Last June, Java Post Production was an exhibitor at the Estevan Energy Expo in, naturally, Estevan, Saskatchewan. While we were there, the good folks from Pipeline News, Saskatchewan's petroleum monthly, stopped by our booth to learn a little bit about our UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) and how it could be used in the oil and gas industry.

Below is a transcript of the article, which appeared in the August 2014 edition of the Pipeline News. To download a PDF of the actual article page, click here.

Drone can create 3D graphics of leases.

Estevan - You've probably seen their work in recent STC commercials, with aerial video taken of a bus along the Qu'Appelle valley. You will also see their work if you watch the upcoming Corner Gas movie. But now Java Post Productions of Regina is looking at a different kind of gas for business, i.e. oil and gas.

Java Post Productions was one of the exhibitors at the inaugural Estevan Energy Expo June 11-13.

"We are a full service video production company," said Doug Russell, who looks after business development. "Aerial photography is just one thing that we do."

Recent television commercials for SaskPower were also shot with their hexcopter unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone. It's a heavily customized DJI Innovations machine, with six rotors and a high-end stabilization gimbal for silky-smooth video work. (The company has a similar hand-held rig for work on the ground.)

All in, the drone, nicknamed the "Javacopter," costs around $25,000. They only have one right now, but are in the process of acquiring a second, more powerful unit. That would relegate the Javacopter to secondary usage.

The elimination of the Saskatchewan film tax credit has been devastating to the motion picture business in Saskatchewan.

"It made it challenging," Russell said. "It's changed the business model. Many of our usual customers for film and television have left the province. We're pursuing other areas. We're looking to introduce ourselves to companies in oil and gas."

Mining and forestry are other targets.

"We've always done commercial work, i.e. advertising," he said. "We've always done corporate work. We hope to do more. Aerial is just another service we can bring to the table. We're here to introduce ourselves to the players in the southern Saskatchewan oil and gas industry."

The Regina-based company has been around for more than 20 years, and has approximately 12 people on staff.

One of their services on display was geo-referenced orthographic photography. By flying a pattern over a site and taking multiple pictures, a 3D map is created. The map is almost indistinguishable from normal video shot from the drone. This service is useful in environmental mapping, watersheds, and decommissioning of old wells, Russell noted.

- Story by Brian Zinchuk, Pipeline News, August 2014