Page 36 - A U4SSC deliverable - Accelerating city transformation using frontier technologies

a major proportion of water use in the world, drone irrigation can improve water management in agricul-
ture and enable better crop management.
6 Infection and disease detection: Drones equipped with special equipment can track the health of crops
and quickly detect any bacterial or fungal infection in the field. By scanning crops using infrared lights, a
multispectral image can be produced to tack changes in crops that would indicate their health. In turn,
farmers can respond swiftly and remedy the issues.

UAV-enabled intelligent transportation systems (ITS) can also provide an efficient means to not only
enforce traffic rules and support traffic police on the ground, but also to provide road users with
efficient information on traffic (i.e. intelligent traffic management use). Equipped with a camera, drones
can read licence plates, identify the model of a specific vehicle, and calculate its speed and emissions.
High-resolution videos can also assist in road monitoring and traffic guidance. Drones can also engage
in monitoring 24/7, allowing traffic officers to continuously receive the latest information on road
traffic. First responders would be able to respond swiftly to accidents or, in the case of police officers,
attend crime scenes.

UAVs have great potential in aiding disaster-relief efforts and enhancing disaster monitoring and
preparedness. Drones can replace human work in hazardous environments, provide precision mapping
during emergency situations, deliver critical supplies to disaster hotspots, send early warnings to
citizens and government officials and aid in firefighting efforts. There are three scenarios in which
drones would have the ability to take on challenging tasks that human workers may not be able to.
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1 Hazardous and toxic material leaks: Hazardous chemical spillage can occur in the case of ship collision,
power plant failure, or factory malfunction (i.e. those commonly known as chemical, biological, radiologi-
cal, nuclear and explosive events – a CBRNE event). CBRNE events have devastating consequences, posing
significant risks to public health and the environment. Drones can be deployed to assess damage, repair
destroyed components and deliver critical assets for rebuilding efforts. The Fukushima nuclear disaster
is one of the most high-profile CBRNEs in recent history. In this case, drones were deployed to monitor
radiation exposure and reach areas where no relief work could be safely provided. Drones have been
instrumental in minimizing the possibility of a total nuclear fallout.
2 Natural disasters: In the case of natural disasters, drones can also be deployed for 3-D mapping and
obtaining of visuals on disaster hotspots, providing crucial information in real time that can be used for
coordinating relief efforts. In contrast to satellite imagery, which is costly, and whose image quality is often
affected by the weather, drones can be deployed rapidly in most circumstances and can obtain high-resolu-
tion images and videos. When a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal in 2015, drones were used to capture
high-resolution images and map disaster zones in order to assess the widespread damage, aid search and
evacuation missions, and reconstruct damaged buildings.
3 Extreme weather conditions: Events such as flooding and earthquakes can often cause significant damage
to existing infrastructure. Drones can reach places where it would have been dangerous for humans to go
and can perform critical tasks, from accessing collapsed buildings in search of survivors, to assessing chem-
ical leakage in hard-to-reach locations. When the city of Wichita in Kansas experienced an F-5 tornado,
drones equipped with special equipment to detect methane were deployed to locate broken gas lines,
thereby allowing workers to fix the breaches before any explosions could occur.

26 Accelerating city transformation using frontier technologies | A U4SSC deliverable