With this announcement, Nokia and Swisscom Broadcast are taking artificial intelligence to new heights as they introduce the world’s largest Drones-as-a-Service network, aimed at enhancing Switzerland’s emergency response capabilities.
Large-scale public and commercial operators who need to quickly deploy adaptable eyes in the sky for emergencies are the target market for Nokia Drone Networks.
This new project, based in Switzerland, is an extension of a similar one that was started in Belgium in November of last year and is coordinated by all of the nation’s fire departments. The drones will be placed in practical ground station boxes in both scenarios, and human operators will operate them from far-off places around the nation.
The drones are equipped with multi-sensor cameras,
including infrared and thermal capabilities, as well as options such as LIDAR for additional scanning functionality, all managed by artificial intelligence models.
One key part of the platform, which is where Nokia’s extensive communications know-how comes into play, is the use of 5G wireless tech which gives total control beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). This ability to fly large distances and use cloud-based AI for operational evaluation makes the system unique in the field.
The announcement includes a section that could be of interest to proponents of civil liberties: any “public safety agency” in Switzerland can lease the drone network on a pay-per-use, ride-sharing basis. Theoretically, this implies that Swiss law enforcement or security organizations may, at their discretion, rent an easy-to-use local drone for surveillance or targeting purposes. This will undoubtedly draw the attention of individuals who value legal due process and privacy.
CitiMesh, Nokia’s partner in Belgium, has also stated that the AI would be used to visually assess fire and chemical spill risks in addition to crowd sizes and missing person detection, such as by removing everyone from a live drone video stream.he company eventually hopes to integrate the drone video feeds with static city-wide CCTV cameras to provide even greater coverage. We can see no potential for abuse there at all.
In the meantime, the new Nokia drone product is rapidly gaining customers across the world. Last month Westcon-Comstor, a global tech provider, announced that it would become an approved Nokia Drone Networks distributor in the EU, UK, Australia,
New Zealand and Singapore.
The technology also recently gained FCC certification in the U.S., so watch that space, as they say. And, let’s hope it doesn’t lead to a Terminator having to travel back through time.
Nigel Powell is an author, columnist, and consultant with over 30 years of experience in the technology industry. He produced the weekly Don’t Panic technology column in the Sunday Times newspaper for 16 years and is the author of the Sunday Times book of Computer Answers, published by Harper Collins. He has been a technology pundit on Sky Television’s Global Village program and a regular contributor to BBC Radio Five’s Men’s Hour.
He has an Honours degree in law (LLB) and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA), and his work has made him an expert in all things software, AI, security, privacy, mobile, and other tech innovations. Nigel currently lives in West London and enjoys spending time meditating and listening to music.
Nokia AI drones in a box — is this our first taste of Skynet?
With this announcement, Nokia and Swisscom Broadcast are taking artificial intelligence to new heights as they introduce the world’s largest Drones-as-a-Service network, aimed at enhancing Switzerland’s emergency response capabilities.
Large-scale public and commercial operators who need to quickly deploy adaptable eyes in the sky for emergencies are the target market for Nokia Drone Networks.
This new project, based in Switzerland, is an extension of a similar one that was started in Belgium in November of last year and is coordinated by all of the nation’s fire departments. The drones will be placed in practical ground station boxes in both scenarios, and human operators will operate them from far-off places around the nation.
The drones are equipped with multi-sensor cameras, including infrared and thermal capabilities, as well as options such as LIDAR for additional scanning functionality, all managed by artificial intelligence models.
One key part of the platform, which is where Nokia’s extensive communications know-how comes into play, is the use of 5G wireless tech which gives total control beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). This ability to fly large distances and use cloud-based AI for operational evaluation makes the system unique in the field.
The announcement includes a section that could be of interest to proponents of civil liberties: any “public safety agency” in Switzerland can lease the drone network on a pay-per-use, ride-sharing basis. Theoretically, this implies that Swiss law enforcement or security organizations may, at their discretion, rent an easy-to-use local drone for surveillance or targeting purposes. This will undoubtedly draw the attention of individuals who value legal due process and privacy.
CitiMesh, Nokia’s partner in Belgium, has also stated that the AI would be used to visually assess fire and chemical spill risks in addition to crowd sizes and missing person detection, such as by removing everyone from a live drone video stream.he company eventually hopes to integrate the drone video feeds with static city-wide CCTV cameras to provide even greater coverage. We can see no potential for abuse there at all.
In the meantime, the new Nokia drone product is rapidly gaining customers across the world. Last month Westcon-Comstor, a global tech provider, announced that it would become an approved Nokia Drone Networks distributor in the EU, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
The technology also recently gained FCC certification in the U.S., so watch that space, as they say. And, let’s hope it doesn’t lead to a Terminator having to travel back through time.
Nigel Powell is an author, columnist, and consultant with over 30 years of experience in the technology industry. He produced the weekly Don’t Panic technology column in the Sunday Times newspaper for 16 years and is the author of the Sunday Times book of Computer Answers, published by Harper Collins. He has been a technology pundit on Sky Television’s Global Village program and a regular contributor to BBC Radio Five’s Men’s Hour.
He has an Honours degree in law (LLB) and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA), and his work has made him an expert in all things software, AI, security, privacy, mobile, and other tech innovations. Nigel currently lives in West London and enjoys spending time meditating and listening to music.