On-scene assessment of a damaged area with dynamic real-time data fed directly in to an emergency operations center.
Industries
EMERGENCY
On-scene assessment of a damaged area with dynamic real-time data fed directly in to an emergency operations center.
Being lightweight systems in a sector where time is a precious commodity, UAVs can deploy rapidly and provide an on-scene assessment of a damaged area with dynamic real-time data fed directly in to an emergency operations center. This information gathering starts to immediately build a picture which can help the command level achieve a quick appreciation of the size of the event to answer key questions such as, ‘how big is the problem?’ and ‘how do you scale the response?’.
As the rescue and recovery activity builds, drones provide a responsive, ‘birds eye view’ which assists in coordinating ongoing operations, allowing commanders to determine where to move assets, at what time and with the correct equipment.
Finally, drones can conduct mapping and survey flights to determine the scale of damage through change detection techniques, thereby assisting in reconstruction activity further down the line.
Emergency Response
At a first-responder level, a drone fitted with digital thermography equipment can be used in the search for missing persons, where every second counts. Remotely piloted aircraft can, in many instances be deployed quicker than a helicopter, are more affordable and can fly at lower altitudes making it easier to discriminate between human and animal forms.
Thermal imaging can also be used to determine the source, spread, direction and ferocity of a fire in buildings or bushland, allowing emergency services to plan a coordinated attack prior to entering the battle-zone. Again, in many instances a remotely piloted aircraft can be deployed faster than a helicopter and is more affordable, justifying its use in a broader range of events.
Remotely piloted aircraft can also provide a valued ‘eye-in-the-sky’ to Police undertaking tactical operations. Drones are able to see over obstacles and around corners to obtain situational awareness without putting forces in harms way. Being relatively quiet, and able to hover at an altitude of up to 400’ (~122m), drones can covertly cover an incident without drawing attention.
UAV’s are also useful tools in crime scene analysis, traffic accident investigations, fire damage assessment, and in evaluating emergency management’s effectiveness, by providing a means for post-event review and analysis. Furthermore, drone footage can be used to dispute false accounts, or provide eyewitness testimony in the event of conflicting statements.
Disaster Management
Drones can be deployed directly to site and by monitoring in real-time and collecting accurate data, you can make smarter decisions faster. Similarly, in constantly changing environments – built up areas, increased traffic and sprawling commercial estates – effective drone use makes all the difference. Incident Commanders can gain greater situational awareness and better identify where resources need to be deployed. Drone use affords better planning, reduces risk and can help keep costs low without compromising the safety of your force or the public.
Drones are particularly well adapted to emergency scenarios as they are easy to deploy and safe to use. Hence, when a natural disaster or accident happen, image acquisitions with high levels of detail can be performed within a few hours only. Combining the acquisition with our cloud-based photogrammetry solution profiting from endless computer processing power, our emergency mapping expertise allows the end user to get deliverables within a day.