Nokia showcased the use of drones to facilitate efficient rescue operations for first responders during the demonstration of the innovative ‘Nokia Saves Lives’ initiative took place at the UAE Drones for Good (D4G) Award event, which opened today in Dubai.
The Nokia drone was powered by Nokia’s Ultra Compact Network that creates an instant high-speed LTE network to establish connectivity between video camera-equipped drones and a control center.
Network connectivity is often the first priority of any rescue operation since it is often compromised in disaster situations. Nokia’s Ultra Compact Network provides a standalone LTE network to quickly re-establish connectivity to various mission-critical applications including video-equipped drones. Drones can stream video and other sensor data in real time from the disaster site to a control center, providing inputs such as exact locations where people are stranded and nature of the difficulty of reaching the locations.
Nokia’s Video and Data Analytics solution together with rescue applications and mission advisor tools provide the required intelligence for making appropriate decisions quickly.
Last year, the company became a member of the GSMA Humanitarian Connectivity Charter which aims to support improved access to communication and information for those affected by crisis in order to reduce the loss of life and positively contribute to humanitarian response. The drone borne out of this initiative is currently being tested with operators and NGOs and will be demonstrated at MWC 2017.
Bernard Najm, head of the Middle East Market Unit, Nokia, said “Nokia always strives to expand the human possibilities of technologies for the benefit of mankind. We are committed to corporate social responsibility, and with ‘Nokia Saves Lives’ we want to use our technologies with drones to show efficient rescue operations in collaboration with NGOs and network operators. The selection of this initiative by the UAE Drones for Good Award for a public demonstration in Dubai clearly shows usefulness of this innovative initiative for smart disaster recovery.”
