Chennai became the first city in India to commission drone mapping of properties and utilities. The project, initiated by the Greater Chennai Corporation was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu municipal administration minister S P Velumani. It will be executed by Hyderabad-based RSI Softech India Pvt Ltd.

The mapping project will involve the use of two hexacopters, each costing nearly Rs 21 lakh,  while two quadcopters will be kept on standby. It will take 120 days for the drones to cover the city's 426 sq.km area.

The drones are fitted with high-resolution cameras, that enables it to capture five images in one second. The images will be superimposed on each other at a 60-degree angle and then processed to generate a 3D map of the city.

Before executing the project, the corporation had to seek permission from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the ministry of home and defence, Intelligence Bureau, the district administrations of Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur and the Chennai city police.

The Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) will be supervising the mapping. The images captured by the drone will be made available to the corporation only after they have been processed by the ministry of defence.

The advantage of such mapping is that it will facilitate planning of development work for the city on a priority basis.