GIS & Drone

October 1, 2025

Peter Keum, GISP

King County Wastewater Treatement

Drone Program Lead/ GIS Analyst

What is it? 
     & 
How we use it

CUGOS

Maps

Maps Are Useful!

Maps Are Cool!

Maps Are Beautiful!

Source: Scott Reinhard

Ancient Map - Saint Belec,

Brittany France

And Maps Have Been Around for Awhile

Maps Tell a Story

Created by: Monica Van der Vieren with help from Shaun O'Neil

John Snow 1854 Cholera Map

Broad Street - City of Westminister, London, England

John Snow 1854 Cholera Map

#1: Water Pump

#2: Work House

#3: Brewery

The First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamination of President Lincoln, 1864

Source: Library of Congress

Dept of Interior Census Map of 1861

Source: Library of Congress

Tableau Web Version

Source: Library of Congress

Power of Maps

GIS : Geographic Information Systems

Geospatial Data

Where?
What?
How?
When?

"Data Sandwich"

GIS

"Data Sandwich"

Vector Data & Raster Data

Vector Data - discrete entities: point, lines and polygons

Vector Data & Raster Data

Raster Data - images consisting or regularly sized and spaced cells where every cell has a value

Treatment Plants - points
Conveyance Line - lines
Sewer Service Area - polygon

Vector Data

Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
One elevation value per cell

Raster Data

Aerial Imagery

(GIS Professionals)

Serious Answer

Funny Ones

Not So Serious Answers

That's Me :)

GIS

What is it? 
     & 
How we use it

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

Why Use GIS?

Where?
What?
How?
When?

(One Map)

Display GIS Data

Overlay

Why Use GIS?

GIS

Decision Makers

But Be Aware of Dark Side

WTD GIS

Maintain Sewer GIS Data

FIRS (Facility Information Retrieval System) Data
- Maintenance Hole
- Pipes
- Pump Stations
- Regulator Stations
- Treatment Plants
- Outfalls
Flow Monitors
CP Stations
Connection Points
Site Plan Data
3D Models
Drone Collected Data
.... many many more

WTD

GIS

DATA

GIS Data:
The core of a GIS is its Database

BUT.....There are 17 county agencies support

King County GIS Data Library System

WTD

GIS Data:
The core of a GIS is its Database

Why Use GIS?

Where?
What?
How?
When?

(One Map)

Display GIS Data

Overlay

Program Support

CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow) Control Program
Modeling Group
CIFM (Conveyance, Inspection, and Flow Monitoring) Group
Asset Management Program
Capacity Charge
....many other sections

Projects & Programs Support

WTD GIS

Projects & Programs Support

WTD GIS

Projects & Programs Support

WTD GIS

Projects & Programs Support

WTD GIS

Projects & Programs Support

WTD GIS

Projects & Programs Support

WTD GIS

Projects & Programs Support

WTD GIS

Projects & Programs Support

WTD GIS

Program Support

3D Modeling Rendering

BW Reclaimed Water Storage Tank Viewer

Program Support

3D Modeling Rendering

Program Support

Sewer Viewer

Inspector

"Sewer"

Gadget

Proof Of Concept

Lidar SLAM Handheld Unit

Video of Scan Path

Proof Of Concept

Lidar SLAM Handheld Unit

WHOA!

Proof Of Concept

Lidar SLAM Handheld Unit

Examples

GIS + Vertical Industry

Future of GIS (personal view)

GPT

General Purpose Technology

The Second Machine Age - Erk Brynjoflsson, Andrew McAfee

GPT

General Purpose Technology

Steam Engine
Electricity
Internet

NOT

Generative Pre-Trained Transformer

GPT

+

=

+

=

"GPT always needs complements"

+

=

Urban Planning

+

=

Utilities/Engineering

You

+

=

Social Justice/Equity

+

=

Environmental

Science

GIS

You

GIS

Don Cooke, early digital mapping pioneer about the explosion in mapping technology. His comment: “After 20 years, it’s nice to be an overnight sensation”.

Companies are using maps not just as nice features but to drive revenue as core components of their offering. Maps are no longer just a good way to visualize content, they are core to competitive advantage.

Companies are thinking more creatively about how to combine location with outside content and internal business data to differentiate products

Future GIS & Success (personal view)

Post Graduate

GIS, What are they Good for?

Just another tool in the toolbox

+

=

YOU

Text

GIS

"First do it, then do it right, then do it better."

Credit: Addy Osmani

Doing is Learning, but...

Doing with mistakes?

It's still learning!

A

B

L

Always

Be

Learning

C

Tobin Bradley, Mecklenburg County, NC

CUGOS

Cascadia

Users

of

Geospatial

Open

Source

(Community)

Seattle Maptime Link

Let's do A. B. L. !

peter.keum@kingcounty.gov

GIS & Drone

What is it? 
     & 
How we use it

RPAS as Platform

Multi-rotors

Fixed-wing & VTOL

Shorter flight time (< 45 min)
Cover smaller area
Highly maneuverable
Less expensive
Access to confined spaces

Long flight time (+ 40min)
Covers very large area

(vertical take-off & land)

1. Aircraft + Sensor (Data Collection)

2. Data Processing & Analyzing (GIS)

3. Information Products

=

+

Drone

GIS

Great Combo?

&

Great combo !

GIS & DRONE

1. Platform + Sensor (Data Collection)

2. Data Processing & Analyzing (GIS)

3. Information Products

credit: Esri

Esri Dashboard

GIS Integration

Web App

Esri InstaApp- Oriented Imagery Viewer

Information Products

Summary of KC Wastewater Treatment Division RPAS Program

People

+

Technology

+

Organization

=

RPAS Program

WTD GIS RPAS Program

Why Use Drones?

3 E's

Easy
Efficient
Effective

Why Use Drones?

Easy - Simple with little effort

Efficient - Results without waste

Effective - Producing Results

Why Use Drones?

1. Easy - Simple with little effort

Automatic

Repeatable

Flight Control App

Automate Flight Planning - Fly Consistently for overlapping images
Can fly manually but it's like mowing with scissors

Example: Auto flight plan

Result 3D Model

Why Use Drones?

2. Efficient - Results without waste

Safety of staffs

Save Time & $$

Why Use Drones?

South Treatment Plant

Primary Division Channel

Increase Safety for Staff

Why Use Drones?

Increase Safety for Staff

Data Processing - Efficient

Cloud Storage & Cloud Data Processing
Flight Planning from Desktop - fly on Mobile (controller)
Cloud storage/Cloud Processing
Centralized System
Project Deliverables

Why Use Drones?

3. Effective - Producing Results

Environmental Monitoring

Examples - Effective

Kenmore Twin Springs Mitigation Site

August 2022

March 2022

April 2023

Why Use Drones?

Repeatable & Recordable & Searchable

West TP Power Upgrade Site Sept 22, 2022

Update 2D aerial map

Examples - Effective

South Treatment Plant

1172 Photos
0.57in/px

Update 2D aerial map

Examples - Effective

South Treatment Plant

0.57 in/px

Sept 2023

3.0 in/px

2021 KC Aerial

Construction Site Monitoring

Examples - Effective

West Point Treatment Plant Power Upgrade Project

Just another Layer

October 2025

Four FAA Part 107 Drone Certified Pilots - WTD GIS Specialists (Jim, Patrick, Joe, and Peter)
Helping other departments to stand up their own RPAS programs