Four out of five Britons would support the widespread adoption of drones if stringent safety, security and monitoring measures existed, according to a new report by Vodafone.
Of the 2,000 members of the public polled for the report, the majority support their use for emergency response (86%), police assistance (79%) and environmental conservation (61%). Meanwhile, 92% of respondents believe that drones equipped with cameras could help the fire brigade tackle fires through improved visual imagery from above, and a similar number see drones as an aid to natural disaster relief operations. Other uses include surveying crops and livestock and assessing flood damage.
The Cellular Connected Drones report, commissioned by Vodafone UK and produced by WPI Economics, details the significant social and economic benefits that SIM-enabled drones can deliver to the commercial and public sectors. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) estimates that by 2030 drones will contribute a £42 billion increase in UK GDP and £16 billion in annual cost savings to the UK economy. In addition, Department of Transport predicted licensed drones could grow from 100,000 in 2022 to up to 900,000 by 2050.
The Vodafone report also makes several policy recommendations including:
- establishing a “blue light” drones fund for emergency services
- developing an Unmanned Traffic Management (UMT) system to co-ordinate drone flights with other airspace users; Vodafone also has a system that can detect drones entering no-fly zones and force them to hover or land
- promoting 5G connectivity to support many drones at the same time and reduce delays in sending commands and information.
Vodafone UK Chief Executive Officer Nick Jeffery said:
“Drones can provide crucial information to emergency services responding to incidents. They can assess fires, deliver medical supplies, and help businesses survey hazardous conditions, such as construction sites, power lines and our own mobile masts, quicker and more safely. On the flip side, rogue drones can pose security risks. By working in collaboration with government, the public sector and regulators, we can shape legislation to ensure the transition from a consumer toy to a vital support service while protecting our critical infrastructure.”
Professor Iain Gray, Director of Aerospace at Cranfield University, said:
“Drones have a wide range of potential uses which are currently under-exploited. The findings of this report are reassuring and show that public opinion is supportive of using drones for a greater variety of tasks, if better safety, security and monitoring measures are in place. Collaboration will be key, and the work we are doing with Vodafone and other consortium members at our National Beyond visual line of sight Experimentation Centre (NBEC) is providing a safe and managed environment for drone and unmanned aircraft experimentation, working towards their integration into controlled and uncontrolled airspace.”
The full report can be downloaded here.
Source: Press Release
Of course their study says this. It also happens to support their plans to be the linch pin in the regulatory and control infrastructure so anything that says “oh yeah lets have more drones, (as long as we control them” is just dandy for them.
Paraphasing a poll that we dont even know what was asked is not an accurate way to bring forward a discussion of drone safety or acceptance with the common man or woman. 52% of people with a margin of error of what? What questions were asked? With the media attack on drones almost as virulent is it is on Trump what is that poll really saying? That they are afraid of drones or that they are afraid of the government having drones spying on them, that they are afraid that drones will fall from the sky and kill them, Steal their babies? violate their dog? You have no idea what the question was that they perverted into this useless little blurb. But it supports their plan to postion themselves as the technological overlords of drone in the UK. They want to be in the Control Business, The area denial business, the monitoring business and the you cant fly unless you pay me business.