What Students Learn

Students learn how drones are used in construction and civil engineering to survey land that is difficult or unsafe to access on foot. They discuss how RPICs, navigators, and visual observers work together, and examine how aerial surveying provides data for infrastructure planning—especially in areas prone to flooding. They also learn how irregular polygons can be broken into rectangles, triangles, and trapezoids to calculate area, reinforcing how mathematical reasoning supports real‑world engineering decisions.

What Students Do

Students work in teams to fly Hopper over a simulated 20‑mile‑by‑20‑mile flood‑prone region, using its camera feed to locate manholes placed on a 5' × 5' grid. While the RPIC flies, the navigator marks each identified manhole on a scaled diagram, and the visual observers maintain safety around the fly zone. After collecting all data points, students construct an irregular polygon from the manholes and calculate its area using geometric decomposition or grid counting. An optional extension adds obstacles that require more precise flying and communication.