SPH Engineering Announces 2026 Global Drone Operations Awards

SPH Engineering announced the winners of its inaugural Global Drone Operations Awards on October 12, 2026 during SPH Drone Camp in Budapest, Hungary. Winning teams received their awards at the event, with participation sponsored by the company, across categories for Mining Operations, Construction & Site Intelligence, and Academia & Research, plus a Jury Special Recognition.

The awards were created to move advanced drone work beyond individual project reports and into wider professional discussion. Submissions covered industrial infrastructure, glacier investigations, wildlife research and education, with each project applying drones to problems that conventional mapping alone cannot solve.

Mining and construction projects recognized for subsurface mapping

In Mining Operations, AB Surveying Solutions SpA won for underground utility mapping at an operating mine in Chile. The work supported the relocation of a primary crusher. Plant operations were not disrupted. Over two days, the team surveyed 118 hectares and compared results against 110 existing cores. The findings helped guide further investigation.

Medusa Geoservices took the Construction and Site Intelligence award for testing drone-borne gamma-ray spectrometry to estimate peat thickness at an onshore wind development in Ireland. The aerial map matched peat-thickness patterns and added detail between sampling locations. However, ground validation remained essential, and moisture effects were among the uncertainties the team identified.

Wildlife research and education categories highlight non-invasive drone use

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance won the Academia & Research category. Working from research vessels, the team combined thermal imaging with drone-mounted breath sampling to study wild killer whales without physical contact. It reported sub-degree precision in repeated thermal measurements and gathered microbiological and molecular data from breath samples. Researchers then built those findings into individual health profiles, creating a baseline for monitoring the endangered population over time.

Separately, the jury recognized Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide and Online Campus for its Remote Split Operations model. The model uses UgCS drone mission planning software and allows geographically distributed students to research unfamiliar sites. As a result, students gain experience across the full operational workflow without each participant needing to own aircraft and sensors.

More information is available at SPH Engineering.