Aerodyne Malaysia’s dronetech startup is assisting in flood search and rescue – Wired PR Lifestyle Story
[ad_1]
Last weekend, as the rains swept through Malaysia without interruption, the floods began to increase dangerously. On Sunday evening, the water exceeded dangerous levels in 6 states.
By then, the local drodynet company Aerodyne had jumped into action. The first thing the company did was help its teammates, about 20 of whom were affected by the floods. Aerodyne helped them escape and found accommodation.
Trivia: In its infancy (around 2014), what He shot Aerodyne into the spotlight drones quickly deployed to capture information and images of Malaysia’s worst monsoon floods in decades. These data were then shared with the public, government agencies and major media at no cost.
He then went on to volunteer, contacting the appropriate authorities to see where the team’s support was needed.
Over the past week, he has been assisting government agencies in the search and rescue efforts of Selangor through the deployment of tactical drones.
In addition to gathering critical information such as directional water flow, its drones have identified, apprehended and rescued flood victims.
From there, the team used the data collected to develop effective evacuation plans and rescue routes, especially in affected areas.
These rescue efforts promoted by Dronetech are carried out all over the clock, rain or shine, night or day. So far, these efforts will continue in the near future, as well as passing the rescue phase to the recovery and reconstruction phases.
The Vulcan Post spoke with Aerodyne CEO Kamarul about how the team is navigating these rescue efforts and what can be done to strengthen Malaysia’s disaster detection infrastructure with the help of dronetech.
Navigating a statewide drone deployment
Although Malaysia’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) regulations are becoming more welcome, there are still rigorous approval processes to ensure safe airspace.
This is crucial as airspace is shared by many other air vehicles such as helicopters and airplanes, so careful coordination is required to avoid danger.
Kamarul noted that the Selangor government was able to execute this well, not only for Aerodyne, but also for other dronetech players, allowing the coordinated deployment of drones such as VStream, Alphaswift Industries and Meraque Services, to name a few.
Prior to Aerodyne working with Selangor on other projects, they had an existing data-sharing platform that could also be used for flood data.
All of these factors allowed dronetech players to play their part well in the relief efforts, but there is still work to be done.
What we mean by this is not about clearing the consequences, but about preventing such catastrophes from happening again in the future.
We could have done better, sooner
In the end Facebook post, Kamarul noted that there were key vulnerabilities in Malaysia’s early warning and emergency response system.
Having traveled well, he used his experience in other Japanese countries to gain examples of effective systems.
He explained that “Japan has a good system for detecting or warning very early using sensors, weather data, etc.”
Of course, Malaysia has its own departments like MET Malaysia, which use meteorological data to predict weather and natural disasters. Aerodyne itself has access to accurate meteorological data and has a predictive model for the analysis of rainfall and other phenomena.
But the difference lies in how well all this data is collected to the citizens. Although MET Malaysia is actively issuing warnings, these warnings are not exacerbated by the government on a more personal level.
On the contrary, Kamarul said: “In Japan, if there is a tsunami warning, all citizens will be notified already, either by siren or via SMS.”
This communication can be crucial between life and death. The 37 death of flood victim (At the time of writing) this system could have been prevented if it had been in force.
Beyond life, homes and other belongings could also be saved early, giving citizens time to evacuate with proper warning.
Do something with the data we have
In the end, however, what has been done is done, and the ball is in the court of the responsible authorities, and now they have to re-evaluate what went wrong and take the appropriate measures to prevent it from happening again.
In addition to search and rescue, drones can also be used to assess damage from natural disasters. Kamarul told the Vulcan Post, “We can do a lot of assessments. Do you know, for example, why the water hasn’t come down? Where does it come from?”
Drone data can also be used to map high-risk areas and perform flood simulations, such as better drainage planning.
If not to build new and better systems to alleviate natural disasters, at least to improve and maintain existing infrastructure.
There is no excuse for government agencies not to use this data to save lives after this tragedy, as they are already available, offered by companies like Aerodyne pro bono.
– // –
Kamarul also noted that it was gratifying to see our Malaysian community come together and mobilize support for flood victims so quickly.
We have shown tremendous love and care for our friends people, costs or risks to ourselves. (Even if you are actively volunteering in areas that are flooded, please also practice good self-safety, such as wearing the right protective gear and receiving the necessary blows against diseases that can be carried by floods).
But the fact is that all of this could have been avoided. He should not have to get to the point where he has to respond to the consequences of a tragedy now.
Already lives have been lost, property has been damaged, people have been displaced and some are still extinct. There is a long way to go to recover from this Malaysia, and the duration of COVID-19 does not make our lives any easier.
Surely they would agree with me that there should be no “next time” before such tragedies could be avoided. Again, we already have the technology and data thanks to dronetech and other industry players.
We just wanted to make things better. On a smaller scale, those of us who have the resources to help in many ways can turn to our list of fundraising and volunteer support for our floods. here.
Featured Image Credit: Aerodyne
[ad_2]
Source link
