Stakeholders urge FG, tech investors to venture into drones
By Olabisi Olaleye with agency reports
It is believed that technology evolves daily. This is the major of reason the federal government is expected to latch on what technology offers, especially emerging technologies that could accelerate productivity such as the drone.
A drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which are a component of an unmanned aircraft system.
Currently, the world is in need of data that can be sourced with drones. Not toy drones for hobbyists nor military drones but powerful data-capturing drones that are transforming the way companies operate, offering unparalleled insight from 400 feet.
Experts have explained that government should delve into partnership with private investors to utilise drones for deliveries, for example.
It not only reduces cost but also boosts efficiency at the speed necessary for this technology age.
Years back, drones were known in advanced countries to be tools for combat in war zones but now drones could be used for various services, including e-commerce delivery, agriculture, medical supplies and test results.
According to the 2017 Drone Industry Trends Report by DroneDeploy, a drone-mapping software with the largest drone data platform in the world that has mapped 10 million acres of land, drones’ mapping capabilities are redefining and creating new industries.
Globally, the rising popularity of drones is generating significant value for enterprises and entrepreneurs alike, from the creation of 29,000 new jobs for drone pilots to lucrative company decisions facilitated by data.
In the United States, DroneDeploy’s software generated an estimated $150 million in economic value.
Providing additional insight,the CEO of DroneDeploy, Mike Winn, said the ease with which drones collect data, combined with integrations, make data easily shareable. And this is increasing company efficiency by up to 10 times.
“Sixty per cent of DroneDeploy users create new maps every single week, signaling that entire industries are becoming reliant on the data drones provide,” the firm said.
The question remains, when will Nigeria embrace drone technology without propping up airspace regulations as a hindrance to its actualisation?
A year ago, online and offline store, Yudala deployed the drone for the first time to deliver goods and services ordered from its store to customers in Nigeria.
According to Yudala’s marketing manager, Afam Anyinka, the best way to know the readiness of the continent for drones would be to push the boundaries.
“Truth is, most innovations and inventions were not products of serendipity but outcomes of carefully planned and rigorous, often cerebral, processes. Going by the overwhelmingly positive reception to the drone delivery, I must state that Nigeria is indeed ripe for such an initiative,” he said.
Already, South Africa has ventured into numerous commercial drone start-ups that are now providing services for clients and generating revenue.
Agriculture, in other climes, has embraced drones more than any other sector as a way to efficiently map farmland. The surveying, construction, and education industries follow on its heels.