383
2,000,000
(2 Million)
15,000
178,000,000
(178 Million)
Guess??
383 Miles
of Pipe
2,000,000 (2 Million) People
15,000 Trucks
178,000,000 (178 Million) MGD (Million Gallons/Day)
Drone to map, Now What?
KC Wastewater Drone Program to support sustainable infrastructure with GIS
WAGISA, Bellevue
May 20, 2026
Jason Celeste
Joe Géigel
Peter Keum
WTD Drone Program
We Came, We Flew Up, Up and, We Mapped..
OR
-
WTD Drone Program
-
GIS Data
-
Integration Product
King County Wastewater Treatment by Numbers
-
2 million residents
-
34 Agencies
-
424 square miles
-
383 miles sewer pipeline (2.5 inch to 14 ft)
-
74 facilities (PS & RS)
-
3 Treatment Plants: 180 MGD ~ Max. 460 MGD
Seattle, WA --> Medford, OR
-
10 GIS Specialists
-
4 FAA Certified Pilots
-
3 Studying to be Certified
-
Two Interns
-
Olivia
-
Max
-
Supervisor
BUT.....There are 17 county agencies support
King County GIS Data Library System
WTD
GIS Data:
The core of a GIS is its Database
WTD GIS Drone Program
May 2026
- Four FAA Part 107 Drone Certified Pilots - WTD GIS Specialists - 3 More Training
- Assisting other departments to stand up their own drone programs (WLRD/ SWD/ Local Service/ KCIA/ FMD)
Joe
DJI Mavic 2 Pro (1)
Mavic 2 Ent. Adv. (1)
Mavic 3 Ent (2x)
2021
2022
2023
Matrice 4 Ent. (1)
2025
Total: ~ $27,000
Latest Hardware
$11,000
All WEather
L3 - lidar
~ $ 18,000
H30T - Thermal
~ $ 12,000
1. Aircraft + Sensor (Data Collection)
2. Data Processing & Analyzing (GIS)
3. Information Products
=
+
1. Platform + Sensor (Data Collection)
2. Data Processing & Analyzing (GIS)
3. Information Products
Standard Drone Workflow
AND
Drone
GIS
Great Combo?
&
Great combo !
GIS & DRONE
Great combo !
GIS & DRONE
Why Use Drones?
1. Easy - Simple with little effort
Automatic
Repeatable
Why Use Drones?
2. Efficient - Results without waste
Safety of staffs & Save Time & $$
Inspecting Inside Digester
Safety of staffs & Save Time & $$
Why Use Drones?
3. Effective - Producing Results
0.50 in/px
June 2025
6x time the resolution
(from KC Aerial Imagery - June 2025)
Will Update the Diagram
Drone to Map to App
Integrating 3D Scene Layer with 3D Model
South Treatment Plant - 3D Scene Viewer (Web App)
Examples - Integrating with GIS
Examples - Integrating with GIS
END
for now
Thank You
jceleste@kingcounty.gov
jgeigel@kingcounty.gov
peter.keum@kingcounty.gov
peter.keum@kingcounty.gov