RE:Work being done for SecovaInteresting. A new release from Secova (dated yesterday). Note the reference to Abitibi, so presumably these are 'revenue sharing' dollars. The line kilometers (700) are decent though, and if you assume that Abitibi is taking something like 20% (possibly the high side), work on this one project could generate something like $60K in revenues for Pioneer. Nothing major, but if they keep bringing in new contracts, they will add up. Ten or twelve projects like this one could produce $750K in revenues/quarter, and that is assuming 20% off the top. Of course, they'd need the capacity to do that, but we're talking about drones here, not aircraft. The ability to ramp up the equipment and human resources would not take long and is nowhere near the capital investment of other types of equipment.
Note also that the 'the surveys are expected to allow detailed interpretation of structures and magnetic anomalies to assist in identifying the most favourable location for follow-up drilling this year'. This is important IMO because, if successful, the work being done could be something of a standard practice. Drilling is expensive, and if an up front investment in high-resolution magnetic surveys improves the success rate and efficiency of drilling work, it becomes a no-brainer.
Higher altitude surveys are good for mapping the largest areas, but when it comes to focus the image and narrowing down key drilling sites, the drone approach is likely to become increasingly valuable.