IoT

How Actionable Drones Will Help Smart Cities Get Smarter

Can actionable drones help improve smart cities? Find out how.

Last Updated: March 30, 2023

It might sound like science fiction, but the integration of drones into urban spaces is quickly becoming a reality. Bentzion Levinson, CEO and founder of HevenDrones, discusses how actionable drones can help smart cities get smarter by improving urban planning, construction and emergency response.

Amazon’s first autonomous drones recently took flight in Texas and California to deliver packages from its distribution centers to customers’ doorsteps in under an hourOpens a new window . These drones utilize a sense-and-avoid system, enabling them to detect and avoid any obstacles like other aircraft, as well as people on the street and pets in backyards. They can also make autonomous decisions regarding safety when they encounter new or unexpected conditions.

Drone technology optimizes last-mile delivery, making it quicker, more efficient, and less costly. It also has huge environmental benefits, as it can significantly reduce carbon emissions by taking more trucks off the roads. Additionally, the introduction of hydrogen-powered drones will help further reduce the carbon footprint of the overall drone industry.  

The potential of drones, however, extends far beyond just delivery and logistics. Actionable, IoT-enabled drones have the ability to perform any number of tasks, as they can capture data from various sources, share it with relevant stakeholders, and even respond to it autonomously. This makes them an ideal tool for smart cities since they can “plug in” to an existing system or operational process to help increase efficiency, lower costs, and improve decision-making.

As urbanization continues to rise, and with an estimated 68% of the world population estimated to live in cities by 2050Opens a new window , cities will need to continue adopting innovative smart technologies in order to ensure a high quality of life for their citizens. Actionable, multi-purpose drones will be a major piece of the smart-city ecosystem, addressing challenges like urban planning, food systems, infrastructure development, sustainable energy, public safety, and emergency response.

Urban Planning

When it comes to urban planning, drones can be used to map and survey large areas of land in a fraction of the time it would take using traditional methods. Plus, they can reach hard-to-access areas. Mapping can provide detailed aerial views of city landscapes and structures, enabling city planners to make informed decisions about land use, zoning, and infrastructure development. 

Take, for example, Gotham GreensOpens a new window ’ hydroponic greenhouse in Brooklyn, which is built on the rooftop of Whole Foods Market. Measuring over 20,000 square feet, it is the first commercial-scale greenhouse farm integrated into a supermarket. This unique setup demonstrates an innovative way to reuse urban land in a densely populated area.

As city populations continue to grow, the need for sustainable, local living will become even more important. This is where actionable drones can have a huge impact, helping decision-makers identify untapped areas that can be used to expand urban agriculture, create green spaces and introduce more ecological initiatives. 

See More: Industry 4.0: The Next Stage of Automation

Construction

The use of autonomous drones in smart city construction projects is another area where huge benefits can be seen in efficiency, safety, accuracy and cost-effectiveness. Autonomous drones equipped with sensors and cameras can collect large amounts of data in real-time, streamlining the construction process. They can survey land distribution and terrain faster and at much lower costs and optimize other integral processes like risk assessment and renovation planning.

One of the primary benefits of using drones is their ability to access areas that are normally difficult or dangerous to inspect. This offers a safer alternative to manual inspections, reducing the risk of accidents and increasing site safety.

When it comes to existing structures, autonomous drones can create 3D models from scans, providing valuable insights into renovations, retrofitting and inspections. These models can also be converted into building models, providing a virtual view of final outcomes before construction even begins. 

Drones can also play an important role in construction supervision and progress checkups by overlaying captured images onto building designs and drawings. This allows for real-time monitoring of project progress, identification of flaws and elimination of human error in quality inspection.

Emergency Response

Actionable drones can also play a central role in making smart cities safer. Drones can connect directly to emergency response centers, assisting incident appraisal and helping teams on the ground manage the situation more effectively.

For example, drones can aid law enforcement teams by providing mission situational awareness. They can rapidly deploy on-scene to gather aerial insights and live stream updates to command centers, allowing decision-makers to take informed action, minimize response times, and maximize the safety of first responders. They can also remotely map, document and preserve crime scenes for later forensic investigation.

In the event of a fire, chemical spill or natural disaster of any kind, drones can fly over buildings and obstacles to reach the site. They can generate high-resolution and 3D mapping, identify hotspots that have sustained damage, and stream live video intelligence back to command centers as well as deliver real-time information to rescuers on the ground. Autonomous drones can also be used to deliver critical supplies like food, water and medical supplies and even to transport people without endangering rescue workers. 

With the rapid advancements in drone technology, it is clear that the use-cases for drones in smart cities are endless. Whether it be last-mile delivery, construction site surveillance, urban mapping or emergency response, actionable drones are changing the game with their ability to capture, share, and respond to data.

As urban spaces continue to grow and evolve, drones have the potential to become a major disruptor in how cities operate, making them smarter, more efficient, and better prepared for the challenges of the future.

Do you think we’ll see actionable drone technology take off and prosper in the next five years? Share with us on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window . We’d love to hear from you!

Image Source: Shutterstock

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Bentzion Levinson
Bentzion Levinson is the Founder and CEO at HevenDrones. A former military commander and Stanford Business School graduate, Bentzion is committed to driving meaningful change through technology. Bentzion led an expert team in a national project to detect and extinguish agricultural fires that were destroying farms across Israel . Bentzion founded HevenDrones in 2019 with the aim of creating an actionable drone ecosystem designed to optimize a wide range of industries, from emergency response, smart-cities and agriculture, to logistics, construction, defense, species conservation and beyond.
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