upvote
Probably not of the entire world, though.
reply
For now they cannot do that, nor in the foreseeable future.
reply
Why not? It isn't exactly a secret technology nor are LIDAR-equipped RC aircrafts/drones particularly out of reach in terms of cost either. What would stop them exactly?
reply
With this you are searching for a needle in a haystack. There's a whole bunch of jungle to cover. With a drone you would spend ages not finding anything due to their limited range. That Would be pretty bad ROI.

Also, drone mounted LiDAR is often not powerful enough to go through dense foliage which you have in these tropical climates.

reply
Ok, those are all reasons why it's hard, which it is for everyone by the way, not just "looters". It's still possible and doable, like it is for others. Your previous comment made it sound like it was impossible specifically for looters for some reason, which I'm glad we've cleared up wasn't your intention, thanks for explaining!
reply
> nor are LIDAR-equipped RC aircrafts/drones particularl

Here in Romania it can be quite illegal to LIDAR map the local terrain without an official approval, and I'm not quite sure if that approval is ever given to individual persons/groups of persons that do not have any official status. So, no, I cannot just go out and LIDAR map my surroundings, even though the technology is available, I'd risk going to prison.

reply
Is looting also not illegal in Romania already? I think the context was already "These people don't care about laws", so again there is nothing practical stopping them from doing so.
reply
It already is, but it's easier to loot on the ground than to put a drone in the air, filming/recording stuff. I.e. we stil have some people trying to loot/dig in places where they shouldn't have, but we have a lot less fewer people putting unauthorised Lidar thingies in the sky. And I say that while I'm part of the local/Romanian Lidar Facebook group.
reply
> but we have a lot less fewer people putting unauthorised Lidar thingies in the sky

What you could know, that you have a lot less people getting caught with unauthorized Lidar drones/RCs, in Eastern Europe :) Thank you for sharing your experience none the less, but I'm not sure we should extrapolate from your experience over Mexico/Central America. You're absolutely right it's easier to loot on the ground though.

reply