Once just an expensive toy for tech enthusiasts, drones are now being embraced in a variety of sectors to deliver tangible business benefits. For engineers, these unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are becoming tools that drive greater accuracy in data collection, reduce project costs and improve efficiency. Lukas Fraser, NV5 Geospatial Unmanned Systems Program Manager, describes the impact of UAS-derived geospatial data on engineering projects in New Civil Engineer.