20 ways Drones can transform Oman
Updated: Aug 1, 2021
Imagine a world of complete automation with zero human error. It may sound like a good science-fiction movie but may seem too far from reality. Guess what? It is on the way to becoming a reality. Oman, a progressive country on the south-eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, is gradually entering into the fourth phase of the Industrial Revolution. The advent of Information technology has led to the evolution of Artificial Intelligence, 3D printing, machine learning, and big data analysis. Now, drone technology is fueling different sectors of this booming economy. This article will discuss how drone technology is shaping the future of various industries and sectors globally.
Drones for Defense Technologies
Drones have been deployed in defense for over a decade now. Smaller portable drones are used by ground forces regularly. Predator UAV is one such drone that is quite popular among defense technologies. Countries have been spending a lot of investments in drone technology. This deployment has generated opportunities for specialized drone manufacturers and software developers, thus flourishing a new line of support industry.
According to National Defense Magazine, the US is expected to invest $98 billion in the military drone market in the coming decade. R&D spending is expected to grow from $3.2 billion in 2020 to $4 billion by 2029. Ninety-five countries around the globe are already harnessing the potential of drone technology currently. Drones are being deployed not just for surveillance but also for other offensive operations. Prox Dynamics, a developer and manufacturer of nano-class unmanned aerial systems (UAS), have been providing this unique technology to military forces around the globe, including the British, the Australians, and the Norwegians. According to a recent report by Breaking Defense, Surveillance drone in Oman is being looked upon as an emerging logistics hub for drones.
Drones for Emergency Response
The deployment of drones in emergency response in Oman can turn around the success of critical rescue operations. Innovations in camera technology have created a significant impact on drones’ overall usage. The thermal imaging cameras have been helping the response team to detect victims easily, even in the most extreme situations, thus revolutionizing the rescue operations effortlessly. Apart from spotting victims, delivering supplies like food and life vests has been reduced from hours to minutes.
According to an article written by NCBI Drones are being used as mobile medical kits that can be sent to the first aid response team on the scene. Not only this, during the COVID outbreak in 2020, drones (with cameras and speakers) were deployed in the streets of China and Spain to spread awareness among people and to warn them about the virus outbreak. Smart Drones Solutions also worked on Covid detection using drones with thermal cameras. They were also used to provide supplies to the infected patients as a measure to contain the spread of the virus by cutting down human interaction.
Drones for Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief
Drones have been proved useful in providing humanitarian aid in the aftermath of natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes, etc. UAVs have proved to be quite efficient and helpful in spotting victims and providing them with the required aid. Drones have been helping in disaster control and assessments since the major hurricane that occurred in the USA and Canada in the year 2005.
Drones have also been helping in combating other natural disasters like forest fires. In fact, to monitor and combat forest fires, the thermal imaging cameras on drones easily detect the abnormal forest temperatures, thus alarming the operation team to detect hotspots of fire occurrence so that the same can be identified within minutes of an outbreak.
Drones for Disease Control
Drones are able to track the spread of diseases effectively by tracking animals who could be the prime carriers of a deadly infection. The ability to follow these animals provides relevant insights into animals to human transmission. Currently, Microsoft has been working on leveraging drone technology to test mosquitoes for infectious diseases. This intelligence can protect local residents from coming into contact with the illness and further contain the transformation of the disease into an epidemic. Other illnesses like schistosomiasis are also being combated with the help of drones.
Drones for Boosting Agricultural Produce
Drones worldwide are helping farmers reduce the cost of operational efficiency by helping them reduce costs and expand yields using the precision farming method. Redundant processes are getting automated, thus boosting farming efficiency. Smart Drones Solutions, is specializing in data processing and machine learning, is helping farmers better predict their potential harvest. Drones are also helping farmers in crop cultivation. Autonomous tractors are being built to pick produce autonomously. Planting seeds through airborne seed disposal is another operational marvel that has come up recently in the field of agriculture.
Drones for revolutionizing Energy Sector
Although the world realizes the potential of alternative energy sources, oil and gas still remain key energy sources for the world. The infrastructure used to extract, refine and transport oil and gas needs regular inspection for smooth operation. It also needs to comply with regulatory standards. With the help of drones, this inspection work can be done remotely and safely. Alarming errors such as leaks can be detected efficiently through thermal sensors, thus eliminating human error. For setting up new sites for oil and gas, drones have proved to be quite promising. They are efficient in gathering topographic detail, thus providing detailed insights into the new drill sites.
Drones for Mining Industry
Drones are revolutionizing the mining industry globally. Due to their easy surveillance, accurate data, root analysis, and site inspection have created quite a buzz in the mining industry. Drones help in monitoring high-risk environments, thus saving the life of mining workers. They have proved useful in monitoring haul road, water, and sediment flow, pre and post-blast scenario, and managing crises through hazard identification and mitigation. In Oman, too, they have been helping mining industries flourish.
