Drones: how drones can
be good or bad for our society
Application, part 1: so many different ways to use drones
The first thing
when people hear the word "drones", they will usually connect the
word with military use because most news out there, are about whether or not
military drones are for the good of the world.
I say, "Drones are not only for military use, but can be used in
many different ways, ways that can better our world." Drones can be applied in agricultural,
commerce, and protection of wild life. A continent, who could greatly benefit
from such a development in drones, would be Africa. Many regions in Africa do
not have accessible roads year round and as a result some villages cannot get
access to simple goods such as medicine.
Efficiency in Africa
could greatly increase with the use of drones.
The problem Africans face is not necessarily the growing of the product,
but the transportation of their goods produced to a market, as referred in the
article "The African Farmer: Problems Facing Agriculture." Also the
use of drones for surveillance over the crops would make the job of a farmer, a
lot easier because the farmer could use a small drone to check on his or her
large plantation of crops. Not only can
farmers check on their crops, but farmers can see if their irrigation systems
are working, how their plants are growing, even see if any of the plants are
sick by using infrared technology (Estes,Gizmodo).
Also a man who creates drones for this particular use, Brandon basso,
says “It is
not environmentally great or financially great to spray pesticides on all of
the crops",(Sharma, Rakesh).
He thinks drones could be used to spray pesticides on specific area of farmers'
crops. I would agree with basso's idea
because that means less money spent on protecting crops and less chemicals we
put in our body.
The most
extensive use of drones in Africa would be in commerce, because some villages
in Africa do not have accessible roads year round. As a result, some cannot get
access to simple goods such as food, clothing, or medicine. Relatively new startups such as the Matternet, specialize in creating drones for
medicine transportation to remote areas (Schwartz, Ariel). Such use of drones in Africa
would save time on the purchaser’s side, as well as the sellers
side. The most absolute positive outcome
of transportation of medicine, with drones, is the fact that it would help to
reduce fatalities. One billion people in
rural areas live without access to all-season roads; Africa, who has a weak
road infrastructure, would simply skip right to the use of drones for carrying
their goods. A drone highway system, or
whatever you want to call it, would ultimately help Africa catch up to other
continents, such as Europe whose road infrastructure dates back to roman times.
Africa would not only be able to handle their ever growing population, but also
attract Africans to stay in Africa because they can live there without the
worrying of a sustainable life.
There are many
endangered species in Africa, like the African elephant and rhino. The main problem Africa faces are poachers. In the 1980's, demand for ivory rose and as a
result, in 1977 the 1.3 million elephants lived in Africa dwindled to only
600,000 by 1997 (The poaching problem). Drones can greatly help the African park
rangers because not only can drones give an aerial view, but they can help to
combat poaching in the dark with the use of inferred technology. An article
talks about how highly sophisticated poachers are, with their use of tranquilizers
and night vision goggles (Sesana, Laura).
Ol Pejeta
reserve in Kenya is a good example of a national park who uses drones (sesana,Laura). There are only 190 park rangers
covering 90,000 acres in OI Pejeta reserve (sesana, Laura). The only way to protect the
endangered species in Africa is to have the upper hand against the poachers and
the use of surveillance drones will help to do so.
Drones can be applied in agricultural,
commerce, and protection of wild life.
Many places around the world can benefit from the use of drones, but
Africa is just one place I chose to focus on. Imagine a world where there was a
billion less people who were secluded from inefficiency and production. I would
think our world would only be a better place to live for everyone…don't you?
Next: why drones are ultimately good for this world
Bibliography
"The African Farmer: Problems Facing Agriculture."
AFRICAW: Africa and the World. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
Sharma, Rakesh. "Growing The Use Of Drones In
Agriculture." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
Estes, Adam C. "Some Good Things Drones Can (Actually)
Do." Gizmodo. N.p., 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
Schwartz, Ariel. "The Matternet: A Flying Autonomous
Delivery System For The Developing World | Co.Exist | Ideas + Impact."
Co.Exist. N.p., 30 Aug. 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
"THE POACHING PROBLEM." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 29 Mar.
2014.
Sesana, Laura. "Using Drones to Protect African Wildlife
from Poachers." Washington Times Communities. N.p., 7 Aug. 2013. Web. 30
Mar. 2014.
