The Challenges Drone Operations are Tackling

Both pilots and companies are navigating a thin line between security and innovation. Host Grant Guillot talks with leaders, influencers, and experts across the drone industry to guide us through the complex web of technology and policy in the United States.

 

Initially used for military defense applications, today, drones are reinventing old businesses while creating new opportunities, enabling safer, time-conserving solutions that not only expand the horizons for companies large and small, but for entire industries and humankind as well. The advanced sensors (LiDar, Hyperspectral, Multispectral, Photogrammetry) of modern, high-tech drones are tackling missions of all types—fighting wars, controlling the spread of diseases, forecasting the weather, assessing infrastructure and geohazards, mitigating wildfires, delivering food and other goods, and everything in between.

Boasting a proven track record spanning seven continents, and flight standards and safety protocols that have been modeled from the U.S. military, Juniper Unmanned’s remote sensing and analytics experts employ the highest quality, best in class technologies to help commercial enterprises break through to new levels of performance in the way they manage their physical assets. And on this episode of MarketScale’s Drones in America, host Grant Guillot is joined by  Jason San Souci.

From an Astronautical Engineering graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy to working with Native American tribes to better manage their natural resources, and from a chimpanzee habitat mapping project where he co-presented with the Institute’s founder, Dr. Jane Goodall, to a spectral analyst contractor for the US Army SMDC/ARSTRAT deployed to Afghanistan, as well as Precision Hawk’s first ever remote sensing scientist, San Souci discusses his inspiring and ever-evolving “aero-spatial” journey that has brought him to his current role as Director of Strategic Programs at Juniper.

Serving the transportation, utilities, petroleum & pipeline, land development and natural resources markets, Juniper functions as a center of excellence, testing cutting edge technologies and developing the infrastructure to support their clients’ use of those technologies, not only enabling solutions for specific use cases but for the betterment of the drone sector as a whole.

“We take time to reflect on the operations we’ve done for the year, and say, not just what could we have done better, but what would apply across the board to all of our operations that will propel the industry forward,” remarked San Souci. “There’s a lot of folks that are doing great operations all around the industry, and we want to contribute to that by hopefully helping to set standards that can be used across the industry.”

Listen to Previous Episodes of Drones in America Right Here!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Precision With Purpose: The Geospatial Advantage in Telecom Network Planning
February 7, 2026

Telecom networks are no longer planned or evaluated in isolation. As 5G, private LTE, fixed wireless, and mission-critical communications expand, operators are expected to deliver stronger coverage, higher reliability, and demonstrable performance—often while managing complex technologies and constrained resources. Regulators, customers, and public agencies are increasingly focused on outcomes that can be measured and validated,…

Read More
Leadership
Leading Change from Within: The Power of Transformational Leadership
February 7, 2026

Leadership is being tested in real time. As organizations navigate AI adoption, remote work, and constant structural change, many leaders are discovering that strategy alone isn’t enough. People are asking deeper questions about purpose, trust, and what it really means to show up for teams when uncertainty is the norm. In a world where burnout…

Read More
technology
Clarity Under Pressure: Technology, Trust, and the Future of Public Safety
February 7, 2026

When something goes wrong in a community—a major storm, a large-scale accident, a violent incident—there’s often a narrow window where clarity matters most. Leaders must make fast decisions, responders need to trust the information in front of them, and the systems supporting those choices have to work as intended. Public safety agencies now rely…

Read More
weather Intelligence
Clarity in the Storm: Weather Intelligence, GIS, and the Future of Operational Awareness
February 6, 2026

For many organizations today, weather has shifted from an occasional disruption to a constant planning factor. Scientific assessments show that extreme weather events—including heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and wildfires—are occurring more frequently and with greater intensity, placing growing strain on infrastructure, utilities, and public services. As weather-related disruptions become more costly and harder to manage,…

Read More