2024年人工智能、区块链与无人机技术的融合应用：行业机遇研究报告（英文版）-普华永道

Opportunitiesinthedrone

sectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

pWC

Tableofcontents

1.Drones:Anoverviewofthemarket……09

2.Blockchaintechnology,geospatialAIanddrones…..13

3.Dronetechnology–areasofimplementation…..17

4.PwC’ssuggestedframeworkandrecommendations…….20

5.Futuregrowthopportunitiesforthedronesector…..25

6.Way

forward….26

2PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

Foreword

TaranjitSingh

Chairman

ASSOCHAMEasternRegionDevelopmentCouncil

Drones,AI,andblockchaintechnologyhavethepotentialtocompletelychangeawiderangeofbusinessesaswe

approachthedawnofatechnologicalrevolution.Whiletheconvergenceoftheserevolutionarytechnologiesoffershithertounseengrowthprospects,italsobringswithitspecialdifficultiesthatneedcarefulmanoeuvring.

FuturegrowthprospectsofthedroneindustryusingblockchaintechnologyandAI,handlingrelatedrisksandcybersecurityissues,andinvestigatingenvironmentallyfriendlytechnicalsolutionsarethemainsubjectstouchedupon.

ItisaprivilegeforASSOCHAMtocollaboratewithPwCforthisreporton‘OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain’.WehopethatthereportwillstrengthenoureffortstosupportinnovationandtechnicalgrowthinIndia.

3PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

3PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

Foreword

PerminderJeetKaur

SeniorDirector

ASSOCHAMEasternRegion

Theconvergenceofdrones,AI,andblockchaintechnologyissettorevolutionisenumerousindustries,offeringunprecedentedopportunities.

TheintegrationofAIwithdronetechnologyrepresentsasignificantleapinautonomoussystems.AIempowersdroneswithenhancedautonomy,intelligenceanddecision-makingabilities.ThefutureofAI-powereddronesholdspromisingprospects,thisalsocallsforethicalframeworksandresponsibledeployment.

InIndia,droneshaveakeyroletoplayintheagriculture,disastermanagement,publicservices,mininganddefence

sectors.ThereportinpartnershipwithPwCaddresseskeytopicslikemanagingcybersecurityrisks,exploringsustainabletechsolutions,andintegratingdronetechnologywithblockchainandAI.

4PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

4PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

Foreword

SudiptaGhosh

Partner,DataandAnalyticsLeader,IndustrialProductsLeaderPwCIndia

Onceaspecialisedtechnology,dronesarenowindispensableinmanyfields.DronesequippedwithAIhaveaccessto

sophisticateddataprocessingcapabilitiesthatallowthemtoadjusttochangingconditionsandmakejudgementsinreal

time.Forinstance,droneswithAIcapabilitiesaretransformingcropmanagementinagriculturebyevaluatingenormous

volumesofdatatooptimisegrowingconditionsandyieldforecasts.Thesesmartdronesarealsoenhancingresponsetimesandefficacyindisasterresponsebyofferingvitalreal-timeinformationforsearchandrescueoperations.

AI-powereddronesarealsoimprovingsecurityandsurveillancesystems.Dronescanmonitorlargeareasforpossible

threatsorenvironmentalchangesbyutilisingpicturerecognitionandpatternanalysis.Thisopensupnewpossibilitiesforinfrastructuremanagement,securityandwildlifeprotection.

Thoughpromising,technologicalbreakthroughsalsoraisesignificantethicalandregulatoryquestions.Therefore,itis

importanttoaddresspotentialdatasecurityissuesandensurethatAI-enableddronescanbeusedethically.Maximisingtheadvantagesandminimisingthenegativeimpactsofthistechnologywillrequireabalancebetweeninnovationand

ethicalissues.

ThispaperoffersacomprehensiveanalysisofthepresentusesofAI-enableddronesandpotentialfuturedevelopments

indronetechnology.ItseekstoprovideinsightsintohowthetechnologicalsynergybetweenAIanddronetechnologycantransformnumeroussectorsandopenupnewdevelopmentoptionsbyshowcasingnoteworthyusecasesandreal-worldapplications.

5PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

Foreword

ArijitChakraborti

Partner,TechnologyConsultingPwCIndia

Thecombinationofblockchain,dronetechnology,AIandgeospatialanalyticsisasignificantdevelopmentinaerial

vehicles.ImportantinsightsintospatialpatternsareprovidedbygeospatialanalyticswhichcanbeenhancedwithAI’sreal-timeandpredictivecapabilities.Blockchainsafeguardstheintegrityofthedatabyintroducingacruciallayerofsecurity

andtransparency.Droneswithsophisticatedsensorsprovideunmatchedcapabilitiesfordatacollectionandmonitoring

andhelpinenhancingtheefficacyofAIandgeospatialanalytics.Theadoptionofblockchaintechnologycanopenupnewoptionslikecatastrophemanagement,urbanplanningandenvironmentalmonitoring.

Inaworldwherecombininggeospatialanalytics,AI,blockchainanddronesisimportantforinnovation,thispaper

discussestheapplicationsofthesetechnologieswithdronestodemonstratehowdronetechnologycansolvevariousproblemssuchaspublicsafetyandtrafficmanagement.

6PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

Foreword

DrIndranilMitra

Partner,AdvancedAnalyticsLeadPwCIndia

Dronesareimportanttoolinbridgingthedividebetweendigitalandphysicalsystems,aligningwiththeprinciplesofIndustry4.0,whichemphasisestheintegrationofadvancedtechnologiessuchastheInternetofThings(IoT),artificialintelligence(AI),andbigdata.

Today,droneshavebecomeindispensableacrossvarioussectors.ThoseequippedwithAIcapabilitiespossessadvanceddataprocessingskills,allowingthemtoadapttodynamicenvironmentsandmakereal-timedecisions.Theintegration

ofAIwithdronetechnologysignifiesasignificantadvancementinautonomoussystems,enhancingdrones’intelligence,autonomyanddecision-makingcapabilities.WhileAI-enableddronesholdgreatpotentialforthefuture,theirresponsibledeploymentandadherencetoethicalguidelinesareessential.

ThispaperoffersacomprehensiveanalysisofcurrentapplicationsofAI-enableddronesandexplorespotential

advancementsindronetechnology.Itaimstoilluminatehowthesynergybetweendroneandartificialintelligencetechnologiescantransformmultipleindustriesandcreatenewopportunitiesforgrowth.

7PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

Foreword

AnkurBasu

Partner,Industry4.0LeaderPwCIndia

IntheageofIndustry4.0,dronetechnologyisanessentialtoolfortransformingvariousprocessesacrossindustriesto

enhanceautomation,operationalefficiencyanddatacollection.Dronesareessentialforconnectingdigitalandphysical

systemssinceIndustry4.0stressestheintegrationofcuttingedgetechnologiessuchastheinternetofthings(IoT),AIandbigdata.

Dronescanalsoimprovetheoperationsofthelogisticsandsupplychainsectorbyimprovinginventorymanagementandenablingreal-timetrackingofshipments.Theycanalsoexpediteoperationsandshortendeliveryperiodsbymakingquickdeliveries,particularlyindifficult-to-reachlocations.Dronesarealsousedintheenergysectortomaintainandcheckvitalinfrastructuresuchaspipelinesandpowerlinestoensuresafetyandreducedowntime.

Byofferingpreciseoverheadviewsandgatheringdataindangerousordifficultsituations,dronesalsohelpinimprovingthesafetyandefficiencyofthepeopleandprocessesinminingandenvironmentalmonitoringsectors.

8PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

Drones:An

overviewofthemarket

Inanever-evolvingtechlandscape,variousindustrieslikeconstruction,realestate,e-commerce,agriculture,utilities

andenergy,financialservices,andmediaandentertainmentareseekingwaysofimplementingdronetechnologyintheiroperations.

Duetothemergingandquickadvancementoftwoentirelydistincttechnologies–radiocommunicationandsmartphones–bothconsumerandcommercialdronescancollectdatawhichcanbeleveragedforvariouspurposesindifferentindustries.

Drones

Dronesorunmannedaerialvehicles(UAVs)caneitherbeoperatedautonomouslyusingpre-programmedinstructions

orcontrolledbyhumanoperators.UAVsareavailableinvariousshapesandsizesandareequippedwithavarietyof

equipmentthatallowsthemtofunctionwell.Basedonmaximumall-upweight(includingpayloads),asperIndia’sDroneRule,2021,dronescanbeclassifiedasfollows:

NanoUAS:Weighs≤250gramsSmallUAS:Weighs>2kilogramsand≤25kilograms

MicroUAS:Weighs>250gramsand≤2kilograms

MediumUAS:Weighs>25kilogramsand≤150kilograms

Dronesarecommonlyusedforimageacquisitionandprocessingwhichhelpsinsurveillanceactivitiesinthedefence,

agricultureandconstructionsectors.AnoverviewoftheworkflowforimageacquisitionusingUAVisgiveninFigure1below.

