UAS Technology: Smarter Solutions for Smart Cities

'Smart cities' is a term increasingly being used within the geospatial industry, generating debate around how best to facilitate these connected, reactive environments as they gain popularity. Reports suggest that by 2020 we will be spending USD400 billion globally on building smart cities in a bid to help cities become more responsive and, in turn, safer and truly sustainable. In this column, Jean-Christophe Zufferey, CEO and co-founder of senseFly, explores the role of drone technology in supporting the development of smart cities and delivering tangible benefits to communities.

(By Jean-Christophe Zufferey, CEO and co-founder of senseFly)

I’ve long been a subscriber to the belief that drone technology can play a big role in supporting the development of smart cities and deliver tangible benefits to communities. Unmanned aerial systems (UASs or ‘drones’) are already being used by thousands to improve city life in countries across the globe, from documenting humanitarian disasters to mapping construction sites. These numbers are only expected to increase as more businesses seek out end-to-end solutions that can optimise business operations. According to a report from Tractica, it is predicted that by 2025 annual revenue from commercial drone-enabled services will grow to USD8.7 billion.

Consider infrastructure as an example. Governments urgently need to invest in improving urban transport links to create sustainable, future-proof ecosystems. UAS technology has huge potential in developing infrastructure; already it can be used to map sites such as high-speed railways and bicycle paths, to connect communities, reduce traffic on main roads and bridge the economic divide between regions. With the need to advance smart city programmes quickly, drones offer flexibility, allowing surveyors to map long corridors efficiently at the start of projects and collect in-depth data to aid decision-making at an earlier stage. Additionally, drones can be used to identify infrastructure failures and disruption – from building collapses and the impact of adverse weather conditions, to congestion on roads and damage to railway networks. This monitoring capability can help speed up the analysis of issues and generate solutions more quickly, minimising pressure on public bodies.

The use of aerial geospatial techniques also addresses current challenges around health and safety on high-traffic, complex sites or at accident scenes. The move away from terrestrial methods for such surveying missions reduces the risk to workers, whose well-being may be compromised by being on the ground.

Sustainable food production is another hot topic, as urban agriculture is increasingly seen as an integral part of smart cities. Here, drone providers can again have a seat at the table. In addition to helping urban planners identify appropriate spaces that could be used to support food development, UAS technology can be applied more frequently to monitor yield and types of vegetation, such as drought-tolerant plants. In agriculture more generally, we’ve seen an uplift in the number of agronomists using drones to obtain a bird’s-eye view of crops, cover areas more quickly and gain greater insights. This technique can be applied to smart cities, to monitor trends in urban vegetation and provide actionable data that will help cultivate truly sustainable environments.

While there are significant opportunities for UAS solutions to make a difference to the development of smart cities, it’s important that regulations are considered at the outset. Geospatial professionals and commercial drone providers have a vital role to play in this, to ensure our skies remain safe and that airspace congestion is managed effectively. By getting on the front foot and exploring the potential of disruptive technologies, we can put in place smart solutions today for smarter cities in the future.

About the Author
Jean-Christophe Zufferey is the CEO and co-founder of senseFly, the leading provider of professional drone solutions. He is a pioneer in the field of small, bio-inspired, autonomous flying robots, holding a PhD in mobile robotics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) where he has taught and managed numerous robotics projects.