{"id":773131,"date":"2026-05-11T10:50:45","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T17:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcuser&p=773131"},"modified":"2026-05-11T10:50:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T17:50:45","slug":"john-hopkins-university-elevates-drone-education","status":"publish","type":"arcuser","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/john-hopkins-university-elevates-drone-education","title":{"rendered":"Johns Hopkins University Elevates Drone Education"},"author":6921,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[493251],"tags":[471821,141,10332,453441,475672],"arcuser_issues":[493467],"class_list":["post-773131","arcuser","type-arcuser","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gis-at-work","tag-arcgis-drone2map","tag-drones","tag-imagery","tag-johns-hopkins-university","tag-site-scan-for-arcgis","arcuser_issues-spring-2026"],"acf":{"short_description":"Learn how Johns Hopkins\u2019s hands-on drone program gives students a competitive advantage.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"At Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, GIS education gets about as hands-on as you\u00a0could\u00a0imagine.\r\n\r\nTake\u00a0the students who investigated Chesapeake Bay shoreline erosion. They initially suspected that sea level rise was the primary cause. Careful analysis revealed a more complex story.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe students found that shoreline erosion is happening because underground saltwater intrusion is reaching plant roots that help hold soil together,\u201d said Jim Blanchard, a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University. \u201cWhen this kills the vegetation, you get erosion. This is useful to know, because although you\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0hold back the rising water, you can plant salt-tolerant vegetation.\u201d\r\n\r\nHe offered another example: \u201cOne student, a law enforcement officer in a major city, implemented drone mapping using thermal sensors to detect human activity on rooftops.\u201d By\u00a0establishing\u00a0baseline activity patterns adjusted for weather conditions, the officer could\u00a0identify\u00a0anomalies\u00a0warranting\u00a0investigation during public gatherings or in areas with criminal activity.\r\n\r\nThese students are part of Drones in Geospatial Decision Making, an eight-week course Blanchard has taught since 2019. He brings more than 40 years of aviation and remote sensing\u00a0expertise\u00a0to the curriculum. After becoming a commercial pilot at age 20, he worked at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, then advised military leaders on aviation systems for a decade following the September 11 attacks.\r\n\r\nIn this class, students in the university\u2019s environmental science and GIS programs go beyond basic flight training to master a skill that sets them apart in the job market\u2014the ability to transform drone-collected data into actionable geospatial knowledge. The students use drone technology alongside Site Scan for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Drone2Map, and ArcGIS Pro to move beyond surface observations and\u00a0identify\u00a0underlying mechanisms. These are the kinds of hands-on analytical skills designed to set students up for success.\r\n

Beyond Basic Certification<\/h2>\r\nMany universities across the United States offer Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 drone pilot certification as part of their geospatial education. At Johns Hopkins, earning that certificate is just the beginning. Through the repeated data collection missions of Blanchard\u2019s course, students learn to detect environmental changes over time with precision that satellites\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0match. The result is a competitive\u00a0advantage that has helped graduates land positions such as state drone coordinators and infrastructure assessment specialists.\r\n\r\nSo far, about 140 individuals have completed the course, with up to 16 people in each class. Students complete three distinct modules that\u00a0determine\u00a0their final mark. The first is based on getting their drone pilot certificate from the FAA. The second focuses on sensor selection (lidar, thermal, and multispectral) for environmental science problems and advanced visualization techniques that support time-series analysis. The third is based on an intensive, four-day field laboratory where students\u00a0operate\u00a0drones in teams to collect data at research sites."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":773133,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The program\u2019s emphasis on temporal analysis\u2014teaching students to collect data repeatedly at the same locations over time\u2014distinguishes it from other university drone courses.\r\n\r\n\u201cI don\u2019t know of any other program that teaches you how to go out and fly repeatedly and compare the data over time, utilizing a high-resolution dataset like you get from one of these aircraft drones,\u201d Blanchard said.\r\n\r\nThis approach enables temporal and spatial saturation. While Landsat satellites pass over locations every 16 days, students flying drones weekly can triple the sampling frequency with higher resolutions, helping\u00a0identify\u00a0cause and effect relationships with greater confidence. Even basic consumer drones can capture imagery with detail surpassing that of the best satellite sensors. This enables\u00a0micromapping\u2014studying environmental features in such fine detail that subtle change indicators become visible.\r\n\r\n\u201cCorrelation to true causes can be discovered using frequent data collection and well-conceived analysis,\u201d Blanchard said.\r\n\r\nStudents begin each project by formulating a hypothesis and\u00a0identifying\u00a0variables. Then they\u00a0determine\u00a0which sensors can measure them effectively. This approach ensures students understand not just how to fly\u00a0drones\u00a0but also why they are collecting specific data and what it means.\r\n

