sold out DRONERESPONDERS NATIONAL PUBLIC SECURITY UAS CONFERENCE kicks off today in Williamsburg, Virginia, packed with an international guest list and a schedule of training and presentations.
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One of the early uses of public safety drones is search and rescue, and Gemma Alcock is at the forefront of that effort.Established Alcoc skybound rescue In 2016, we worked closely with international public security agencies, including the then Royal Lifeboat Institute (RNLI). In addition to his role as founder and CEO of SkyBound Rescuer, Alcock is currently Director of Aviation Services for Lowland Rescue, a UK-based SAR charity that searches for missing vulnerable people on behalf of the police. .
Response Challenges: Manned Aircraft, Foot Teams, and Drones in Search and Rescue
One of the major challenges in search and rescue (SAR) operations is time. The longer a search team takes to respond to a request from a public security agency, prepare and begin a search, the longer it takes for a person to be rescued and the less likely they are to survive. In remote areas where SAR is most needed, response times can be very slow.
There are multiple factors that contribute to the slow response time. Manned aircraft like helicopters are expensive and in short supply. In the UK, a SkyBound Rescuer study found that manned aircraft teams only accept 54% of all service requests, turning down almost half of the agencies needing service. Although much cheaper, manual drone teams aren’t readily available either. Also, it takes time to search for the drone and set it up for flight. “Drones are rarely the first to come, but they are where they can add the most value,” Alcock points out. Regional drone teams are still working in silos. That means he within the same county can have vastly different hardware, training, and flight protocols, even between two emergency services.
“These challenges pose a significant risk to responders,” says Alcock. “If an aircraft responds too slowly, emergency services must not look up at the sky and get into a dangerous situation.”
SkyBound Rescuer’s Vision for the Future: Automated Drones Where You Need Them
SkyBound Rescuer now addresses these needs by providing a software solution to help teams plan and operate missions more effectively and quickly. But their big vision for the future is to eliminate the need for trained pilots to operate in the field through the SkyBound Network.
The SkyBound Network is an international network of automated drone stations, deployed in high-risk areas such as coastlines, rugged terrain, and even crime-ridden areas. These drones are always ready and ideally respond within 5 minutes of a call for assistance. This is almost an hour faster than the response time of most British Coast Guard helicopters.
SkyBound plans to invest in infrastructure and work on a leasing model. The cost of automated drone stations can be shared across agencies, making it a cost-effective model with no capital costs. The solution allows first responders to access drone data without being onsite to fly the drone, and without having a trained pilot driving to locate the site.
Testing of the SkyBound network yielded convincing results. Response time is 8 minutes compared to 73 minutes for a foot SAR team or 65 minutes for a manned drone team. The search itself took only about 13 minutes, while both the foot and manual drone teams took him over two hours. It also required only one man, who had no drone training, to operate it.
As drone regulations evolve and the implementation of automated drone solutions becomes more common around the world, the SkyBound network has the potential to change the way drones are used in search and rescue. In the case of missing persons, Gemma Alcock says the speed the network offers is the difference between life and death.
“The sooner we get there, the sooner we can find them, and the sooner we can get them to final care,” says Alcock. “It makes a big difference in the outcome. That’s what saves lives.”
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Miriam McNabb, editor-in-chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of professional drone services marketplace JobForDrones, is a fascinating observer of the emerging drone industry and drone regulatory environment. With her 3,000+ articles focused on the commercial drone space, Miriam is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and high tech she has over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, please email Miriam.
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