Skydio Lets Drones Automatically Upload Footage to Axon Evidence
November 1, 2021
Skydio, which develops drones and autonomous flight technology, has announced that public safety organizations flying Skydio drones and using Axon’s digital evidence management platform, Axon Evidence, will now have the ability to automatically upload photos and videos captured on the drones to the software platform.
Earlier this year, the two companies announced a strategic partnership that included a joint roadmap of product integrations. The first of these integrations is with the Axon Evidence and Skydio drones, which will be available to select agencies through an early access program.
“Drones hold the promise of massive positive impact for public safety, but physically transferring and manually cataloging photos and video footage from drones into a digital evidence management system is time consuming and error prone,” said Adam Bry, CEO of Skydio. “As part of Skydio’s strategic partnership with Axon, we’re excited to unveil this critical next step in helping public safety agencies quickly and easily organize their data via this new integration with Axon Evidence.”
With the integration, a Skydio drone will automatically and securely connect to Wi-Fi when plugged into a power source, at which point the system will automatically upload any new photos or video recorded to Axon Evidence, tagging them with the pilot’s name and additional data necessary for entry into evidence, ensuring chain of custody and removing the administrative overhead from officers and staff.
“With this latest integration, Skydio drone-captured imagery will be easily manageable and shareable for agencies, living alongside corresponding body camera video providing a more comprehensive picture of the situation,” said Aydin Ghajar, general manager of Axon Air. “Skydio’s leading position in autonomous flights aligns with Axon’s vision of providing public safety with the latest technology to enhance response times and offering first responders solutions that provide a safer, more effective method of gaining situational awareness and gathering evidence.”
In the coming months, the companies said they will continue to collaborate on new offerings, including an integration with Axon’s real-time operations platform, Responde, that enables command staff and 911 dispatchers to access live-streamed views from on-the-body and dashboard cameras alongside Skydio drones. Skydio said it also plans to offer an integration with Axon Air powered by DroneSense, making it easier for a law enforcement agency to track pilot time and drone usage across their Skydio fleet.
