Bangalore, April 6, 2020: Droneman.in, an online drone database, is building a repository of technical drones and drone pilots who are willing to help government officials in the war against Covid-19.
As India enters stage-3 various government agencies across the country have upped their game in using innovative means of combating the virus.
Droneman.in has called out to all drone pilots in India with drones and other UAVs to help India fight Corona and have built a growing database with 100 s of registered pilots. Drones can play a key role in managing this, especially in regions, areas or for activities where the safety of the front-line workers might be compromised. Authorities across the world are already exploring the usage of drones in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, using them to enforce lockdowns, make announcements, deliver a payload, etc.
Droneman.in is requesting government officials across the country to take advantage of this database and use these drones. If leveraged well, drones can play a key role in helping the government to stretch its limited resources and fight the infection with lesser casualties. The initial experiments and initiations may serve as a model for other sectors looking to respond to the current health crisis.
Droneman.in is also reaching out to corporates to use a small portion of their CSR budgets earmarked for Covid-19 to acquire these drones. Each drone can help save 10s of lives and reduce the burden on the machinery. As these drones have long term utility, they can continue to be of use after the pandemic comes under control.
Here are the main areas where drones can be a key tool in responding to COVID-19:
Tamil Nadu has already deploying drones in association with a local start-up. They are using 500 pilots with 300 drones with payloads to disinfect public places like hospitals, metro stations and roads across the state. This initiative addresses the challenges of sanitising every nook and corner of an entire city or village taking a toll on one’s own health as the life of a sanitation worker can be at risk, at the same time.
StartupsvsCovid-19 is a robust collection of more than 1000 start-ups come together to help the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The group has broken into several subgroups focusing on using technology and innovation to solve specific problems in fighting Covid-19. The group urges the Indian government and the Ministry of Civil aviation to make use of projects and solutions like Droneman.in in the war against the pandemic.