City’s drone to be used for marketing

It’s true. Your local government has a drone.

But don’t worry. Big Brother isn’t spying, and there aren't any missiles attached.

If you attended Maricopa’s 10th annual Salsa Festival on Saturday, you might have noticed a small white object hovering overhead. That object was the Phantom 2 – a backpack size drone lifted by four propellers with a GoPro camera attached.

“The main reason for it, is for marketing purposes,” said Ruben Garcia, the city’s media specialist.

Garcia was able to fly the drone on Saturday using a remote control and a video screen enabling him to see the world from the drone’s point of view. It can take both high definition still photos and video footage, which is the idea behind having the aerial tool.

Garcia said the drone can be used for making commercials and promos of future city events. That marketing effort can be seen in the YouTube video below, which shows video captured by the drone.  

The city paid just under $3,000 for the drone and all the extra equipment that comes with it, Garcia said. 

It was purchased from DJI Innovations, a company that makes unmanned aerial systems that can take aerial photographs and video.