When one thinks of drones it is often in the form of recreational models or military versions such as the “Kamikaze” drones being deployed by Russian forces in Ukraine to destroy vital infrastructure.
But like any new technology, drones or UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) have been developed for many other uses in the private and public sectors, helping to improve efficiencies, reduce costs and enforce regulations. Here are some brief examples.
Agriculture and Crop Health: Imagine you are a rice farmer and you are seeing anecdotal evidence of paddy bug in your fields. A drone equipped with hyperspectral imaging can pinpoint affected areas and through the use of a hopper, spray precise amounts of pesticide reducing costs and time to the farmer. Fertilizer can also be spread more effectively, and finally with the same hyperspectral imaging, drones can determine when is the best time to harvest the crop thereby increasing yields.
GPL: Inspecting electricity poles, their connections and transformers is a time consuming but necessary part of keeping transmission and distribution systems well maintained. Crews have to climb poles in what is a hazardous exercise and can often overlook problems. Drone technology can eliminate much of this by hovering over poles, taking the temperature of transformers, and through artificial intelligence, identify patterns of corrosion as small as that on a rusting bolt. All of the information generated can be sent in real time to managers for action. Also, charting paths for new transmission lines can be made more efficient through LIDAR (laser imaging, detection, and ranging) equipped drones that can map terrain and choose the best routes.
Road Maintenance: UAVs can be flown over the nation’s roads to identify very small anomalies on the road surfaces that might become or are already potholes as well as detect apron erosion. Here again the information can be used to dispatch road crews and then monitor the repairs to see how durable they are. Drones can also be used in assessing traffic management, while artificial intelligence (AI) can use that data to create dynamic management of traffic lights – for example adjusting them to morning and evening traffic flows. This is already being done in the United Kingdom where AI is able to anticipate traffic congestion before it happens.
In the mining sector, drones can be used to monitor legal and illegal mining and any effects on rivers through pollution. Given the remote locations and harsh terrain, they are ideal for this purpose. UAVs can also collect cut and fill measurements of mine sites over time so as to assess activity and estimate any royalties. Hyperspectral surveys can even identify potential metal deposits such as chromium, greatly enhancing the value of state lands. Similarly forests can be mapped and monitored while the mapping of coastal mangroves could create a baseline for their preservation or replacement in different areas.
Flood surveillance and relief: One possible use here would be assessing flood damage to crops and livestock as part of any compensation packages, and the deployment of larger drones that can bring relief to remote interior locations by dropping emergency supplies. Environmental agencies can also use UAVs to measure pollution, such as methane, dust from cement plants, or effluents from mining and other operations. We need not delve into the many benefits of drones for border security and drug enforcement.
As one can see their uses are multifarious and potentially transformational. Some of this technology is already being deployed here by private drone operations but it can be better exploited and embraced by both the private and public sectors. That’s because the drone is simply an eye in the sky. It is the large amount of data it collects and its analysis through artificial or human intelligence that makes the technology so groundbreaking. The current regulations for this sub-sector also need to balance an emphasis on accommodation and growth with legitimate privacy and asset protection concerns. Fortunately issues surrounding airport and other sensitive infrastructure safety can be addressed by geo-fencing technology that enables airport authorities or military bases to take control of an intrusive drone and bring it safely to ground. The current regulations need to be less bureaucratic and evolve with the technology. For example they currently restrict operation of drones beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator which for the purposes of large scale mapping is unrealistic.
Some ministries and agencies are looking into, or have already acquired, drones or the services of drone operators but it is worth considering that the same drone that monitors GPL poles could also detect potholes and traffic flows. That’s three departments being serviced. Similarly forestry and mining commissions would benefit from sharing hardware and using just the data relevant to their sectors. Of course this would require a proper national data management plan and more cooperation and trust between government agencies than currently exists.
It might therefore be useful to hold some kind of conference that brings together the regulatory authority, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, the various ministries, drone operators and data experts to hash out the issues. This could examine which sectors can benefit and where there might be synergies/cost savings. This might then go on to inform a long term and creative policy on how as a nation we can best utilise this exciting technology.
