Government bodies leading the way

 When it comes to India, government bodies have been leading the way when it comes to applications of UAS with several large India government bodies and PSUs leveraging the use of UAS in their operations.

The variety of applications is already deeply diverse:

• As part of the road-widening project executed by the Highways Authority of India, several Indian start-ups are assisting in the 3-D digital mapping of the Raebareli– Allahabad highway. The data gathered by UAVs are playing an incremental role in the computation of compensation for those whose property rights is affected by the project.

• Similarly, Railways in India is planning the bidding process for 3- video mapping of the entire dedicated freight corridor network of 3,360 km (roughly 2,000 miles) using drone technology.

• The state-owned power corporation has obtained approval from a committee representing the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Power to use drones for monitoring project development. The organization believes that this can render the monitoring of projects in hilly terrains particularly cheap and efficient

The ability of drones to monitor surface integrity, take measurements, and assess wear and damage has prompted the thermal power corporation to consider their deployment for solar panel inspection, predictive maintenance, and surveillance and intrusion detection in solar power plants. Drone-powered execution of infrared detection in solar photovoltaics can have monumental positive benefits for India, as the country attempts to achieve its stated goal of 100 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2022.

• An Indian state-controlled coal mining company has applied for permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to start using drones for aerial surveys of coal blocks that come up for exploration, in order to assess the extent of greenery to be restored after mines are closed.

• An agency for coordinating the response to natural or man-made disasters have

already been relying on the delivery and tracking capabilities of drones to handle disaster relief and rescue in India. Similarly, during elections in the State of Chhattisgarh, the Central Reserve Police Force used UAVs for patrolling an area of 40,000 square kilometres and providing round-the-clock surveillance. The Government of Uttar Pradesh has used drones for maintaining law and order at the Kumbha Mela festival, and so have the police during the grandiose Ganapati festival. Drones helped the police identify seventy bags of bricks stocked for use as projectiles by rioters during the riots in 2014, and they could take pre-emptive action.