Figure1:AgeneralworkflowforimageacquisitionfromUAV

Flightparameters

PlatformGroundcontrolstation Auto-pilot

Missionplanning

Image

acquisition

Flightparameters

GroundsampledistanceCamerainformation

FlightheightAreaofinterest

Digitalphotogrammetry

Imagestitching/mosaic

Imagetriangulation

•Additionalparameters

•GCP

•Cameracalibration

DTM/DSMgeneration

Featureextraction

3D

modelling

Orthomosaicimage

Source:PwCanalysis

Sincedronesareaflexibleandaffordablealternativetotraditionalpilotedaircraftforaerialview,theiruseasremote

sensingplatformshasacquiredwidespreadacceptance.Forexample,dronedatamapscanbeleveragedtodevelopactivecommunicationtools.Furthermore,dronescanmonitorsector-wise,real-timedataandoffercontextualinsights,which

enablesbusinessestomakebetterdecisions.

1

.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2022/mar/doc202232932501.pdf

9PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

10PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

Globaldronemarket:Anoverview

Theincreasingadoptionofdronesinvarioussectorshasbeenamajordriverofthegrowthoftheglobaldronemarket

asdronesarepredominantlybeingusedforvariousapplicationssuchasdeliveryservices,surveying,inspectionand

monitoring.Theintegrationofdroneswithe-commercedeliveryplatformsisalsoevolvingrapidlysincemanycompanies

aredevelopingdroneswhicharespecificallymeantforcommercialuserelatedtoagriculture,defenceandassetmonitoring.

AccordingtoaPwCreport,theglobalcommercialdronemarkethasgrownandwillcontinuetogrowataCAGRbetween16%and17%.2ThepercentagedistributionofthetotalrevenuefromeachindustrysegmentisdepictedinTable1.

Table1:Percentageshareofeachindustryinthetotaldronemarket

Industrysegment

%shareoftotaldronemarket

Infrastructure

36%

Agriculture

25%

Transport

10%

Security

8%

Mediaandentertainment

7%

Insurance

5%

Telecommunication

5%

Mining

3%

Source:PwCanalysis

Theglobaldronemarketissegmentedintotwocategories:

1.Rotarywingdrones:Alsoreferredtoasaquadcopterormulticopter,arotarywingsdronegeneratesliftandstabilitythroughtheuseofseveralspinningblades,whichenableshoveringandverticaltakeoffandlanding.

2.Fixedwingdrones:Usingitsfixedwingsforliftandforwarddrive,afixedwingdronemimicsaregularaeroplane.

Thoughthisallowsforhigherspeedsandlongerflyingtimes,italsonecessitatestheuseofrunwaysorotherlaunchingdevicesfortakeoffandlanding.

Thegrowthofeachsegmentintheglobaldronemarketisdrivenbytheuniquecapabilitiesofdronesalongwiththeir

potentialtoperformagilemanoeuvreswhilemaintainingcontinuousvisualcontactwithspecifictargets.Accordingto

astudyconductedbyPwC,72%3oftheorganisationstodayfeelpositiveaboutcommercialdrones.Thereisastrong

positivesentimentaroundtheexpectedbenefitsthatcanbederivedfromtheadoptionofdronesforperformingvariousfunctions(representedintable2).

2

https://www.pwc.in/assets/pdfs/publications/2018/flying-high.pdf

3

https://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/technology/drones/building-trust-commercial-drones.html

Table2:Possibleareaswhereorganisationscanbenefitbyusingdrones

%ofsurveyparticipantsagree

Benefits

Timesavings88%

Carbonreduction

87%

Safety

86%

Costreduction

86%

Productivity

84%

Source:

https://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/technology/drones/building-trust-commercial-drones.html

However,only43%4oftheorganisationsthinkthattheindustryisusingcommercialdroneseffectivelyanditsusecanbeimprovedbyfocusingonthefactorsgiveninTable3.

