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Drones detecting mines, fighting fires, ragweed... – Potential use of UAVs in industry nearly limitless
Source: eKapija
Wednesday, 21.12.2016.
15:10
Wednesday, 21.12.2016.
15:10
Comments
Aerial detection of ragweed by helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles was recently carried out for the first time in the Balkans, on over 10,000 hectares of land in Vojvodina. Accurate maps of the distribution of this extremely harmful weed and allergen were made this way without the need for a physical visit to the locations suspected to host ragweed.
The Novi Sad-based company Ciklonizacija has used the same technology to map potential mosquito breeding places. Remote detection, they say, is also successful in mapping the state of crops, forest coverage, but also in the inspection of power lines.
At the same time, the Federal Department of Civilian Protection of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been using drones in operations of neutralizing explosive devices and mind left over from the period of armed conflict in B&H, as UAVs provide a far safer and more efficient way of supervising the ground before, during and after the neutralization of explosives.
Croatian firemen use them to detect fires in areas with reduced accessibility on their islands, and Hungarians use them to supervise the border to prevent the illegal entrance of immigrants.
These examples alone show that, contrary to common perception, drones can be used in industry and for commercial purposes as well. So far, their use has been mostly tied to filming wedding ceremonies and music video clips, or creating chaos in already high-risk football games.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, however, can be used in numerous activities – for emergency services, shipment delivery, in energy, geodesy, ecology, construction... The possibilities are numerous and potential benefits even greater.
Sima Markovic of the National Cluster of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Related Sectors says for eKapija that “their implementation, as a new and advanced modern technology, solves numerous problems in many areas and simplifies performance of specific tasks”.
The National Cluster was founded in mid-March 2016, and of its main goals is to improve the legal framework for the development of this industry. According to Markovic, Serbia is one of the rare countries to adopt regulations in this field.
– Regulations on the European level have not yet been adopted. Many countries do not yet have them. Serbia was among the first to define the regulations and enable regular operations – he says and adds that the current regulation book, which has been in effect since this May, is deficient.
Markovic, however, expects that its flaws will be amended in the coming period and points out the Cluster's excellent cooperation with the Civil Aviation Directorate and the Ministry of Defense.
Regarding how widespread the utilization is, according to some estimates, there are around 3,000 drones in Serbia, which are mostly used for entertainment and in the film industry. Markovic explains that 110 permits have been issued so far in various sectors.
– This has brought considerable experience, which contributes to the detection of the deficiencies of the current regulation book – he believes.
According to the current regulations, an authorized operator of a UAV, who must pass an examination in order to be able to use it, is obligated to submit a request for each flight to the Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Services (SMATSA). It also needs to be kept in mind that drones mustn't be used within 5 kilometers of an airport and within 500 meters of important infrastructural and other facilities. They also mustn't be used at night. The maximum flight altitude allowed is 100 meters, whereas the distance from the operator mustn't be greater than half a kilometer and the UAV needs to remain within the operator's eyesight.
Nevertheless, as the media often report about incidents caused by, in most cases, improper use of drones, the Cluster emphasizes the importance of training.
Sima Markovic says for eKapija that they are just finishing the preparation of a proposal for a program of education of UAV operators, which will be submitted to the competent authorities.
An important request defined in the regulations is for owners and operators of UAVs to have third-party liability coverage.
(Incident during skiing competition in Italy) The said insurance policy currently costs around EUR 200, but it is necessary, as even light devices can cause significant damage. Last year, for example, during the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Italy, a drone carrying a camera crashed behind a racer.
It's cases like these that make the issue of material and non-material damage coverage a very important one, so it's not surprising that certain local insurance companies have started offering liability insurance for the usage of drones. Some of them even use drones themselves in order to determine the state of the crops and yields before they provide insurance, or after the potential damage occurs.
CASCO insurance, covering partial or full damage, as well as the loss of an aircraft due to a fall or damage incurred while using the drone is an option as well, especially since certain aircraft featuring specialized equipment cost tens of thousands of euros.
More than 100,000 companies worldwide already use drones in their operations, and the value of the global UAV market has been estimated at nearly EUR 7 billion. It is expected that the number of companies using them will increase eightfold by 2021 and that the value of the market will exceed EUR 10 billion a year.
There's room for the local industry in the market, Sima Markovic believes, and adds that there are companies in Serbia which are capable of producing top-quality commercial drones, equipped with home market software and all the necessary equipment.
