Managing ‘air highways’ of the future
The surge of acquiring “Naya Pakistan” via Azadi March in the shadow of rigging in national elections 2013 has introduced the next generation of technology. Commercial drones otherwise known as Unmanned Air vehicles (UAVs) made their flights for the coverage of the protests. Drones probably may not be in wide use hitherto but Pakistan needs to curb drones activities in future. Drones are usually known as covert US military assets that violate territorial integrity of countries to attack terrorists, often missing their mark and killing innocent civilians. However, these inexpensive drones carry high definition cameras and other sensors that are used by different companies for their advantages though they have some serious disadvantages also.
Pakistan’s Global Industrial Defense Solutions (GIDS) specialises in and produces fixed wing UAVs Buraq and Shahpar for military purposes; these are reconnaissance, day and night surveillance machines. Other features include accurate lateral, longitudinal trajectory control, mission planning, management and control, geo referencing and geo pointing for terrestrial targets.
DHL courier service also announced to use drones and Amazon Inc announced delivery system service “Prime Air”. Facebook‘s High-Flying Internet-Supplying drones are on the way as well to make internet access a universal source
On the contrary, commercial drones have different types and are more powerful than you think. These drones have flight ranging from 300 meters onward, rechargeable plus replaceable batteries limit time approximately to 25 minutes and radar options can detect flight activities attached to a mobile remote ground support. Commercial UAVs are used all over the world now for different civil purposes; those include aerial surveillance for agriculture, border patrol missions, domestic policing, disaster relief, climate diversity, data-gathering issues, environmental impact, scientific research, railway surveillance, forest fire detection, acrobatic footage and film making, inspecting power lines and pipe lines, delivering medical supplies and goods at your door step.
Even a Pakistani student has started textbook rental delivery system, named zakool.com through drones, at the Sydney University, Australia. Japan is also using Yamaha RMAX drones for 20 years for hillside farmlands. Drones can be sent in storms and natural disasters without risking human lives. In May 2013, the life of a man was saved after a road accident in Canada by a search and rescue drone. In Pennsylvania, an NGO activists “Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK)” used drones to monitor people shooting at pigeons for sport. Google Inc announced its plans for delivering anything from candies, clothes to medicines. DHL courier service also announced to use drones and Amazon Inc announced delivery system service “Prime Air”. Facebook‘s High-Flying Internet-Supplying drones are on the way as well to make internet access a universal source.
Aerial vehicles are small and lightweight, yet they can carry different payloads and become armed in wrong hands, resulting in assassinations or terrorist attacks. Other than that flying over sensitive locations must be prohibited, like flying over airports
In the United States, a court case was filed where the district of Columbia Circuit pitted Texas EquuSearch, a Dickinson, TX-based group that searches for missing persons, against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). An FAA employee emailed Texas EquuSearch that the use of unmanned aircrafts was unlawful. Another case was reported, in which a businessman Raphael Pirker was fined $10,000 by FAA on using 56 inch foam glider to take aerial video for an advertisement for the Virginia Medical Center University. The court verdict at the end said commercial drones were legal, FAA cannot ban them and the fine was dismissed. NASA scientists are assisting FAA in designing air highways and specialised drone corridors and now the US has allowed two types of drones to test fly at six locations.
Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has to make sure companies operate commercial UAVs safely; it is a whole new level of technology that universities must also apply to teaching programs as well, students should be allowed to get hands-on instructions. Ultimately, if Amazon, Google, Facebook and other major companies are going to make their projects operational in public, we must be ready to produce future drone pilots with simulators and technicians. Aerial vehicles are small and lightweight, yet they can carry different payloads and become armed in wrong hands, resulting in assassinations or terrorist attacks. Other than that flying over sensitive locations must be prohibited, like flying over airports boundaries can cause disturbance in the air transportation system.
Pakistan needs a national commercial drone’s policy and its regulations must include the domestic use for flying and licensing of commercial drones. It must define the laws of their trade and import in the country, without posing any threat to public, military installations and national security. Public can also participate in feedback to design the privacy policy and civil liberties from aerial surveillance. Pakistan’s CAA has played a responsible role in this country’s security and build-up. We must embrace this new technology to assure our economic progress and long-term security.