Table3:Focusareastoimprovetheeffectiveimplementationofdrones

Benefits%ofsurveyparticipantsagree

Credibledroneserviceproviders63%

Clarityofusecasebenefit

59%

Industryspecificqualification

56%

Reviewingtheregulations

44%

Source:

https://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/technology/drones/building-trust-commercial-drones.html

TheIndiandronemarket

ThedronemarketinIndiacontinuestoexpandandthisexpansionisdrivenbyadvancementsintechnologyandchangingconsumerpreference.AsthemarketandtheglobaltourismsectorrecoveredgraduallyaftertheCOVID-19pandemic,

thegrowingpopularityofdronesforrecreationaluseandaerialphotographyalsocreatedawiderangeofopportunitiesinvarioussectorsuchasagriculture,defenceandmining.

Indiahassetatargettobecomeamajorglobaldronemanufacturinghubby2030,andthisambitionisexpectedtoboost

thecountry’sgrossdomesticproduct(GDP)by1–1.5%andcreateatleastfivelakhjobsinthecomingyears.5Droneshavebeenidentifiedasacrucialpartoftheindustry4.0ecosystemastheadoptionofdronescanenhancedataaccuracyand

efficiencysinceitcanautomatetasksrelatedtoinspection,monitoringandprovidereal-timedata.Theseuniquefeaturesofdronetechnologyallowpredictivemaintenancebydetectingearlysignofanypossiblemalfunctionandfacilitateimmediatedecision-makingandoperationaladjustment.Itsabilitytoswiftlygatherandanalyseinformationblendsseamlesslywith

otherindustry4.0technologieslikeAIandtheinternetofthings(IoT)toenhanceindustrialprocesses,reduceexpenses,improvesafetyandensuresmoothresourceallocation.

4

/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/what-will-it-take-for-indias-drone-industry-to-fly-higher/articleshow/107729412

.cms?from=mdr

5Ibid

11PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

12PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

KeydriversofdroneindustryinIndia

expansionofdronesacrossallsectors.Thegovernment

hasfacilitatedtheuseofdronesbybusinessesandpeoplebyremovingtherequirementforsecurityclearancesand

pilotlicenses,expeditingtheregulatoryprocedureand

loweringbureaucraticbarriers.Liberalisationofexportsandprohibitionsonthepurchaseofforeigndronesencourage

innovationandhomemanufacturing.Dronetraining

institutesandcertificationprogrammesarealsoenablingthe

developmentofatrainedworkforce.Thesedevelopmentshaveledtotheadoptionofdronesinvariousindustries

includingagriculture(dronesareusedforprecisionfarmingandcropmonitoring),constructionandinfrastructure(aerialsurveysandinspectionsarebeneficial),mining(better

datacollection),disastermanagement(searchandrescueoperationsareimproved),andhealthcare(medicalsuppliesaredeliveredtoremoteareasbydrones).

TheriseofthedroneindustryinIndiabeganwiththe

government’sintroductionofliberaliseddroneregulationinAugust2021,whichwasexpectedtopropelIndia

into‘aneraofsupernormalgrowth’.6Theseregulations

simplifiedthebureaucraticprocessbyreducingthenumberofrequiredformsandpermissionsfrom25tofiveand

removedtheneedforsecurityclearancesduringregistrationandlicensing.

TheMinistryofCivilAviationidentifiedfivekeypillars7toestablishIndiatobeadronehubincomingyears:

1easeofdoingbusiness(DroneRules2021)

2financialincentives(production-linkedincentivescheme)

3governmentasmarketmaker(procurementbygovernment)

4exportliberalisation

5domesticindustrypromotion(importprohibition).

AnotherkeydecisionforpromotingthedroneindustrywastheintroductionofacertificationschemeandtheabolitionoftherequirementforadronepilotlicenseinFebruary

2022.8Whiletheeliminationoftheneedforapilot’slicencelowersentrybarriersforpeopleandenterprises,the

certificationschemestandardisestraining,guaranteeing

thattheoperatorscanfulfilthesafetyandoperatingcriteria

whichhasacceleratedtheadoptionofdronesinvariousindustrieslikeinfrastructure,agricultureanddisaster

management.

