KINGSTON, Jamaica – Members of the public who need to utilise drone technology for various projects, can access the service at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE).

CASE president, Dr Derrick Deslandes, said that in addition to course offerings, individuals can also engage with the institution to use its drones for a range of tasks and solutions.

“If you are a developer or a surveyor and you want a piece of land to be mapped, we can map it. If you are a farmer and you want to spray your property whether [with] liquid or granular fertiliser or you want to use chemicals, we can do that too,” he said.

Dr Deslandes, who was addressing a Founders’ Day weekend event at the institution on Saturday, said that CASE has acquired four of the “top of the line” drones that are in the country.

“In fact, we are probably one of two organisations with that capability,” he boasted.

Dr Deslandes said the drone service is one of the institution’s revenue-earning measures.

“We have to be very creative. Certainly, one of the strategies that we have pursued is to create a mechanism for generating revenue outside of tuition. We’re trying to develop a future for CASE where we are not dependent on student revenue,” he noted.

Describing 2023 as a “breakout year” for CASE, the President cited several developments taking place at the institution such as the push to solar to take the farm off the grid, rainwater harvesting and a slate of infrastructure improvements.

-JIS