Is the Technology Industry Doing Enough for Humanity?
By: Nick Koiza
Head of Security Business
10th July 2018
This Thursday, I am co-chairing the Cambridge Wireless event: “Drones: The Good, the bad and the scary” as part of my work as a Security SIG champion.
This has prompted me to think about our evolving technology industry; as we are successfully maturing, are we giving enough back? Do we have a duty to use our technical expertise and knowledge and apply them for the betterment of humanity?
Commercial drone manufacturers DJI Technology conducted a survey in early 2017 looking at the number of lives saved by drones. The report states that at least 59 people have been rescued from life-threatening conditions around the Globe.
The clear conclusion is that drones are regularly saving lives around the world. This is occurring even though professional rescue crews are just beginning to adopt UAS technology, and in many cases are relying on bystanders or volunteers to provide lifesaving assistance.”
Since then however, it is estimated that at least 133 people have been rescued. The numbers are rising, as the number of drones being utilised increases. In June this year, it was recorded that, globally, public safety drones saved four lives in one day alone – great news. The latest UK case was the rescue of a missing man who had become stuck in deep marshland in Norfolk. The man was stranded for 22 hours before being found by a police surveillance drone.
Life-changing technologies are being used but not in the life-changing sectors of Charity and Humanitarian Aid.
For years now companies, like Matternet, have been looking at drone and other technologies and how it can impact positively in the charity sector. It shouldn’t take much for engineering companies to assess their technology and work out how it can be applied for less profitable, but very worthy causes.
At Plextek we have a range of bespoke technology solutions that could be reapplied with some thought:
Last mile response: in a crisis, either environmental or war, drones can provide autonomous humanitarian aid into areas where it might be too dangerous for aid workers to enter.
Surveillance: For early identification/warning systems in environmental disaster areas. Or to enter the location of a disaster to assess the situation and safety for humans.
Identification: Possible human identification in the case of human trafficking, or animal ID and tracking for monitoring the numbers of endangered species.
First Response: First response units like lifeboats, mountain rescue or fire service can all use technology to enhance their search and rescue capabilities. The RNLI have already used drones to find people lost at sea but is the technology achievable at scale as the take up is slow across the board.
We need to make the latest engineering developments accessible for a wider range of applications. But what is the motivation to invest company time and money in applying technology to the charity/not-for-profit sector?
I guess the larger the company, the more shareholders there are to answer to. Ideally, the technology industry could pull together and work on a better future. It’s not going to be politicians. It’s up to us.
If you’d like to chat further, come and see me at the event, or get in touch, email: nicholas.koiza@plextek.com or call: +44 (0) 1799 533 266
This Thursday, I am co-chairing the Cambridge Wireless event: “Drones: The Good, the bad and the scary” as part of my work as a Security SIG champion.
This has prompted me to think about our evolving technology industry; as we are successfully maturing, are we giving enough back? Do we have a duty to use our technical expertise and knowledge and apply them for the betterment of humanity?
Commercial drone manufacturers DJI Technology conducted a survey in early 2017 looking at the number of lives saved by drones. The report states that at least 59 people have been rescued from life-threatening conditions around the Globe.
The clear conclusion is that drones are regularly saving lives around the world. This is occurring even though professional rescue crews are just beginning to adopt UAS technology, and in many cases are relying on bystanders or volunteers to provide lifesaving assistance.”
Since then however, it is estimated that at least 133 people have been rescued. The numbers are rising, as the number of drones being utilised increases. In June this year, it was recorded that, globally, public safety drones saved four lives in one day alone – great news. The latest UK case was the rescue of a missing man who had become stuck in deep marshland in Norfolk. The man was stranded for 22 hours before being found by a police surveillance drone.
Life-changing technologies are being used but not in the life-changing sectors of Charity and Humanitarian Aid.
For years now companies, like Matternet, have been looking at drone and other technologies and how it can impact positively in the charity sector. It shouldn’t take much for engineering companies to assess their technology and work out how it can be applied for less profitable, but very worthy causes.
At Plextek we have a range of bespoke technology solutions that could be reapplied with some thought:
Last mile response: in a crisis, either environmental or war, drones can provide autonomous humanitarian aid into areas where it might be too dangerous for aid workers to enter.
Surveillance: For early identification/warning systems in environmental disaster areas. Or to enter the location of a disaster to assess the situation and safety for humans.
Identification: Possible human identification in the case of human trafficking, or animal ID and tracking for monitoring the numbers of endangered species.
First Response: First response units like lifeboats, mountain rescue or fire service can all use technology to enhance their search and rescue capabilities. The RNLI have already used drones to find people lost at sea but is the technology achievable at scale as the take up is slow across the board.
We need to make the latest engineering developments accessible for a wider range of applications. But what is the motivation to invest company time and money in applying technology to the charity/not-for-profit sector?
I guess the larger the company, the more shareholders there are to answer to. Ideally, the technology industry could pull together and work on a better future. It’s not going to be politicians. It’s up to us.
If you’d like to chat further, come and see me at the event, or get in touch, email: nicholas.koiza@plextek.com or call: +44 (0) 1799 533 266