Additionally,thegovernmentalsointroducedaschemetosupplydronestoover15,000self-helpgroups(SHG)

ledbywomenfrom2023-24to2025-2026.ThewomenfromtheseSHGswillofferdronesasarentalservicetofarmerstomonitorcrophealthandforotherusesintheagriculturesector.9Theseinitiativeshavehelpedinthe

6Ibid

7Ibid

8

https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/179/AU3021.pdf?source=pqals#:~:text=The%20Drone%20(Amendment)%20Rules%2C,remote%20pilot%20

to%20operate%20drones.

9

.in/sites/default/files/Civil%20Aviation%20Regulatory%20Landscape%20of%20Indian%20Drone%20Ecosystem%20red.pdf

13PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

Blockchain

technology,

geospatialAIanddrones

ThissectionexplainshowcompaniesareattemptingtointegratedronetechnologywithothertechnologiessuchasAIandblockchain.

Enablingdroneswithblockchain

Manyorganisationsareworkingtowardsdevelopingan

integratedsolutionfordronesandblockchaintechnology.Whileblockchaintechnologycanimproveoperational

efficiency,transparencyanddatasecurity,dronescan

providelargevolumesofdatawhichcomesfromreal-timesensorreadingsandaerialimagerywhichisvitalformanyindustriesincludinglogistics,agricultureanddefence.

Givenbelowaresomeoftheadvantagesofintegratingdroneswithblockchain:

1.Everydronecanhaveanunchangeable,safedigitalidentitywiththehelpofblockchaintechnology.

Thisavoidsimpersonationandguaranteesthatonlyauthoriseddronesareidentified.Forexample,everydroneinvolvedinareliefmissionhasitsidentity

documentedontheblockchain.Thiskeepsunauthorisedorfraudulentdronesfrominterferingwiththetaskby

guaranteeingthatonlyverifieddronescanfunctioninsidethesystem.

2.Blockchain’sdecentralisedledgerfacilitatesthe

separationofauthenticdronesfromcounterfeitones.

Itisharderforfakedronestoenterthenetwork

whenasaferegisterofalldronesiskeptuptodate.

Forexample,inanenvironmentmonitoringproject,

blockchaintechnologyensurestheauthenticityofeachdronethroughitssecureledger.Unauthoriseddrones

aredetectedandpreventedfromcontributingtodata

collection,ensuringthatonlygenuinedronesareutilised.

3.Thesecurityofdronecommunicationsisstrengthened

byblockchain’scryptographicanddecentralisedfeatures,makingitlessvulnerabletohackingandothercyber

threats.Dronecommunicationsinsecuritysurveillancetasksareprotectedandencryptedusingblockchain

technology.Thisstopsanyunauthorisedentryor

interferencewiththedatabeingsentbetweendrones.

Next,toscaletheimplementationofdronetechnology

effectively,organisationscanconsidertheinternetof

drones(IoD)technologywhichcombinesblockchainwithdronenetworkstoimprovedataintegrity,securityand

transparency.ThroughIoD,dronescansafelyexchangeandrecordflightdata,transactionsandoperationalrecordsin

animmutableledgerbyutilisingblockchaintechnology.

14PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

Thisconnectionenhancesregulatorycompliance,streamlinesdroneoperationsacrossmanyapplicationsandfosters

trustandcollaborationamongmultiplestakeholders.ThemajorcomponentsthatgoesintothemakingofIoDcomprises

drones,users,groundcontrolstation,blockchainnetwork,cloud-basedserversandanorbitdatabase.AhighlevelsolutionarchitecturewhichprovidesanoverviewofimplementingIoDisgivenbelow(Figure2).

Figure2:Ahighlevelsolutionarchitectureforblockchain-enabledIoD

Requestforadronefor

aparticularmission

Users

MultipledronesRequestCloudserver

风冈冈

Commandscontrol

Response

and

Request

Telemetry

OrbitDB+IPFS

data

Blockchainnetwork

Datatobestored

Groundcontrolstation(GCS)

Source:PwCanalysis

Thearchitectureforblockchain-enabledIoDconsistsofsixcomponents:

•MultipledronesandUAVsequippedwithsensorstogatherawiderangeofdata.

•Groundcontrolstation(GCS)whichplaysacrucialroleintheoperationandmanagementofUAVsalongwithreceivingdataandsendingcommand.

•UsersoftenaccessdataofdronesandGCSsalongwithotherparametersforcertainpurposes.

