Yamila Fernandez wasn’t supposed to stay in Australia. The engineer and surveyor from Argentina had planned a one year working holiday, travelling the country before returning home. Then COVID-19 and a job at Aptella changed everything. What began as an extended stay became a new chapter in her career; one that’s now shaping how drone operators across Australia access critical support when they need it most.
“I was the only woman in some of my classes at university,” Fernandez reflects on her journey into engineering. “It’s something I got used to.” That early experience in male dominated spaces prepared her for an industry where she often finds herself the only woman in a room. But at Aptella, where she serves as the leading Technical Consultant for the Reality Capture team, she’s found her place. “I always feel welcomed as an equal and valued player on the field.” she says.
Fernandez’s passion for drones stems from a deeper love: photogrammetry, the technique of measuring the world through photographs. “In the past, that was only accessible to the government or big industry because it was really, really expensive,” she explains. “Thanks to drones, now everyone can use it.”
The transformation has been remarkable. Where surveyors once had to walk dangerous terrain under the scorching sun, dodging snakes sheltering beneath pipes in the Queensland heat, they can now capture accurate 3D data from the safety of the sky. From discovering ancient Mayan towers hidden beneath Mexican vegetation, to planning flights through underground caves between Western and South Australia, drones have dramatically changed how we see and measure our world.
“You can have massive terrain that in the past you had to walk over,” Fernandez says. “Now you go there, fly a drone, come back to the office, and you have a 3D model of what is there with accuracy and with real data.”
But here’s the reality that Fernandez knows all too well – flying drones is simple and efficient only if you have the right support. “When you fly drones, you’re usually not flying in the city. You often travel far, far away,” she explains. “You might prepare a big project or campaign that costs money, and you might be somewhere quite remote. If suddenly something stalls, it’s not like you can come back tomorrow or next week.”
She recalls a recent support call from a customer in Karratha who couldn’t connect to the RTK network. Without proper support tools, the process was painfully slow; the customer sent photos, waited for texts to arrive, received a response, then sent more photos. In remote mining sites across Darwin, surveyors capturing stockpile data face similar challenges. Weather adds another layer of urgency, with predictions of rain in the morning and afternoon, operators might have just one hour to complete their flights.
“If something happens and you spend more than one hour trying to fix that over the phone or by emails, it’s not convenient,” Fernandez notes. “You sometimes lose your opportunity.”
This is where Aptella’s Tokara support for drones changes everything. Unlike traditional phone support where operators describe which button to press, Tokara allows technicians to mirror the customer’s screen in real time.
“When someone calls you and they’re under the blazing sun and something’s not working they can be stressed on site,” Fernandez describes, “maybe it’s a simple click, but the urgency of the situation makes them say, ‘Oh, was that the right click? No, that’s not the click. Or maybe the left?'”
With Tokara and its remote support for drones, all those frustrations simply disappear. Technicians can see exactly what the customer sees. For drones, where direct screen control isn’t possible, the system displays a red dot showing exactly where to tap. The support becomes visual, immediate, and stress free.
“We mirror the screen and we’re able to directly show them how to fix something immediately,” Fernandez explains. “It saves time, money, but most of all, it’s the safety net that you have someone on the phone who knows how to fix your issue and get you back out on the job.”
What makes Aptella’s support truly distinctive isn’t just the technology, it’s the people behind it. Fernandez and her colleague Patricio Austin, along with the entire Reality Capture team, bring deep technical expertise to every support call. Many are surveyors themselves, understanding not just the equipment but the workflows and project demands their customers face.
“The team in general is highly technical, even when the role is in sales,” Fernandez notes. This means that whether customers reach the first level of support or need complex troubleshooting, they’re speaking with professionals who understand surveying concepts, coordinate systems, and reference datums – the fundamentals that turn drone imagery into accurate, usable survey data.
The drone support also extends beyond troubleshooting. “When I jump on your screen, I can give you tips or training about one specific situation,” Fernandez explains. Remote training through Tokara eliminates the need for costly site visits, extensive paperwork, and the logistical challenges of accessing remote locations or mine sites.
While Tokara represents the cutting edge of support technology, Fernandez emphasises that over the phone support will always remain a cornerstone of Aptella’s service offering. “Because our technology is so trustworthy and reliable, sometimes a simple phone call for support is all people need. Many customers are receiving onboarding from me or the sales team, so they already have our numbers,” she says. “They call us, and we call them, and we go through the steps.” For onsite issues, Fernandez often uses text or WhatsApp to check photos and videos. For software problems, screen sharing usually provides a quick resolution.
At Aptella, personal connection is at the very heart of the business. Customers aren’t submitting tickets into a void, they’re speaking directly with specialist technical consultants who know their equipment, understand their projects, and can provide immediate guidance.
Fernandez reflects on her hopes for the industry in a typically straightforward manner: “In the future, I would like every drone we sell to have Tokara.”
It’s not just about competitive advantage, though she notes that “anyone can sell a drone, but only Aptella can sell a drone with Tokara.” It’s about setting a new standard for what customers should expect.
“Everyone should have Tokara because at some moment during your flights, you will need support, and that makes everything easier and less stressful,” she emphasises. “Even when nine flights go perfectly, if number ten goes bad, that will be stressful. You will lose money on site and lose time. Tokara fixes that.”
The stakes are particularly high in drone surveying, where weather windows are narrow and project timelines are tight. One failed flight can derail an entire campaign. One unresolved technical issue can mean the difference between delivering accurate data and coming back empty handed.
For Fernandez, true support goes beyond fixing immediate problems, it’s about understanding each customer’s unique goals and optimising their entire workflow.
“Knowing what the customer wants is the key.” she explains. “Sometimes you have a drone and you can use it for that task, but maybe it’s not the right one. Sometimes it’s overkill, sometimes it’s not enough. Comprehensive consultation before a project begins is paramount.”
This philosophy reflects her role’s unique position, not just sales, not just support, but something in between. She advises customers before they buy on which technology they need, helps with the transition and onboarding, and then offers consulting as a service for one-off projects where customers need expertise but don’t have dedicated drone pilots on staff.
What emerges from Fernandez’s story is a vision of support that transcends traditional vendor relationships. Aptella isn’t selling boxes and walking away, they’re building partnerships.
“One thing I like about Aptella is that after sales, taking care of the customer with support is valued and prioritised.” Fernandez says. “It’s not like we sell you a box and that’s it.”
In an industry where many companies offer the same drones at competitive prices, Fernandez sees Tokara and Aptella’s comprehensive support as the true differentiator. It’s the safety net that lets surveyors, engineers, and construction professionals fly with confidence, knowing that expertise is just a phone call away.
For a female engineer who was once the only woman in her university class, who travelled halfway around the world and found herself building a career in a new country, Fernandez understands what it means to navigate new and challenging terrain. Now, she’s ensuring that drone operators across Australia never have to navigate their challenges alone.
