The 1556 earthquake that killed an estimated 830,000 people in the Shaanxi Province is but the deadliest example of China's long history with the natural disaster. The 1920 Haiyuan quake killed 273,000; the 1976 Tangshan earthquake claimed about 232,000 lives. Whether or not they hold to the historic view that earthquakes indicate heaven's displeasure, the modern Chinese aren't sitting idle as the ground trembles. Starting in the mid-1960s, the country established a system to improve prediction capabilities, response training, and public communications to reduce the impact of calamities. They enlisted satellites to shape post-disaster responses, but since quakes have a habit of knocking out the ground-based systems that deliver their images to those who need them, a view from space isn't always much help.

In some respects, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell's announcement that his department had purchased and was planning to use drones (or as he prefers to call them, "unmanned aircraft systems") was refreshing. It's certainly better than the 2012 Compton fiasco, in which the department secretly deployed a spy plane over that city and recorded surveillance video without notifying Compton's elected leaders -- or its residents. That kind of arrogant and unrestrained law enforcement intrusion, without vetting or oversight, is simply not tolerable. This time, at least, the sheriff went public first, displaying one of his new drones for the media and vowing to use them in limited situations only, such as hostage rescues and other emergencies in which it is difficult or dangerous for first-responders to go in person. The remote-controlled flying devices would be deployed incident by incident, he said, and would not be used for surveillance.

A fissure almost two miles long has been discovered in the Arizona desert. Drone footage uploaded to YouTube by the Arizona Geological Survey shows the massive fissure in the desert surface. In a post accompanying the video the Arizona Geological Survey explains that the fissure is in the Tator Hills area of southern Pinal County. "AZGS is experimenting with drone technology as a tool for mapping fissures and other surface features, e.g. Joe Cook of the Arizona Geological Survey told 12News that the fissure's southern mile is fresher, and may have reached the surface in a 2016 monsoon.

President Donald Trump is widely expected to sign his latest executive order Wednesday seriously restricting immigration and refugees from seven countries in the Middle East and Africa, five of which the U.S. bombed under the previous administration. Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump accused President Barack Obama of supporting liberal immigration and refugee policies that the Republican billionaire-turned-politician said threatened national security. Trump directed his anti-immigration rhetoric toward Mexico and the Middle East, particularly singling Muslims as targets for tough, new visa policies. While he at one time suggested implementing a ban on all Muslims, Trump has since said he would focus on several countries whose population he felt presented the greatest risk. The list of countries was confirmed by congressional aides and immigration experts who the new administration had briefed on the upcoming order, according to Reuters.

A semi-autonomous drone modified with an umbrella canopy promises to shield users from the rain by automatically tracking their movements, but it's a hell of a lot pricier than a regular brolly. Drone retailer DronesDirect lists the creatively named Umbrella Drone, a specially adapted DJI Phantom 4 quadcopter, at a staggering £1,299, down from £1,499. The retailer, meanwhile, is selling the standard Phantom 4 for £997. However, a call to DronesDirect established that the Umbrella Drone is currently still in testing, and isn't available to buy just yet. The designers say the light-hearted creation came about because of the UK's notoriously unpredictable weather, and will be able to cope with even "the most adverse" conditions.

Given how much writing I have been doing about both productized analytics and digital twins, it was fascinating to take a look at Kespry's Drone-as-a-Service offering, which brings to life a novel integration of both of these concepts in an exciting new domain. Drones can provide businesses with types of data they've never had access to before, enabling decision makers to have a more complete picture of their operations. Last week, I had the chance to talk with George Mathew, CEO of Kespry, about the logic driving his products and the impact of the new FAA regulations that have opened up many new possibilities. Over the past decade, we've grown accustomed (if not always comfortable) with drones being used in warfare to protect human lives. But the use of drones is greatly expanding into the commercial and private sector, as well as our everyday lives.

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. So far I haven't gotten on board this whole "drone" thing. You mean remote controlled helicopters?

Elite Iraqi units clearing Mosul from Islamic State occupation face aerial bombardment from modified ISIS drones every day. I just returned from two weeks on the ground inside Mosul with Iraq's Emergency Response Division and the Counter Terrorism Service. These two units are Iraq's best, and are taking the fight to ISIS daily. ISIS is using snipers, suicide car bombs and drones to attack Iraqi forces. ISIS modifies commercial drones to drop 40mm rifle grenades.

Tiny drones could scout high-rise buildings and underground tunnels for possible threats to US troops in cities of the future. But instead of spending years cooking up the necessary drone technologies in military research labs, the Pentagon might be better off shopping for the latest civilian drones coming soon to stores. US military leaders have discussed the need for a new generation of scout drones for some time. After all, kicking down doors is a dirty and dangerous business for US troops trying to clear enemy-held buildings. It would be far safer to deploy diminutive drone buddies to provide an initial peek inside, and identify any potential threats.

Sheriff's homicide detectives showed up at the house first. As detectives began investigating the fatal shooting of a Pala woman last week, two deputies flew the drone over the outdoor homicide scene, taking aerial photos and videos that would become evidence. The remote-controlled aircraft is one of four the Sheriff's Department is using to document crime scenes, search for missing people, aid SWAT teams during their operations and for other reasons in dangerous or unfavorable scenarios. Two other drones are used for training. "It's an extremely valuable tool, and potentially lifesaving," Sheriff's Lt. Jason Vickery said.