A Laser-Guided Eye in the Sky Digitally Mapping Japan’s Forests Yamaha Motor Newsletter(Jan. 31, 2022 No. 95)

Yamaha Motor’s industrial-use unmanned helicopters are offering new solutions in a wide range of fields, from raising productivity in agriculture and providing aerial transport of goods and materials to observation, disaster readiness and prevention, and surveillance.

Aerial forestry surveys are yet another service solution Yamaha is offering with its unmanned helicopters, which are fitted with 3D LiDAR laser scanners for the task. The high-resolution data about the forests they gather from the air can contribute to environmental preservation, disaster preparedness and prevention, smart forestry practices, and sustainable use of forest resources.

Protecting the Environment and Contributing to Smart Forestry

Ever since the development and release of our first industrial-use unmanned helicopter, the R-50, in 1987, Yamaha Motor has worked to contribute to labor savings and increased productivity in the agricultural field. At the same time, we have provided aerial solutions with these unmanned aircraft in other areas, which range from transport and observation to disaster readiness and security.
    Our Aerial Forest Survey service started in 2019 is one new solution employing our industrial-use unmanned helicopters. Fitting one with a high-precision 3D LiDAR laser scanner enables the acquisition of topography data over vast areas of forest, which can aid in environmental preservation, preparing for disasters, promoting smart forestry, and facilitating resource circulation toward creating a carbon-neutral society.
    Until recently, the collection of such data was primarily done on foot over limited areas or with large-scale surveys with manned aircraft. However, while assessments with manned aircraft could cover large areas, the data gathered was crude and had limited practical application potential. In contrast, Yamaha’s industrial-use unmanned helicopters are capable of gathering high-density point cloud data and by using advanced analysis technologies to visualize this data, we are opening the door to other uses and applications.

Protecting the Resources for Music 100 Years from Now

The “Field-Born” series of short SDG documentaries introduces projects in search of new solutions for societal issues from Yamaha Motor. The second entry in the series introduces the forestry management efforts of Yamaha Corporation.
    The forests in this initiative lie within the boundaries of the city of Kitami on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido. Yamaha Corporation is managing these forests of Sakhalin spruce for use in the soundboards and other parts of Yamaha pianos. In order to safeguard forest resources with an eye on creating music a century from now, there is a need to accurately grasp the state of the vast forest itself. To do this, Yamaha Corporation is calling on Yamaha Motor’s Aerial Forest Survey service to gain accurate visualized data.
    “I really want to go on foot to learn more about the forest,” says Dr. Kazushi Nakai of Yamaha Corporation’s Material Procurement Group. “But it’s just physically impossible with some places. So, if we can get reliable data with these unmanned helicopters, tracking the forest’s resources and the like will be much easier, and with a clear picture of its current state, I think we can put that data to good use.”
    Forests function in a multitude of other ways as well. They aid in groundwater recharge and help in battling global warming through CO₂ fixation while also functioning to help preserve biodiversity, preventing landslide disasters, and more. To protect the entirety of their area requires accurate information about their current state, and the Aerial Forest Survey service made possible with our industrial-use unmanned helicopters is drawing much attention as a real-world solution providing an important first step.

Field-Born

Finding Real-World Solutions

Series of Short SDG Documentaries