Building a Competitive Edge<\/h2>\r\nRather than mandating specific software, Blanchard provides students with three options: Site Scan for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Drone2Map, or advanced tools in ArcGIS Pro. Site Scan for ArcGIS\u2014a cloud-based platform that processes drone imagery without requiring powerful local computing resources\u2014enables students who are limited by hardware capabilities to participate."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":773134,"image_position":"left","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\u201cWe use Site Scan because it basically enables the lowest level of computer skills of students in my program, and that way nobody\u2019s left out of the process of learning how to interpret the results,\u201d Blanchard said, noting that about half his students use Site Scan. Its elevation profile and point cloud volumetric tools proved essential for coastal dune projects, allowing precise measurements without disturbing sensitive environments.\r\n\r\nThe program emphasizes communication skills, as students must articulate scientific conclusions clearly during online meetings and in final assignments.\r\n\r\n\u201cWithout the ability to verbalize the complex points of their work, they won\u2019t be able to get feedback from me during the course meetings on Zoom,\u201d Blanchard said.\r\n\r\nThis extends to field operations, where students work in teams using crew resource management\u2014collaborative protocols that professional pilots use for safe,\u00a0effective operations.\r\n\r\nDuring the four-day field\u00a0portion,\u00a0students\u00a0progress from supervised training to autonomous team operations. Days one and two cover basic flight skills and mission planning. By day three, students\u00a0operate\u00a0unsupervised in teams, collecting data for research projects. Students then present their final projects with ArcGIS\u00a0StoryMaps. The stories later become portfolio pieces students can share with potential employers. Project topics have included shoreline erosion, stormwater management, and invasive\u00a0species assessments.\r\n\r\n\u201cOur students have an advantage because they have a story map that they can link to in their job application. If\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0applying for a flight job or a GIS job\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0focused on turning data into actionable information,\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0going to be able to\u00a0provide\u00a0an example of their work,\u201d Blanchard said."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":773135,"image_position":"right","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"One former student became a special assistant to a state governor, coordinating drone adoption across state agencies. Another was hired to map roads leading to bridges, using high-precision vertical measurements to detect early structural change indicators.\r\n\r\nFor Blanchard, the goal extends far beyond teaching students to\u00a0operate\u00a0drones.\r\n\r\n\u201cI teach that the flying isn\u2019t the reason you get certified,\u201d Blanchard said. \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0all about turning data into information, which humans then can turn into knowledge.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0the strategic pathway. Having a drone pilot certificate is just the stepping stone.\u201d\r\n\r\nThis reliance on analytical thinking guides the program\u2019s emphasis on scientific\u00a0methodology. Students learn that understanding what maps reveal, collecting data safely and legally, and knowing which sensors to deploy for scientific questions matter\u00a0more than piloting skills alone. The competitive advantage Johns Hopkins students gain comes not from their ability to fly, but from their capacity to transform aerial observations into geospatial insight."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nJohns Hopkins University Drone Education | Spring 2026 | ArcUser<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how Johns Hopkins\u2019s hands-on drone program gives students a competitive advantage.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/john-hopkins-university-elevates-drone-education\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Johns Hopkins University Elevates Drone Education\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how Johns Hopkins\u2019s hands-on drone program gives students a 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