Drone
– The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – they are mainly available in 4 types for
aerial mapping depending upon their power and usage purpose. However, the first
low-cost modern drone was developed back in 1935. It was controlled by radio
and used for target practice. Later it was widely used in the Vietnam War to
launch missiles against stationary targets and more. It has now become a part
of military forces across the globe. Drones are used for various non-military
operations as well. It is used to monitor climate conditions, for aerial photography, video inspection, aerial
mapping, drone delivery, and more.
In
recent times it is used for search & rescue operations post any natural
disasters. Such search and rescue services are generally carried out by the
police force, firefighters & specialized rescue teams. It is best to locate
a missing or kidnapped person in a vast area.
How
is search and rescue operations carried out using drone image?
Individual
rescue using Drone Imagery
The
real-time imagery provides crucial information about emergencies. It provides
an accurate location over a vast area so that rescuers can take quick decisions
and act on it immediately. The time and the number of rescue operators needed
to rescue a person in an emergency are drastically reduced. There are few
excellent examples where usage of drone imagery saved lives like:
– A trapped hiker was rescued from a ledge at night in Utah
– Helped in finding the 88-year-old missing person in Texas
– Rescued 2 cousins trapped in Iceland mountainside
Risk
control during Natural Calamities
Drone
imagery is not only helpful for such rescue operations but also during natural
calamities. Post floods or earthquakes, emergency service managers can survey
the area and check the actual condition and damages. Accordingly, they can plan
their rescue mission. They can send the team to specific areas where help is
needed. This enables timely help and doesn’t risk the life of responders.
Firefighter
Drones
Firefighter
drones have cameras with thermal imaging technology. Be it wildland fire or
buildings on fire, firefighter drones can capture images through the smoke. It
gives a 360-degree real-time image of burning structures. Drones can use
floodlights to carry out nighttime rescue operations. The footage of search and
rescue is used for future training purposes as well.
Hazardous
Chemical Spills
In
case of hazardous chemical spills or leakage of nuclear chemicals from
factories, damage assessment can be a risky task. Unmanned drones can give a
full-scale evaluation of the scene in a fast and effective manner. Drones are
also used to monitor radiation exposure, repair & rebuild the destroyed
area. All this leads to minimum human exposure and limits any harmful
side-effects to the rescue operators.
Drone
helps to deliver emergency infrastructure & supplies
During and after natural disasters or terrorist attacks, infrastructure lines
are severed or disabled. The roads, bridges, communication lines, water &
gas lines are blocked. Drones are used to supply daily supplies. Communication
lines are restored using drones. In areas that are risky to reach, drones act
as saviors and carry food and water for people stuck in such areas. Drones can
be used to set up temporary WIFI connections without restoration of power or
communication lines. The risk to the lives of the rescue operators is reduced.
Also, the cost to send a manned airplane is saved.
Benefits
of Drone Imagery in Rescue Operations
·
The
time to reach the emergency location is reduced
·
Vast
geographical areas can be covered quickly
·
Drone
can easily reach inaccessible areas
·
Real-time
situation analysis is possible using the images
·
Spot-hots
can be identified quickly and decisions can be taken accordingly
·
Thermal
imaging can spot human easily in extreme conditions
·
The
cost to send airplane or manned vehicles is drastically reduced
·
Zoom
cameras placed on drones can be used to check the well-being of the person in
trouble
·
Using
drone temporary communication lines can be set up during emergencies
·
Drone
can be used to supply emergency supplies in war-affected areas
Artificial
Intelligence (AI) Technology in Drones
Drones
were designed to be remotely controlled by the operator. Now with AI technology
complete automation of drones is possible. AI-based drones use computer vision
with sensors. During the flight, it can capture the objects on the ground and
simultaneously analyze & record it. This provides a major boost in the
search & rescue operations as the data is streamed in real-time. The
AI-based drone can easily fly over traffic route, spot the vehicle used for
kidnapping, and send information about the car the make & model with
license plate number. All this is done when it is in flight. Provision of vital
information during search speeds up the rescue operations.
Aventior executed a
proof-of-concept with one of the counties in Southern California to use AI/Computer Vision to speed up the
process of human detection for search and rescue. The resultant process cut
down the time to identify a lost person / trekker by almost 70%.
Conclusion
Drones
were extensively used during war-times for the supply of arms & to create
psychological fear. However, they are now becoming popular across various
industries like agriculture, oil & gas, construction, and others. These
companies use them to assess the land condition and crop health, perform
inspections, and more. Now drone imagery is used to save people’s lives by
using it for search and rescue missions. From taking life to saving a life,
drone imagery has come a long way. It is also been considered for future safety
purposes. The value the imagery adds to search and rescue operations is
phenomenal. Usage of AI-based drones helps to get accurate imagery along with
vital ground details, this boosts the search and rescue operations. It truly
deserves its title of being the best “eye in the sky”.
Aventior
offers AI-based image recognition services. It can extract digital images or
videos and data in real-time and process this information. If you have any
questions about our AI-based image recognition services, email us at info@aventior.com.