Standardised drone legislation is much needed in Ireland and across the world, says Zenadrone CEO Dr Shaun Passley
DRONES are being used to deliver food, for emergency response and civil defence.
Earlier this year, Dublin City Council and Smart Dublin led a report: Accelerating the Potential of Drones for Local Government.
It flagged international best and emerging practices as part of an initiative to accelerate the potential of drones across local government in Ireland.
A recent survey found that 84 per cent of people felt positive about the flying tech plane with thousands of flights expected by 2025.
However, concerns were raised about safety and privacy.
Writing in the Irish Sun below, Dr Shaun Passley, CEO of Zenadrone, says standardised drone legislation is much needed in Ireland and across the world.
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THERE’S no doubt that drones are here to stay, and while they’re mostly used by photographers and enthusiasts, they are proving to be more useful in other areas - business, agriculture, crowd safety and even law enforcement.
But don’t worry - we’re not going to be seeing Robocop drones patrolling streets any time soon.
An Garda Siochana currently retains 11 drones specifically designed for training purposes.
According to reports, their use could be expanded to a public-facing role in the near future. But how?
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The increasing commercial and military use of drones raises concerns of civilian safety and security.
Despite negative views of warfare because of their civilian casualties, unmanned aerial vehicles provide advantages to law enforcement.
Their benefits include city mapping, and evidence gathering in investigations.
HD cameras will be able to document every square inch of a crime scene or the accident site, potentially allowing investigators to render a 3D model of the site later, to aid with the case and make and conclusions about the events therein.
It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it’s entirely possible with current technology.
DRONE USES
Drones could even be used in identifying and pursuing suspects.
Don’t worry though, we don’t expect to see drones chasing people down the street like in the TV show Black Mirror.
UAV will be seen doing more tasks once reserved to helicopters - providing an eye in the sky to police on the ground.
This type of drone could also provide traffic management support, aid in search and rescue operations, safety at sporting events and other large crowds…anything a helicopter can do, a drone can do too - at a fraction of the cost.
What are the public concerns? Law enforcement agents use drones for criminal operations and intelligence. It plays a critical role in keeping borders safe and secure.
REGULATIONS
Countries have drone regulations, but as innovation expands, personal privacy and security concerns will rise.
A recent study showed people were less mindful of commercial drone use than of drones owned by the government, military, or law enforcement.
Despite differences between the drone operators, none of the entities was allowed a free pass; the public is mainly not in favour of any flying over their homes or land.
Not all of them are created equal in terms of their purpose. Recreational drones tend to cause most or near accidents as they’re used more in public with less supervision.
In contrast, commercial and industrial drones have built-in features that prevent them from operating in unsolicited areas and are used in strictly controlled zones, which reduces risks for people.
Hence, to address people’s concerns about privacy, policy development is needed to regulate recreational, commercial, and industrial drone use in specified areas.
SAFE USE
Most legal frameworks surrounding their use in different countries are anchored on several areas of law.
As a result, the legalities for drone use is complex and unclear at some points because of its overarching contradictions with other laws.
For example, criminal procedure law may allow the police to use drones for crime investigations which may also contradict aviation laws.
With the rapid development of drone innovation, it can be challenging for legislators to prohibit particular drone types and functions when these technologies are accessible to buy abroad and introduced to open societies.
Drone innovation, as with surveillance technology such as CCTVs, traffic cameras, satellite imaging, location sharing, etc. are all part of the current world.
Regulations on drone classifications must emphasise their safe use in urban areas.
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Drone technology is expected to take over urban skies allowing people to enjoy the convenience of commercial deliveries without compromising their sense of privacy.
Government leaders should pursue international legislation to standardise drone use in the worldwide arena.