An adventurous kayaking trip turned into a nighttime rescue operation when 69-year-old Mark Thompson found himself stranded on an island in the Saco River. The Conway resident and his son had set out on the river near Diana's Bath in Bartlett with the intent to paddle downstream. However, a challenging stretch of the river resulted in both kayaks capsizing.
Although Thompson's son successfully managed to return to his vessel, Thompson himself reportedly lost his boat, opting instead to swim towards shore. He was last observed around 2 p.m., trudging onshore towards Route 16.
Upon receiving the report around 7:30 p.m., Conway Police activated a comprehensive search operation. This involved a joint effort between the North Conway and Bartlett Fire and Police Departments, Center Conway Fire Department, and the New Hampshire Fish and Game.
The mission culminated close to 11 p.m. when a drone equipped with a thermal camera, employed by Center Conway Fire, identified a heat source on an island in the Bartlett part of the river. Using a rubber rescue boat, the team managed to reach the island and found Thompson shortly after midnight.
Fortunately, despite the harrowing ordeal, Thompson was found unharmed, bringing a relieving conclusion to the tense search operation.
By: Haye Kesteloo
June 20, 2023
Better regulations and wider acceptance from the general public are key to the growth of commercial drone use across the region.
Drones are playing an increasingly important role in optimising processes in various industries – providing efficiency and effectiveness while prioritising safety and savings. Their near limitless aerial perspective offers the ability to gather and analyse data, and when combined with artificial intelligence (AI), are revolutionising the way companies inspect, survey and map terrain, infrastructure and agriculture.
Malaysia based Aerodyne has carved a global name for itself by combining drones with AI’s powerful analytics. Apart from asset inspection, management and project monitoring in various sectors, Aerodyne also actively provides services in geospatial intelligence, emergency response, 2D and 3D mapping and precision agriculture.
A relative newcomer to the scene, the four-year-old company now has a presence in 24 countries and is ranked the world’s seventh best drone operator by Drone Industry Insights, a market research and analytics company based in Germany. Kamarul Muhamed, Aerodyne CEO and founder said that the growth in commercial applications for drones has resulted in global interest for his company’s unique AI-driven services. However, he admitted that most of his subsidiaries are based outside of Southeast Asia.
Playing catch-up
Apart from its business in Malaysia, Aerodyne is also active in Indonesia and has contracts in Singapore and Brunei as well. Though he praised the Philippines for being early adopters of the technology, Kamarul said that drones and their accompanying services are tightly regulated in most ASEAN countries.
“In general, ASEAN has adopted a wait-and-see approach to drone use – but we should be taking a leadership role,” Kamarul told The ASEAN Post this week.
“We have inherited a lot of regulations which do not necessarily promote or support (drone) innovation. There are some regulations now based on drones’ usage, their weight and the height they are flown at, but there is no licensing requirement. If we have licensing, we can regulate the industry better,” he stressed.
While Kamarul pointed out that rules are especially tight in countries like Lao PDR and Myanmar, there is no region-wide consensus on drone regulations. Even in Singapore, which has long been at the forefront of technology in ASEAN, lawmakers are still reviewing changes to drone legislature that was proposed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) last April. Among the changes include a pilot licensing scheme, a compulsory online training programme and stricter requirements such as partial or full certification for heavier unmanned aircraft.
Kamarul used BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) as an example of legislation playing catch-up with technology. BVLOS is a concept which allows drone operators to gather data over large areas without having to be in close proximity to the drone and is seen as the next step forward for the industry.
“Traditionally, it has been seen as dangerous and irresponsible – but the technology is increasingly maturing. If you certify the operation, it is very safe,” he said.
Market potential
Explaining that while drone adoption is about to go mainstream globally, Kamarul said ASEAN only represents less than three percent of the global drone market which is forecasted to be worth US$127.3 billion in 2020. However, he added that it still represents a substantial sum and there is huge potential within the rapidly growing region. There are a lot of services that can be unlocked in terms of efficiency, and this is especially true in countries which are just building their infrastructure and are looking at cost-efficient ways to maintain them.
Apart from a framework which supports businesses and innovation, there is a need to educate the public on the benefits of drones and their role in building cities of the future. Safety and privacy are the public’s two biggest concerns surrounding drone use, but their increasing adoption in our daily lives is helping to change negative stereotypes.
Airbus successfully trialled the world’s first shore-to-ship delivery in Singapore in March, and in January, Chinese e-commerce platform JD.com conducted what is believed to be Southeast Asia’s first government-approved drone delivery by delivering backpacks and books to Indonesian students in a rural school more than 250 kilometres away. In another regional first, Thailand started using drones to address worker shortages in the farming sector last year, deploying them to help map and survey crops as well as spray fertilisers and pesticides.
While these trials are a good first step, ASEAN member countries should consider implementing training programmes and licencing to better regulate the industry. With drones set to play an increasingly prominent part in the region’s economy, key policies have to be put in place now to ensure better integration without negative effects on society.
Jason Thomas
12 April 2019
Drones provide construction teams with an overhead view of jobsites, materials, machinery and people. Contractors are using the autonomous flying machines to record images and videos that help optimize everything from grading plans and operations to identifying differences between as-designed and as-built site plans. Their usefulness can be enhanced with thermal cameras and other add-ons like mapping tools and GPS units.
Also called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones can be fully or partially autonomous but are usually controlled remotely by a human pilot on the ground.
