Drone deployment for incident response by Rijkswaterstaat

Rijkswaterstaat's ambition is to call in emergency services at the touch of one button and to immediately provide up-to-date information. Huib Kling and Mark de Haan (Aeret) introduced us to the innovative solution. With the help of drone technology, it is now possible to be at the scene of the incident quickly and to take photos immediately. These photos are uploaded by the drone operator to a map (geomapping) that is accessed via the internet and which is available to the supporting services with their Officers of Service. By making this information available en-route, emergency authorities are able to analyze and act earlier before they arrive at the scene of the incident. As a result, damage to people, the environment and equipment can be further prevented and, for example, the fire brigade, police and contractor can be called for assistance.

With a nice demo, an incident report was simulated on the spot of the annual location and the drone pilot and the geomapping expert showed how the information is made available. Unfortunately, due to the turbulent weather it was not possible to fly live with the drone, but that did not detract from the information value of the demo. Rijkswaterstaat has carefully considered which technology or other infrastructure it wants to be in the lead and where it follows other parties. This ensures well-distributed attention and responsibility. For example, according to William Vermeulen, initiator of the innovative Smart Patrol program, a "all weather drone" is being eagerly sought. The developments are going so fast that it is expected that it will come in the near future.

With the use of drones, data analysis, data disclosure and geographical mapping, Rijkswaterstaat and 12 drone operators meanwhile ensure that damage to people and the environment is optimally limited. A reassuring thought.