Anti-terrorism

Overview

The threat of terrorism has become more decentralized and , unpredictable over the last few years.
There is a need to incorporate diverse approaches in both counter terrorism and counter insurgency
in order to witness tangible and measurable gains.

Anti-terrorism is a daunting task which focuses on improving awareness of the threat, developing
capabilities to prepare and respond to terror operations and enable persistent intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Traditional anti-terror strategies like the interception of
communications heightened security, immigrant profiling, border patrol and tracing of persons.
However, these strategies are not enough and there is a need to strengthen anti-terror activities.

How Drones can be used?

Drones are certainly the most significant and life-saving technology to be used in anti-terror
operations as they are equipped with electro-optic, infrared and high-resolution video cameras that
can track both stationary and moving targets. They can provide 360-degree coverage and intelligent
analysing capacity which helps to detect, locate and identify potential threats and track terrorists.

Drones provide advanced surveillance and with the use of artificial intelligence, identifying risks and
decision making becomes more effective and instantaneous. As technology advances, the use of
drones in anti-terror operations has seen a significant rise in recent years. Drones are now used for
advanced surveillance, reconnaissance and covert operations due to their rapid deployment and
turnaround times and precise targeting capability.

Border security

Overview

A drastic rise in violence by terrorist groups globally has put an intense focus on border security to
combat recent national security issues. A case-in-point being the Border Security Force that has been
mandated by The Government of India for guarding India’s international borders.

The traditional approach to border monitoring includes surveillance by video cameras, ground
sensors, land vehicles, and manned aircraft but these have become quite inadequate. There is a
need to identify challenges which a country encounters across the varying border conditions and
introduce a framework to address these challenges. To ensure seamlessness in the legitimate
movement of people and goods across the borders, the adoption of new technologies for border
control and surveillance is of paramount importance.

How drones can be used?

Drones are a significant asset in border security as they allow for real-time reconnaissance, target
acquisition, track movement of people and illegal activities via high-quality video feed. Drones
mounted with thermal detection cameras are much superior at tracking irregular activities such as
illegal border crossing attempts through dense woods or mountainous terrain as compared to
stationary video cameras.

Drones flying at altitudes of 100 feet and far higher can cover broad swathes of land and quickly
detect activities that might be missed by fixed or mobile ground sensors, particularly in remote or
mountainous areas. Drone surveillance creates new accountability mechanisms that obviate some
visible signs of security such as fences, while also introducing an invisible security apparatus that
extends beyond state boundaries. Drones are more time-efficient and cheaper to deploy than
helicopters and can access places deemed too unsafe and high-risk for persons. Drone technology
can provide security forces with a safer and foolproof mechanism to secure international borders
effectively.

Counter Insurgency

Overview

Insurgency is a rebellion against a constituted government. It is basically a civil war between a

weaker group having anti-national ideologies and the government to transfer power from the
government to itself. Insurgents manipulate the general public’s ideologies & social thoughts and
often instigate them into violence to disrupt anti-militancy operations.

A case-in-point is the state of Kashmir in India which is one of the most volatile and insurgency
affected region in the world. High levels of insurgent unrest lead to mob induced stone-pelting and
at such times, the conventional methods of counter-insurgency techniques may not be able to
distinguish between civilians and insurgents. Actions of security forces may be misconstrued and
lead to undesirable consequences.

How Drones can be used?

Drones play an important role in counter insurgency by gathering actionable intelligence of the
conflict area. The footage from the drones can help the government officials to pin-point the
locations of the insurgent groups, track the insurgent leaders, and shutdown their anti-national
activities.

Drones with their higher resolution payloads, multiple zoom-in capability and extended endurance
offer ground officials with a clearer view to distinguish between civilians and combatants as
compared to ground crew and manned helicopters. Drones provide tactical support for conventional
counter-insurgency strategy and help in preventing civilian casualties.

Crime COntrol

Overview

Crime is no longer viewed as a small problem in society rather it is an integral part of understanding
any nation’s socio-cultural, political, and economic situation. With the alarming increase in crime
rate, the core objective of law enforcement authorities worldwide is to secure public safety and
serve communities by deploying more resources to control crime.

But this is not easy with traditional methods of monitoring and surveillance by security cameras and
manned helicopters. A smarter and efficient way needs to be integrated to detect crimes as they
happen and intercept criminals quickly with clinching evidence. Proactive crime control can increase
public safety and build stronger communities and also boost the morale of enforcement authorities.

How drones can be used?

Drones with real-time video relay and autonomous capabilities and equipped with daylight and/or
thermal cameras can help law enforcement authorities control crimes proactively. Drones can also
help the police forces get an aerial perspective of possible bomb threats and crime scene analysis
remotely. This gives the investigators another angle they might missed on a traditional inspection.

