The COVID-19 pandemic has affected businesses and various sectors in many ways, including how work is done. This has further brought technology to the forefront, and drones certainly can’t be left out. Have you ever wondered what drones can do beyond aerial photography? Research predicts that drone services’ market size has the potential to grow to an estimated $63.6 billion by 2025, showing the important role these services can play in commercial activities. What are some of the sectors that can benefit from this technology? Here are a few.
Agriculture
Drones improve the efficiency of agricultural activities such as irrigation, fertilizer application, etc. Beyond that, these drones can also enhance your monitoring efforts by giving you an idea of how feasible it is to plant crops across your land and where they should be cultivated for the best yield. Additionally, you get a deeper insight into the nature of your land (topography) and the best way to lay out your irrigation lines. This helps you save time and financial costs in the long run while improving productivity. Imagine doing what would have originally taken you about three months manually, in a matter of weeks. Drone services make this possible.
Healthcare
Although still not very popular in Ghana, using drones in the healthcare space is looking increasingly attractive, with more people embracing the effect such technology could have on this sector. This makes medical supplies more accessible to health facilities in rural areas and helps improve the overall quality of healthcare delivery in the country. An example of this is seen in the “Fly-To-Save-A-Life” project in 2019, spearheaded by Zipline International in Ghana to deliver medical supplies to about 2,000 health facilities across the nation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, drones have the potential also to fill another gap; vaccine delivery. In a quest to deliver vaccines to as many people as possible within the shortest possible times, drones can serve as a practical solution to this issue. This solution has become a reality in Ghana, where again, Zipline delivered an estimated 4,500 doses of vaccines across the Ashanti Region. As the company’s CEO puts it, not only does this make Ghana the first country to use drones nationally to deliver COVID-19 vaccines, but it’s also a significant effort in facilitating equal access to healthcare.
Construction
Studies by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) reveal that the use of drones in both the construction and mining sectors can grow into a USD28.3 billion market! The use of drones in this field can certainly not be ignored. Especially when project monitoring is key, drones play a pivotal role in monitoring your site’s progress during construction. Additionally, this can be used on various projects, ranging from railway construction to residential and infrastructural developments, etc. As a plus, site safety is enhanced for your workers and any other relevant stakeholders.
Mining
Mining has a significant impact on the environment, and as such, it must be done responsibly. To do so, actionable data is key to accurately assess mining concessions and determine which areas can be worked on whilst reducing any resulting damage as much as possible. This is where drones come in; they’re able to reach areas that would have otherwise put human lives at risk, to assess the depths of these sites. This will help make your approach and activities more focused and efficient in the process and even goes to the extent of letting you know whether you’ll need to resettle the residents around those particular areas to enhance their comfort and safety.
Many other sectors stand to benefit from drone services, and as a forward-looking nation, we’ll need to embrace this new normal.
What other ways do you think drones can make an impact? We’d love to hear from you.
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