Milton Keynes City Council along with partners are trialling the use of drones that could transform the way essential and emergency services are delivered in the future.
Working alongside Cranfield University’s Drone Innovation Hub and Satellite Applications Catapult Westcott DronePort, the city council is due to begin trials next week to test and demonstrate how new drone-based services can work as part of Milton Keynes’ existing Smart City infrastructure. Flights over CMK will map the area in detail, creating a digital twin which can then be used to inform highways surveys and accident response.
The use of drones could help deliver services such as smart traffic monitoring, secure parcel deliveries, remote building inspections and emergency response. Real-time information sharing through drone technologies will allow several services to work together and act faster when responding to incidents. Integrating ground and air-based services will also reduce carbon emissions, which supports the city council’s climate change commitments.
The 18-month trial, being funded by the UK Government is designed to test the safety and reliability of using drones to inform future policy direction.
Milton Keynes has already built a strong reputation as a world leader in future technologies and as a smart city. The city council is committed to establishing MK as a testbed for future technologies which helps to unlocks more opportunities to create high-tech jobs for local people.
“This is yet another instrumental trial coming to MK to test future technologies. The world is moving fast and I’m proud that we’re leading the way in bringing innovative methods to deliver essential services that our residents and businesses rely on. If the trials are successful, it will also help us meet our climate action ambitions and create new jobs of the future for local people.”
- Cabinet Member for Economy, Sustainability, and Innovation, Cllr Shanika Mahendran
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