•BlockchainnetworktomaintainadistributedimmutabledatabaseforUAVoperationsanddatamanagement.Ina

blockchainnetwork,therecordedtransactionsaresharedamongallnodesinthenetwork.Inablockchain-enabled

architecture,whereusers,UAVs,andGCSsactasnodeswithinablockchainnetwork,eachcomponentplaysacrucialroleinmaintainingtheblockchainandparticipatingintheconsensusprotocol.

•Cloudserverisusedtooffloadcomputationfromthedroneoffersseveraladvantages,particularlyintermsofoptimisingmissionexecutionandextendingthedrone’sflyingtime.

•OrbitDBalongwithinter-planetaryfilesystem(IPFS)isusedasanoff-chaindatabaseforUAVdatatoovercomethelimitationsofblockchaininhandlinglargedatasets.

15PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

DroneChain–blockchain-baseddronecommunication

Withthewidespreadadoptionofdronesinvariousdomainssuchasmilitary,agricultureandlogistics,effectivesolutionstoprotectdataintegrityandcommunicationbetween

dronesandthecontrolsystemhavebecomeimportant

toavoidpotentialvulnerabilitieswhichmayleadtodata

breachesandlosses.Forsecuredronecommunication

duringdatacollectionandtransmissionandtomaintaintheintegrityofthecollecteddata,adecentralisedsolutionthatusesblockchaintechnologyinadditiontothetraditional

cloudservercanbeaviablesolution.

DroneChainisablockchainbasedsolutionthatenables

communicationbetweenmultipledrones.Someofthe

primaryfeaturesofDroneChainareconsensustechniques,self-amendmentandsimpleverification.

SomeofthekeymeasureswhichorganisationsmusttakeintoaccountbeforedeployingDroneChain(representedinFigure3)are:

1.Droneidentificationandregistration:Thisgives

eachdroneauniquedigitalidandkeepstrackofthe

registrationinformationtoensurecomplianceofthedrones’processes.

2.Flightloggingandtracking:Itprovidesreal-timetrackingandemploysgeofencingtoimplementandenforcementofno-flyareas.

3.Datasecurityandintegrity:Itgivessafestorageofdatacollectedbydroneontheblockchainalongwithdata

integrityandauthenticityverificationensuresthatthedatahasnotbeenaltered.

4.Smartcontractsforregulatorycompliance:Smartcontractsprovideautomateregulatoryreporting

includingpre-definedflightheightanddemarcated

restrictedareas,andcompliancechecksinrealtime.

5.Datasharingandcollaboration:DroneChainallowssafedataexchangebetweenpartieswithblockchaintechnology.Italsosupportscollaborativedrone

operationandmissionandassuresinteroperabilityacrossvarioussystem.

Figure3:ThefiveessentialfunctionalitiestoimplementDroneChain

Data

sharingandcollaboration

Smart

contractsfor

loggingand

regulatory

tracking

compliance

Datasecurityandintegrity

Drone

identificationand

registration

Upcomingfunctionality

Flight

Source:PwCanalysis

16PwC|ASSOCHAM|OpportunitiesinthedronesectorwiththeadoptionofAIandblockchain

DroneswithAIandgeospatialAI

AI-enableddronesarecapableofcarryingouttaskslike

object/pictureidentificationandpatternanalysis.This

enablesthemtoconductdifficultoperationswithlittle

assistancefromhumans.Forinstance,AI-enableddrones

useairbornephotostodetectinsectinfestationsordiseasesymptomsinordertoassesscrophealth.Similarly,inurban

planning,thesedronescananalysehigh-resolutionphotosanddatatoevaluatethestateoftheinfrastructureand

identifymaintenanceneeds.

WithAI,dronescannowprocessdatainreal-timewhichsignificantlyincreasestheirefficiency.Theycanbetrainedtorecogniseparticulartraitsoranomaliesusingmachine

Figure4:GeoAI–anillustration

learning(ML)algorithmswhichcanimprovetheircapacitytoconductactivitieslikeenvironmentalmonitoring,searchandrescue,andsurveillance.

GeospatialAI(GeoAI)istheapplicationofAIongeospatialdata.GeoAIcanhelporganisationsby:

a)reducingthetimetakentoextractgeospatialdatafromhighresolutionimagerycapturedbydrones.

b)sincedatacollectedbydroneshaslargevolumesof

geospatialdatasets,itcanbeanalysedmorepreciselyandaccuratelybyGeoAIalgorithmsratherthanby

conventionaltechniques.

Geos