Gone are the days when Drone was synonymous with destruction, now, it is more recognised for building Smart Cities

Urbanisation is expected to grow by as much as 90% by 2050 and technology is the only way to leverage existing resources to cope with such an increase in demand. Smart cities project has been launched to answer the call of congestion in the modern cities, with improved urban planning and equitable resource distribution.

In smart cities around the world, unmanned systems are being tested and deployed to quickly collect, aggregate, analyse and deliver highly accurate and highly detailed data: the foundation of a smart city. This data facilitates applications that improve operations, engage residents and support communities.

The concept of a smart city is based on the seamless integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), incorporating its latest trends. UAVs, fondly called "drones" are going to be the major contributors in this endeavour. Previously synonymous with devastation, drones have unshackled themselves from limited military roles into a new world of possibilities in enhancing the human existential experience. The rapid varied scope of distribution, drones have found their way across applications and functions in various stages of development and sustenance of smart cities.

This fact is well understood by the fact that the worldwide spending on smart cities enabler technologies like data safety, accuracy and drones are expected to climb to $135 billion by 2021, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).

UAVs or drones are easy to deploy; they have flexibility in performing difficult tasks, supporting high-resolution imagery and can easily cover the remote areas. Drones are typically used in the following application areas:

1. Surveillance and Security

2. Inspection and Detection

3. Surveying and Mapping

4. Transport and Delivery

5. Farming and Agriculture

6. Wildlife and Game

Drone Application into Smart City Solutions

Smart traffic management

• Having an eye in the sky guide the people on the ground about the cause of jam and help them manage the traffic properly. With the deployment of a single UAV during several hours, continuously and get a more comprehensive look at traffic nodes. Smart Traffic management is the key to smart cities

Crowd management

• Using drones to monitor crowds enable smarter policing.

Natural disaster management

• UAVs can analyse life threating situations properly by constantly monitoring and deploying responses in case of a disaster. Besides analysing different situations to assess the rescue requirements especially in areas that humans cannot reach.

• In China drones with speakers are used to warn citizens about wearing masks to protect them from the Corona Viru

Smart transportation

• Drones can be used to map commuting routes offering flexibility and allowing surveyors to map long corridors efficiently at the start of projects and collect in-depth data to aid decision-making at an earlier stage.

• Drones can also be used for transport and delivery, especially last mile deliveries in congested areas.

Smart resource and asset management

• Smart planning of facility construction and investments

• Tracking infrastructure and assets for formulating smart city solutions

In a crux, these smart flying vehicles are expected to play a key role in the smart city environment, supporting a variety of applications that includes policing, traffic monitoring, firefighting, medical and package delivery. However, the futuristic cities need to address the concerns and dangers that are caused by the challenges such as privacy safety and security in densely populated regions which still remains as a concern in connecting drones as part of the smart city.