Drones are also great tools in diffusing active shooter and hostage situations as they can be
deployed from remotely and provide an initial assessment of the situation. They can help rule out
threats while formulating a strategy for to resolve the situation in the best way possible. Crime
documentation can also be done easily and more accurately with drones. They offer the best
opportunity to get a detailed view of the crime scene more efficiently without contaminating
evidence.

Crowd monitoring

Overview

Research in crowd dynamics especially in the field of minimizing the risks associated with pedestrian
crowd has gathered significant interest in the past few decades. Historical trends from mass
gathering events such as the Haj pilgrimage and the Kumbh Mela suggest that stampedes occur
frequently.

Hence, it is necessary to understand crowd dynamics in real-time to minimize the risks associated
with crowd management. To achieve this, a crowd monitoring system has to be developed that
provides surveillance and crowd control effectively respond to any situation.

How drones can be used?

In crowd monitoring, drones provide a wider-field view of the mass gatherings and transmit real-
time data to the crowd control team. Drones can zoom in on an area of interest and in turn, provide
the team with vital information about what is happening on the ground.

Such information can help ground personnel make critical decisions. In an event of an emergency,
the in-depth situational awareness helps the team to respond efficiently in a timely manner. This
improves the effectiveness of the teams in crowd management.

Disaster management

Overview

Disasters test the most fundamental human instinct of survival. In an event of a disaster, the time
taken to respond to the situation is of utmost importance. Emergency rescue teams need to conduct
quick and efficient search and rescue operations within the first 72 hours of the disaster. Any delay
may lead to loss of human lives and irreversible damages.

The major problem in such times is the lack of situational awareness among the first responders.
Moreover, disasters cause major challenges in logistics and communication as well. This forces the
team to make unplanned decisions that reduces the efficacy of search and rescue operations.

How drones can be used?

In disaster management, drones are immensely useful as they provide a birds-eye view of the entire
affected area in a very short time. Drones transmit real-time videos to first responders providing
real-time knowledge of the situation. This helps them understand about the extent of damage
inflicted on infrastructure, the state of transportation and logistics.
Drone feeds can also help in the location of stranded and trapped survivors. This helps the disaster
management team to efficiently plan rescue missions and use their resources effectively. In disaster
management, drones can also assist in directing stranded people to safe locations and even drop
first-aid medical supplies.

Forest & Wildlife

Overview

Forests and wildlife are the dominant terrestrial ecosystem of Earth and are distributed around the
globe. Wildlife and forests account for 75% of the gross primary production of the Earth’s biosphere
and contain 80% of the Earth’s plant biomass.

The protection and conservation of these ecosystems are important to maintain the earth’s
environment and reduce the effects of climate change. The use of modern technology must be used
to monitor reserved, protected territorial forests, wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, and
conservation and community reserves.

How drones can be used?

Drones can revolutionize the way forest and wildlife conservation research is conducted. Drones
provide a bird’s-eye view of forests and wildlife and obtain information, imagery, and data that may
be hard to access or expensive. Drones not only act as an alternative method for the
conversationalists with added safety to observe and study subjects but also are often less costly,
more efficient, and more precise than traditional approaches.

Drones can assist in tracking illegal activities, monitor animals, count their population, plan
reforestation, take exotic images and more. Drones for forest and wildlife gives us a better
tomorrow by assessing forest health, encroachments, tree-felling, forest fires, poaching, status of
water bodies, biodiversity protection, and mangrove conservation.

Traffic management

Overview

Increasing vehicular traffic is a very serious problem in cities and the need for better traffic
management is a pressing matter. Traffic monitoring with fixed cameras is getting increasingly
inefficient as they cannot identify issues beyond their immediate location.
It is important for urban planners to analyze traffic density, road capacity and traffic flow to draw
strategies to reduce urban congestion. This will improve traffic times and reduce fuel consumption
and may solve the environmental problems affecting urban areas.

How drones can be used?

Traffic monitoring via drones can overcome the limitations of traditional methods of monitoring due
to its simplicity, mobility and ability to cover large areas. High resolution real-time videos from
drones can be relayed to the command and control centre to assist on-ground personnel in road
monitoring, traffic guidance, traffic activity analysis, identify and track individual vehicles, read
license plates and more. Drones can be equipped with different type of payloads like HD camera and
thermal camera for day and night surveillance.

Drones can provide on-ground situational awareness in case of emergencies like road accidents, oil
leaks etc. and also collect evidence for the same. The data collected by drones can be analyzed to
improve traffic flow and road safety.