DEFENSE AND SECURITY
Drones or UAVs can identify security and terrorism-related challenges and pinpoint vulnerable areas that are prone to various risks. Drones are the modern-day force multiplier that can enhance the capabilities of security forces to contain terror and to counter the emerging challenges in defence and homeland security.
Terrorism
The threat of terrorism has become more decentralized and unpredictable over the last few years. There is a need to incorporate diverse approaches in both counter terrorism and counter insurgency in order to witness tangible and measurable gains.
Anti-terrorism is a daunting task which focuses on improving awareness of the threat, developing capabilities to prepare and respond to terror operations and enable persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Traditional anti-terror strategies like the interception of communications heightened security, immigrant profiling, border patrol and tracing of persons. However, these strategies are not enough and there is a need to strengthen anti-terror activities.
Drones are certainly the most significant and life-saving technology to be used in anti-terror operations as they are equipped with electro-optic, infrared and high-resolution video cameras that can track both stationary and moving targets. They can provide 360-degree coverage and intelligent analysing capacity which helps to detect, locate and identify potential threats and track terrorists.
Drones provide advanced surveillance and with the use of artificial intelligence, identifying risks and decision making becomes more effective and instantaneous. As technology advances, the use of drones in anti-terror operations has seen a significant rise in recent years. Drones are now used for advanced surveillance, reconnaissance and covert operations due to their rapid deployment and turnaround times and precise targeting capability.
Borders
Drones are a significant asset in border security as they allow for real-time reconnaissance, target acquisition, track movement of people and illegal activities via high-quality video feed. Drones mounted with thermal detection cameras are much superior at tracking irregular activities such as illegal border crossing attempts through dense woods or mountainous terrain as compared to stationary video cameras.
Drones flying at altitudes of 100 meters and far higher can cover broad swathes of land and quickly detect activities that might be missed by fixed or mobile ground sensors, particularly in remote or mountainous areas. Drone surveillance creates new accountability mechanisms that obviate some visible signs of security such as fences, while also introducing an invisible security apparatus that extends beyond state boundaries.
Drones are more time-efficient and cheaper to deploy than helicopters and can access places deemed too unsafe and high-risk for persons. Drone technology can provide security forces with a safer and foolproof mechanism to secure international borders effectively.
The traditional approach to border monitoring includes surveillance by video cameras, ground sensors, land vehicles, and manned aircraft but these have become quite inadequate. There is a need to identify challenges which a country encounters across the varying border conditions and introduce a framework to address these challenges. To ensure seamlessness in the legitimate movement of people and goods across the borders, the adoption of new technologies for border control and surveillance is of paramount importance.
Counter insurgency
Insurgency is a rebellion against a constituted government. It is basically a civil war between a weaker group having anti-national ideologies and the government to transfer power from the government to itself. Insurgents manipulate the general public’s ideologies & social thoughts and often instigate them into violence to disrupt anti-militancy operations.
High levels of insurgent unrest lead to mob induced stone-pelting and at such times, the conventional methods of counter-insurgency techniques may not be able to distinguish between civilians and insurgents. Actions of security forces may be misconstrued and lead to undesirable consequences.
Drones play an important role in counter insurgency by gathering actionable intelligence of the conflict area.
The footage from the drones can help the government officials to pin-point the locations of the insurgent groups, track the insurgent leaders, and shutdown their anti-national activities.
Drones with their higher resolution payloads, multiple zoom-in capability and extended endurance offer ground officials with a clearer view to distinguish between civilians and combatants as compared to ground crew and manned helicopters. Drones provide tactical support for conventional counter-insurgency strategy and help in preventing civilian casualties.
Crime
Crime is no longer viewed as a small problem in society rather it is an integral part of understanding any nation’s socio-cultural, political, and economic situation. With the alarming increase in crime rate, the core objective of law enforcement authorities worldwide is to secure public safety and serve communities by deploying more resources to control crime.
But this is not easy with traditional methods of monitoring and surveillance by security cameras and manned helicopters. A smarter and efficient way needs to be integrated to detect crimes as they happen and intercept criminals quickly with clinching evidence. Proactive crime control can increase public safety and build stronger communities and also boost the morale of enforcement authorities.
