Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones)
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Dublin City Council, IE accelerates the potential of drones across Ireland
Dublin City Council launched a multi-pronged effort to identify how local government can utilize drones in areas such as civil defense, emergency response, public safety and environmental monitoring. Led by DCC’s Smart Dublin team, it is establishing a network across multiple government agencies at local and national level to inform policymakers on potential opportunities and best practices emerging around the world.
Dublin City Council, IE
Ireland
Arlington, TX undertakes a pilot of multiple technologies for food bank delivery services
Arlington received a U.S. Department of Energy grant for a two-year pilot of autonomous food deliveries. Extensive outreach efforts and route planning will precede two demonstration periods of up to four weeks each in East Arlington. Three hundred boxes of food from Tarrant Area Food Bank will be delivered using an Aerialoop ALT6-4 VTOL Delivery Drone and a CLEVON 1 delivery robot. Project leaders will use the Airspace Link AirHub Portal for drone management and route analytics.
Arlington, TX
United States
Montgomery County, MD Drone as First Responder pilot tests technology's role in emergencies
Montgomery County selected Silver Spring and Wheaton as flight zones after evaluating crime trends. County dispatchers and drone pilots consult during each emergency call to decide if flights are necessary. The Montgomery County Police Department determines threat levels, personnel needs, and appropriate responses based on real-time aerial footage. Community feedback gathered at two public meetings shaped the program's development.
Montgomery County, MD
United States
Swindon Borough Council, GB deploys drones for streamlined roofing inspections in social housing
The borough's emerging tech team coordinated a drone inspection pilot across multiple departments. A drone equipped with multi-direction obstacle sensing and geofencing completed inspections in an average of 17 minutes. Drone inspections also identified hazardous materials and structural issues before they became costly issues. The now-permanent drone program achieved a 100% rate of first-time repairs and annual savings of £80,265 during the pilot.
Swindon Borough Council, GB
United Kingdom
New York, NY Smart City Testbed supports pilots for technological solutions to urban challenges
The NYC Smart City Testbed partners city agencies with selected universities and innovators for real-world testing. Successful applicants receive assistance from city departments in areas from regulatory compliance through service delivery. The applicant-funded pilots last up to nine months with eight pilots planned each year. The initial cohort of Smart City Testbed pilots includes drone assessments of building energy efficiency and automated street activity monitoring.
New York, NY
United States
The Hague, ZH evaluates public compliance with no-fly zones during drone sensor pilot
The Hague maintains drone no-fly zones near nature areas, embassies, and other sensitive locations. A one-year pilot with local police placed radio sensors in three neighborhoods. Sensors gather data from remote control signals including drone type, altitude, and flight path. The names of drone operators are not captured by the sensor network. Local officials are considering public education for drone operators and no-fly zone changes based on pilot results.
The Hague, ZH
Netherlands
Southland Regional Council, NZ uses web cameras and STIV technology for real-time flood data
Council teams struggled with evaluating river levels in areas made inaccessible by flooding. A network of web cameras gathers real-time footage of local rivers for analysis. Space-Time Image Velocimetry (STIV) gathered by cameras and drones measures river flows in cubic meters per second. Southland Regional Council's new approach to river flow measurement reduces the need for risky inspections during storms and improves flood alert timeliness.
Southland Regional Council, NZ
New Zealand
Latrobe, VIC and Swinburne University of Technology partner on Advanced Air Mobility trials
Researchers from the university's AIR Hub will take the lead on experiments with sustainable propulsion systems. An AIR Hub drone will be converted from battery power to hydrogen fuel cells for performance comparisons. City officials support additional research into traffic control, cargo management, and certification needs at the Latrobe Aerospace Technology Precinct. This collaboration creates new economic opportunities for Latrobe by staying ahead of aviation innovations.
Latrobe, VIC
Australia
Sunshine Coast, QLD deploys drones and artificial intelligence for invasive tree management
An alternative treatment trial seeks the removal of broad-leaf pepper trees from an area between Wurtulla and Point Cartwright. Drone flight footage of the area is fed into an AI platform trained by Queensland University of Technology researchers. Multispectral sensors identify unexploded ordnance dating to World War II military training in the trial zone. Sunshine Coast will evaluate if this mapping technique can be applied to other areas as part of its Invasive Weeds Project.
Sunshine Coast, QLD
Australia
Chandler, AZ expedites the delivery of medical supplies to senior residents with drone trial
The two-week pilot tests supply deliveries between pharmaceutical supplier Omnicare and Sunrise of Chandler. City officials will announce seven test days with social media posts and emails to neighborhood groups. Project partner Airpsace Link will operate up to six unmanned flights per day with each one-way trip expected to take five minutes. The pilot evaluates the feasibility of expanded drone usage while considering input from community organizations.
Chandler, AZ
United States
Worcestershire County Council, GB experiments with drone technology for bridge inspections
County officials sought a cost-effective method for inspecting 1,500 bridges across Worcestershire. The county's partnership with Jacobs and Ringway resulted in a fleet of inspection drones. Each drone is flown by a licensed pilot with camera operation by a county inspector. Drones record structural conditions in hard-to-reach and narrow spaces thanks to high-quality cameras. The pilot supports long-term evaluations of bridge conditions without time-intensive manual inspections.
Worcestershire County Council, GB
United Kingdom
Milton Keynes Council, GB trials applications of drone technology for public and private services
Milton Keynes, Cranfield University, and Westcott DronePort are testing drone collaboration with autonomous vehicles and human-led services. Drones will conduct building inspections and traffic monitoring tasks typically completed by council staff. The pilot tests better methods for keeping packages away from thieves and delivering medical supplies in emergency situations. Council officials received £1 million in national funds for pilot development.
Milton Keynes Council, GB
United Kingdom