“Drones have become the go-to tool for construction firms to track, map, survey, inspect, and manage worksites more efficiently and safely,” said Dan Burton, founder of DroneBase, a drone pilot network that provides support for construction companies. “Through aerial imagery and data, builders can map projects, report progress updates and gain insights through advanced analytics to make better, faster and more reliable decisions.”
Construction applications
Because UAVs provide a bird’s eye view of a jobsite, they offer builders a range of benefits that can’t be matched by any other technology, and the top applications in commercial construction are for logistics, progress monitoring, as-built surveying and marketing, said Dustin Williams, CEO and founder of FlywheelAEC, a reality capture service provider based in San Francisco. Among other projects, his company provides weekly drone flights over the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium jobsite in Las Vegas.
Denver-based PCL Construction has utilized drones for more than three years on nearly all of its major projects to improve jobsite communication, perform volumetric analysis, overlay design documents with installed work for visual verification, verify grades and provide historical documentation.
"The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words has never been more true," Bill Bennington, PCL's national quality manager, told Construction Dive.
New England contractor Windover Construction uses drones to establish a 3D model of jobsites, which managers import into the company’s BIM workflow.
Drone provider Skycatch is recording all construction activity on Microsoft’s Redmond campus renovation project, feeding data into more than 100 models that contain almost 3 million 3D building components.
For marketing purposes or for client updates, drones can capture detailed, close-up images that are not possible with a photographer on the ground or even in a helicopter, Burton told Construction Dive. “It’s also a much safer solution than taking pictures from a crane and more affordable than a helicopter flight,” he said.
UAVs are also useful tools for accident prevention, according to Drone Enthusiast. Overhead images showing erection sequences, crane locations or perimeter security can help pinpoint where projects get congested and even predict where hazards could pop up. The improved transparency and collaboration decreases inefficiencies that often lead to a reduction in change orders, Williams said.
More drone-related advancements are on the horizon. Burton said that drones with thermal sensors and ground control points (GCPs) will gain more traction this year, enabling construction managers to identify problems like water leaks or concrete cracks more quickly. Unpiloted UAV systems such as the University of Michigan’s autonomous system that nails shingles to a roof, are also upping drones' usefulness for construction pros.
What you should know
Before implementing a drone program, it's important to select the right model for the job, starting with the choice of fixed-wing or rotary. With an airplane-like design, fixed-wing drones can glide on a set path and reach higher altitudes, making them efficient for mapping topography and surveying greater distances, according to Big Rentz. However, fixed drones are only able to fly forward.
For closer aerial inspections and photography, rotary drones are the better option since they are easy to control and their rotating blades allow them to hover and remain stable.
Contractors also need to know that despite the perceived low barrier to entry due to the affordable cost of consumer drones, many specialty technical skills are required, as well as professional-grade hardware and software, said Williams. There are dozens of apps that help control and program drones; a recent JBKnowledge report found that the top three apps were DJI Go, Drone Deploy and Pix4D.
“Having a drone program is becoming essential; but having it implemented internally is not practical for everyone,” Williams said. “If implementing internally, contractors should budget money and time appropriately to go from R&D through implementation.”
That said, he added, many contractors would benefit from partnering with a specialized drone service subcontractor. These specialists can help decide the best products and approach for the specific project and ensure that local and federal regulations regarding the use of airspace are followed. They also have trained and FAA-licensed operators.
A newly proposed identification system for commercial drones will help expand usage in the United States for everything from drone-delivered packages to emergency medical supplies. The FAA's Remote ID system, announced late last month, will require the vast majority of drones in the U.S. to broadcast tracking signals that will help authorities to identify their operators and locate them, according to a press statement.
“Remote ID technologies will enhance safety and security by allowing the FAA, law enforcement, and federal security agencies to identify drones flying in their jurisdiction,” Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said in the statement.
When the new regulations hit in a few years, according to the Washington Post, FAA compliance for drone operators will be more important than ever, Burton said. "Companies will need to make sure they have proper clearance, insurance and licenses before flying," he said.
Roadblocks
Drone technology rapidly continues to evolve and bring new applications and benefits every month, but the quick pace of innovation can also be a drawback for contractors who are trying to keep up with the changes, Williams said.
A few other challenges include:
Getting buy-in from construction company leaders. Because there are costs associated with starting a drone program, whether in-house or through a third party, some firms are reluctant to make the investment.
Deciding whether to invest in hardware and training for an in-house pilot or soliciting a drone service provider. The choice between DIY or using a contractor comes down to how spread out the need is, Burton said. If firms are working on multiple sites across the country, a drone operations company can be helpful so companies don’t have to worry about buying hardware, getting insurance or training operators.
Finding a drone service provider that understands the needs of the AEC industry, such as how to coordinate flights around active construction such as cranes or how to integrate drone data into the BIM/VDC process. "While drones are invaluable tools on construction sites, like anything else, they need to be a cost-effective and scalable solution in order for the program to be successful," said Burton.
Ensuring secure transmission of data. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued an alert last year citing “strong concerns” that Chinese-made drones could be sending sensitive flight data to manufacturers and potentially to the Chinese government. The drones “contain components that can compromise your data and share your information on a server accessed beyond the company itself,” said DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency memo. DHS cautioned users to be wary of purchasing Chinese-made drones and to take precautions such as turning off a unit's internet connection and removing secure digital cards.
Author: Jenn Goodman
Published: Jan. 8, 2020