Drones with real-time video relay and autonomous capabilities and equipped with daylight and/or thermal cameras can help law enforcement authorities control crimes proactively. Drones can also help the police forces get an aerial perspective of possible bomb threats and crime scene analysis remotely. This gives the investigators another angle they might missed on a traditional inspection.
Drones are also great tools in diffusing active shooter and hostage situations as they can be deployed from remotely and provide an initial assessment of the situation. They can help rule out threats while formulating a strategy for to resolve the situation in the best way possible. Crime documentation can also be done easily and more accurately with drones. They offer the best opportunity to get a detailed view of the crime scene more efficiently without contaminating evidence.
Forest and wildlife
Forests and wildlife are the dominant terrestrial ecosystem of Earth and are distributed around the globe. Wildlife and forests account for 75% of the gross primary production of the Earth’s biosphere and contain 80% of the Earth’s plant biomass.
The protection and conservation of these ecosystems are important to maintain the earth’s environment and reduce the effects of climate change. The use of modern technology must be used to monitor reserved, protected territorial forests, wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, and conservation and community reserves. Drones can revolutionize the way forest and wildlife conservation research is conducted. Drones provide a bird’s-eye view of forests and wildlife and obtain information, imagery, and data that may be hard to access or expensive.
Drones not only act as an alternative method for the conversationalists with added safety to observe and study subjects but also are often less costly, more efficient, and more precise than traditional approaches.
Drones can assist in tracking illegal activities, monitor animals, count their population, plan reforestation, take exotic images and more. Drones for forest and wildlife gives us a better tomorrow by assessing forest health, encroachments, tree-felling, forest fires, poaching, status of water bodies, biodiversity protection, and mangrove conservation.
Crowd monitoring
Research in crowd dynamics especially in the field of minimizing the risks associated with pedestrian crowd has gathered significant interest in the past few decades. Historical trends from mass gathering events such as the Haj pilgrimage and the Kumbh Mela suggest that stampedes occur frequently.
Hence, it is necessary to understand crowd dynamics in real-time to minimize the risks associated with crowd management. To achieve this, a crowd monitoring system has to be developed that provides surveillance and crowd control effectively respond to any situation.
In crowd monitoring, drones provide a wider-field view of the mass gatherings and transmit real-time data to the crowd control team. Drones can zoom in on an area of interest and in turn, provide the team with vital information about what is happening on the ground.
Such information can help ground personnel make critical decisions. In an event of an emergency, the in-depth situational awareness helps the team to respond efficiently in a timely manner. This improves the effectiveness of the teams in crowd management.
Disaster management
Disasters test the most fundamental human instinct of survival. In an event of a disaster, the time taken to respond to the situation is of utmost importance. Emergency rescue teams need to conduct quick and efficient search and rescue operations within the first 72 hours of the disaster. Any delay may lead to loss of human lives and irreversible damages.
The major problem in such times is the lack of situational awareness among the first responders. Moreover, disasters cause major challenges in logistics and communication as well. This forces the team to make unplanned decisions that reduces the efficacy of search and rescue operations.
In disaster management, drones are immensely useful as they provide a birds-eye view of the entire affected area in a very short time. Drones transmit real-time videos to first responders providing real-time knowledge of the situation. This helps them understand about the extent of damage inflicted on infrastructure, the state of transportation and logistics.
Drone feeds can also help in the location of stranded and trapped survivors. This helps the disaster management team to efficiently plan rescue missions and use their resources effectively. In disaster management, drones can also assist in directing stranded people to safe locations and even drop first-aid medical supplies.
A drastic rise in violence by terrorist groups globally has put an intense focus on border security to combat recent national security issues. Border Security Force that has been mandated by Governments for guarding international borders.
The traditional approach to border monitoring includes surveillance by video cameras, ground sensors, land vehicles, and manned aircraft but these have become quite inadequate. There is a need to identify challenges which a country encounters across the varying border conditions and introduce a framework to address these challenges. To ensure seamlessness in the legitimate movement of people and goods across the borders, the adoption of new technologies for border control and surveillance is of paramount importance.
Drone Flight Training & Data Analysis