Milos Vlahovic
The Novi Sad-based company Ciklonizacija has used the same technology to map potential mosquito breeding places. Remote detection, they say, is also successful in mapping the state of crops, forest coverage, but also in the inspection of power lines.
At the same time, the Federal Department of Civilian Protection of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been using drones in operations of neutralizing explosive devices and mind left over from the period of armed conflict in B&H, as UAVs provide a far safer and more efficient way of supervising the ground before, during and after the neutralization of explosives.
Croatian firemen use them to detect fires in areas with reduced accessibility on their islands, and Hungarians use them to supervise the border to prevent the illegal entrance of immigrants.
These examples alone show that, contrary to common perception, drones can be used in industry and for commercial purposes as well. So far, their use has been mostly tied to filming wedding ceremonies and music video clips, or creating chaos in already high-risk football games.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, however, can be used in numerous activities – for emergency services, shipment delivery, in energy, geodesy, ecology, construction... The possibilities are numerous and potential benefits even greater.
(Photo: iSam iSmile/shutterstock.com)
The National Cluster was founded in mid-March 2016, and of its main goals is to improve the legal framework for the development of this industry. According to Markovic, Serbia is one of the rare countries to adopt regulations in this field.
– Regulations on the European level have not yet been adopted. Many countries do not yet have them. Serbia was among the first to define the regulations and enable regular operations – he says and adds that the current regulation book, which has been in effect since this May, is deficient.
Markovic, however, expects that its flaws will be amended in the coming period and points out the Cluster's excellent cooperation with the Civil Aviation Directorate and the Ministry of Defense.
Regarding how widespread the utilization is, according to some estimates, there are around 3,000 drones in Serbia, which are mostly used for entertainment and in the film industry. Markovic explains that 110 permits have been issued so far in various sectors.
– This has brought considerable experience, which contributes to the detection of the deficiencies of the current regulation book – he believes.
According to the current regulations, an authorized operator of a UAV, who must pass an examination in order to be able to use it, is obligated to submit a request for each flight to the Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Services (SMATSA). It also needs to be kept in mind that drones mustn't be used within 5 kilometers of an airport and within 500 meters of important infrastructural and other facilities. They also mustn't be used at night. The maximum flight altitude allowed is 100 meters, whereas the distance from the operator mustn't be greater than half a kilometer and the UAV needs to remain within the operator's eyesight.
Nevertheless, as the media often report about incidents caused by, in most cases, improper use of drones, the Cluster emphasizes the importance of training.
Sima Markovic says for eKapija that they are just finishing the preparation of a proposal for a program of education of UAV operators, which will be submitted to the competent authorities.
An important request defined in the regulations is for owners and operators of UAVs to have third-party liability coverage.
(Incident during skiing competition in Italy) The said insurance policy currently costs around EUR 200, but it is necessary, as even light devices can cause significant damage. Last year, for example, during the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Italy, a drone carrying a camera crashed behind a racer.
It's cases like these that make the issue of material and non-material damage coverage a very important one, so it's not surprising that certain local insurance companies have started offering liability insurance for the usage of drones. Some of them even use drones themselves in order to determine the state of the crops and yields before they provide insurance, or after the potential damage occurs.
CASCO insurance, covering partial or full damage, as well as the loss of an aircraft due to a fall or damage incurred while using the drone is an option as well, especially since certain aircraft featuring specialized equipment cost tens of thousands of euros.
More than 100,000 companies worldwide already use drones in their operations, and the value of the global UAV market has been estimated at nearly EUR 7 billion. It is expected that the number of companies using them will increase eightfold by 2021 and that the value of the market will exceed EUR 10 billion a year.
There's room for the local industry in the market, Sima Markovic believes, and adds that there are companies in Serbia which are capable of producing top-quality commercial drones, equipped with home market software and all the necessary equipment.
Milos Vlahovic
Companies:
Nacionalni klaster bespilotnih letelica i bliskih sektora Beograd
Direktorat civilnog vazduhoplovstva Srbije
Kontrola letenja Srbije i Crne Gore SMATSA d.o.o. Beograd
Ciklonizacija a.d. Novi Sad
Ministarstvo odbrane Republike Srbije
Federalna uprava civilne zaštite Sarajevo
Tags:
National Cluster of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Related Sectors
SMATSA
Sima Markovic
regulation book on UAVs
drone
drones
unmanned aerial vehicles
drone permit
drone operator
liability insurance for drones
CASCO insurance for drones
ragweed detection
mapping mosquito breeding places
neutralization of explosive devices and mines
inspection of power lines
usage of drones in industry
commercial usage of drones
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