in the industry. We’ll cover Mission Planner for ArduPilot-based systems and QGroundControl for PX4-based systems, giving you a practical foundation for planning and simulating autonomous drone flights.
Becca Fenwick, Jon Detka, Michael Hang, Pete Church
WorkshopBIT 105/117
11:00 am
to 12:00 pm
to 12:00 pm
Drone 2 Map and Photogrammetry
A hands-on walkthrough of Esri’s Drone2Map, a tool for processing drone imagery into photogrammetric outputs like orthomosaics and 3D models. Learn how to bring your flight data into the platform and produce analysis-ready products.
Sean Hogan, Andy Lyons, Pat Iampietro
WorkshopBIT 105/117
12:00 pm
to 1:00 pm
to 1:00 pm
Lunch
BreakBIT Atrium
1:00 pm
to 2:15 pm
to 2:15 pm
Option 1
Multispectral Pix4D
A hands-on walkthrough of processing multispectral drone imagery in Pix4D. Learn how to work with multispectral data to produce outputs like reflectance maps and vegetation indices for analysis.
Sean Hogan, Chris Greer, Anderson Safre
BIT 105
Option 2
Multispectral OpenDroneMap
An introduction to OpenDroneMap as an open-source alternative for processing drone imagery.
Corey Snipes
BIT 117
2:15 pm
to 2:30 pm
to 2:30 pm
Break
BreakBIT Atrium
2:30 pm
to 3:45 pm
to 3:45 pm
Option 1
ArcGIS data analysis
A hands-on session using ArcGIS to perform spatial data analysis on drone-collected data. Learn how to work with your outputs in one of the most widely used GIS platforms in the industry.
Shane Feirer, Robert Johnson
BIT 105
Option 2
QGIS data analysis
Covers the same core workflows as the ArcGIS session using a free, open-source platform.
Jon Detka, Anderson Safre
BIT 117
3:45 pm
to 4:00 pm
to 4:00 pm
Break
BreakBIT Atrium
4:00 pm
to 4:45 pm
to 4:45 pm
“Ask an Educator?” & “Ask a Researcher?” Q&A Sessions
Dedicated Q&A time with DroneCamp instructors.
Eleanor King, Becca Fenwick, Corey Snipes, Chris Cruz, Anderson Safre
PanelBIT Breakout Rooms
4:45 pm
to 5:00 pm
to 5:00 pm
Close and day summary
Brandon Stark
General
Thursday, August 6
Flight Practice and Research
8:30 am
to 9:00 am
to 9:00 am
Welcome
Jon Detka
GeneralBIT Auditorium
9:00 am
to 10:15 am
to 10:15 am
Choose one Workshop Elective:
Photogrammetry
Hands-on practice for mission planning, flight, and data collection basics
Cinematography
Field practice for cinematic flight, camera, and movement
Working with Thermal Data
Calibration, flight, and processing workflows for thermal imagery
High Precision Mapping
RTK/PPK, LiDAR, and survey-grade mapping best practices
Advanced Flying Practice
Sharpen real-world skills through a simulated search-and-rescue
Teaching Flight Instruction
Frameworks, communication, and safety protocols for instructing pilots
FPV
Introduction to FPV systems with hands-on flight practice
Boats and Drones
Safe drone operations from boats, including hand-catching demos
Data Management and Programming
Data management best practices with one-on-one programming consultations
10:15 am
to 10:45 am
to 10:45 am
Break
BreakBIT Atrium
10:45 am
to 12:00 pm
to 12:00 pm
Choose one Workshop Elective:
Photogrammetry
Hands-on practice for mission planning, flight, and data collection basics
Non-conventional Photogrammetry
Ground-based, handheld, and manual techniques for complex subjects
Working with Thermal Data
Calibration, flight, and processing workflows for thermal imagery
High Precision Mapping
RTK/PPK, LiDAR, and survey-grade mapping best practices
Advanced Flying Practice
Sharpen real-world skills through a simulated search-and-rescue
Teaching Flight Instruction
Frameworks, communication, and safety protocols for instructing pilots
FPV
Introduction to FPV systems with hands-on flight practice
Boats and Drones
Safe drone operations from boats, including hand-catching demos
Data Management and Programming
Data management best practices with one-on-one programming consultations
12:00 pm
to 1:00 pm
to 1:00 pm
Lunch
BreakBIT Atrium
1:00 pm
to 1:45 pm
to 1:45 pm
Drone Ethics — What does it mean to be a responsible drone pilot?
Jon Detka
LectureBIT Auditorium
2:00 pm
to 2:30 pm
to 2:30 pm
Oceanography + Drones at Sea
Deriving ocean physics from drone imagery, with lessons learned flying from boats and a safety protocol for small vessel operations.
Jordan Snyder
LectureBIT Auditorium
2:30 pm
to 3:00 pm
to 3:00 pm
UAS for Irrigation Management
Using thermal and multispectral UAS imagery to estimate evapotranspiration in orchards and turfgrass for precision irrigation under drought conditions.
Karem Meza
LectureBIT Auditorium
3:00 pm
to 3:15 pm
to 3:15 pm
Break
BreakBIT Atrium
3:15 pm
to 3:45 pm
to 3:45 pm
White Shark Monitoring
Five-year UAV and AI-based program tracking juvenile white shark abundance and habitat use along the Southern California coast.
Samantha Mladjov
LectureBIT Auditorium
3:45 pm
to 4:15 pm
to 4:15 pm
Avian Conservation + Wetland Restoration
Drone and AI-based case studies monitoring wetland birds, deterring crop-damaging blackbirds, and assessing restoration success across multiple ecosystems.
Mel Baldino
LectureBIT Auditorium
4:15 pm
to 4:45 pm
to 4:45 pm
Sea Turtle Hatchling Tracking
A custom UV-fluorescent tagging and drone detection system built end-to-end to track and classify sea turtle hatchling dispersal in Antigua.
Jenna Contuchio
LectureBIT Auditorium
4:45 pm
to 5:00 pm
to 5:00 pm
Close and day summary
Pass Out Survey — Swag Drawing
Jon Detka
GeneralBIT Auditorium
Friday, August 7
Future of Drones and Workforce Development
8:30 am
to 9:00 am
to 9:00 am
Welcome
Corey Snipes
GeneralBIT Auditorium
9:00 am
to 10:15 am
to 10:15 am
Panel Discussion on the Future of Drones and Workforce Development
A moderated conversation on where drone technology is headed and what it means for the workforce. Panelists will share perspectives on emerging applications, career pathways, and the skills and training needed to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving field.
Brandon Stark, Becca Fenwick, Pat Iampietro, Sean Hogan, Pete Church
PanelBIT Auditorium
10:15 am
to 10:30 am
to 10:30 am
Break
BreakBIT Atrium
10:30 am
to 12:00 pm
to 12:00 pm
Building Drones the Right Way
A walkthrough of what goes into a drone kit and what you actually need to build one from the ground up.
Becca Fenwick, Jon Detka, Michael Hang, Pete Church
LectureBIT Auditorium
12:00 pm
to 1:00 pm
to 1:00 pm
Lunch
BreakBIT Atrium
1:00 pm
to 4:00 pm
to 4:00 pm
Industry Afternoon
An afternoon of industry demonstrations and presentations showcasing real-world drone applications. More details to come.
Special