DRONE TECHNOLOGY FOR INDUSTRIAL USAGE IN MALAYSIA?

When Cyberjaya announced that they would be operating the first ever drone food delivery service in the country we, the citizens, were dumbstruck. That came out of nowhere. Surely it would make sense to use drones for commercial use in this day and age, but is it practical right here in Malaysia, especially after the people were very sceptical at the announcement of the Malaysia’s first flying car is in development?

But that is not what we are going to discuss at this moment. Right now we are going to discuss what else can we use drone technology for, especially in the industrial applications area. In Gartner’s 10 Tech Trends not to ignore in 2019, drone technology has been hinted as one of them.

The technological advancement of commercial drone have also taken it to the next level. In Forbes’ 7 Trends that Shapes Drones, it is listed that…..

“Along with the new imaging sensor integration announcements in 2019 (such as smaller, more lightweight LiDAR), expect to see imaging software advancements as companies seek to combine RGB, thermal imaging, orthomosaic, and data from IoT sensors. More aerial imaging and mapping software firms will likely announce artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Right now, most of this is cloud-based machine learning (a.k.a. deep learning and predictive analytics), where datasets are trained by specialized teams. Already, there are some drone-based AI solutions for image recognition/machine vision, but it’s still early in the technology development cycle and AI is near peak hype.”

So what else can drones be used for with these advance technologies being incorporated?

Agriculture

Malaysia can use industrial drones to spray palm oil plantations and other crops with fertilizers. Japan had been using the Yamaha RMAX unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for over 20 years to spray and feed its rice fields. Because some of the fields are located in high altitude and difficult to reach locations, the drones can easily get into these locations for field maintenance. 

Civil Engineering

As drones costs and barriers to entry lower, nearly all civil engineering projects will be able to benefit from their use. For example, drones can help reduce the time and expense traditionally involved in inspecting infrastructure, constructing roadways and forest roads, and monitoring shoreline erosion. From planning to final construction, nearly every stage of the engineering process can benefit from aerial craft. Airplanes and helicopters are already widely used in civil engineering for things like aerial mapping and creating promotional videos for tourist destinations. With a cheaper solution like drones it would be the perfect alternative option.

GIS Mapping

The innovation of drone use for GIS mapping provides at least five benefits, many of which can be seen almost immediately. They’re time savers. Drones equipped with cameras that can transmit various types of GIS data lower costs on multiple levels. They’re environmentally friendly. The drone mapping aspect of the research is completely non-invasive. Up-front costs are minimal and “green” technology is often eligible for financial reimbursement in that regard. They can safeguard scientific personnel. Long-term expenses could be lower as well.

Security

Security drones is a common element in Science Fiction movies and TV shows but in real life it is not that farfetched. Drones can be used for security, surveillance, and monitoring to improve public safety. It allows for quick deployment, are more cost effective than helicopters and perform well in poor weather.

These are only a few of the work that drone can be utilized for commercial and industrial use. The advancement the technology has prompt FGV Prodata Systems to look very closely for this technology to be fully incorporated as a service to its customers.