Making sure that you can progress economically from a proof of concept demonstrator, to a pilot programme and roll out both nationally and perhaps internationally is vital. Many attributes which appear attractive at “bench top” level, simply don’t scale. Making sure you have the provision to manage all the data which will arise from your ops is also key: there could be a lot of latent value in a rich historical data base – control of access as well as revenue from deep analysis need to be considered.
Having a clear strategy which underpins a compelling business case is essential. Many “concepts”, which appear seductively attractive at the outset, turn out to not be commercially viable when viewed as a proper end-to-end business case. Finding out early can save a lot of money.
Scheduling operations, whether they be planned long in advance or in response to some external trigger, is vital. System availability and readiness demands will underpin spares holdings, readiness testing and other system features.
Having robust processes in place, backed up by contingency planning, ensures best value from investment.
The end-to-end operation, from mission initiation to mission close, has to be underwritten by a rigorous process with levels of authority and responsibility properly understood. Of course, the goals of the mission have to be delivered but the wider context needs, for example, collection and storage of mission and telemetry data for training and audit as will as collection of imagery and mission data for later analysis.
So many solutions, attractive at the “bench” and “pilot programme” levels simply don’t scale into the real world in an economically viable way. “Hard” barriers include the support costs of ensuring system availability across a wide geographic extent and maintaining a skill base at the right level. “Softer” issues include social acceptance – managing a potentially negative reaction from those who might be suspicious about the intent.
Most systems will be brought on line incrementally. The preference will be to “fail safe” i.e. terminate a mission rather than court a safety risk. As the system, including its operators, move up the experience curve, however, it will be possible – and likely essential – to modify the operating criteria – maintaining or improving safety whilst achieving higher performance and functionality.
In addition, many sub-systems will go obsolete during the extended life of a major system: planning for and managing replacements, without compromising system integrity is important.
And, of course, the many stakeholders will be able to contribute to a Learning from Experience process, either reducing the cost of operations for the same level of performance or adding additional functionality.
Whatever you are looking to achieve with drone technology, regardless of the sector, application or environment, we can help. Get in touch and we will explain how.