Drones for Construction Planning
Drones are proving useful in construction planning and management. Analyzing construction progress, creating solutions for combating issues arising in the process has become efficient due to the regularly captured data. Camera technology has proved useful in monitoring buildings and gauging topography and soil types. This is executable throughout the construction cycle. Smart drones solution is a leader in Oman for providing drone survey services.
Drones for infrastructure development
Drones have proved an inevitable potential in developing physical infrastructure. Architects have been using drone technology to create structures built entirely by UAVs. State transportation departments of America have been deploying drones to monitor the progress of highway construction projects, inspecting bridges, surveying new sites, and more. According to a study conducted by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, drones have been used for the inspection of state transportations and have helped the state to save up to 40% on associated costs.
Drones for Insurance Inspections
Insurance companies have realized the potential of deploying drones for inspection. This has led to more detailed scrutiny on inspection, which otherwise, the inspectors and accessors of property insurance weren’t able to perform so efficiently. Due to high-resolution cameras, drones are able to help insurance companies produce a detailed assessment report on the same.
Drones for Real Estate Projects
By 2021 real estate became one of the most active industries to harness the potential of drone technology. While low-cost aerial technology is helping to take images of a property’s exterior, small agile UAVs are helping to take amazing interior shots of properties. This adds to the sale value and helps in attracting potential buyers efficiently. Drone technology has helped the builders understand how to better outfit a property with views, amenities, and features.
Drones for Urban Planning
The ever-increasing population has forced the cities to cater to a larger population and chronic congestion. This has made urban planning an important agenda. Drones have been helping urban planners to understand the metropolitan landscape from a different outlook. With the help of drones, urban planners are able to understand their environments and thus implement data-driven improvements. Also, with the evolution of machine learning, mapping processes have improved significantly at a lower cost.
Drones for Personal Transportation
Even though the application of drone technology is limited to unmanned vehicles, certain forms of autonomous transportations function on a similar principle. Dubai police demonstrated the use of drones for its forces. EHANG, a china-based company, has created an electric passenger-grade Autonomous Aerial Vehicle, which is designed to provide a low altitude short-and-medium haul transportation solution for the future of intelligent transportation. It went public in 2019.
Drones for Airline Operations
When it comes to compliances, Airlines have to follow stringent levels of regulatory standards. FAA inspection may vary in comprehensiveness, but the basic inspections are done after every 125 hours of flight time. Drones have the potential to conduct routine inspections with zero human error. Airbus, for instance, partnered with Intel to conduct its exterior aircraft inspections with UAVs. The drones were outfitted with cameras to create a detailed, 3D model of the Airbus fleet.
Drones for Telecommunications
To ensure service reliability, telecommunication towers are inspected frequently. It is normally a dangerous, time-consuming process when done manually. In 2017, At&T and Verizon launched drones in Houston, Texas, to inspect their towers, and to their surprise, the drones were able to quickly access the damage and guide repair teams in restoration services.
Drones for Outdoors
UAVs in recent times have changed the way people experience locations. Today, drones are being used for capturing breathtaking photos and award-winning films. They are also helpful in mapping the terrain, thus helping the climbers and skiers better understand the terrain while expediting on the same.
Drones for Live Entertainment
Drones have been seen entertaining people on a large scale through live entertainment. Synchronized light shows, floating projection screens, and drone puppeteers have been widely appreciated and have become an entertainment centrepiece in recent times. In China, a luxury car company recently broke a Guinness World Record by using 3,281 drones to put a light show in the night sky.
Drones for Sports
Drones are widely used in sports to capture iconic moments and change the perception of viewers experiencing televised sports. The camera captures up-close and personal perspectives that traditional stationary cameras find hard to capture, thus making the tournament more exciting. Recently BCCI has gotten approval to use drones for live cricket matches to be deployed for aerial cinematography of the matches.
Drones for Retail
E-commerce giant Amazon is known for potential drone deployment in the retail industry. It is known for its innovation within this space. The company’s first commercial drone, Prime Air, made its first delivery in 2016, and the company announced its intention to deploy drones for 30 minutes or fewer deliveries for its prime customers. Even Walmart realizes the potential of drones. Due to its geographical dispersal and coverage, the company sees potential in delivering products from stores to American houses, which are normally located at a distance of 10 miles from the store’s location.
Drones for Manufacturing and Inventory Management
Robotics has been playing a potential role in today’s assembly lines. Drones are seen as a potential investment by manufacturing industries in modern-day manufacturing. From raw material discovery to assembly line inspection, drones can easily take care of tasks too large for robotics and too intricate for humans. In addition to manufacturing, drones have proved a potential investment in inventory management as well. Drones have been proved useful in locating and measuring inventory within a network of individual sensors located on or inside containers around the facility for effortless inventory management.