Look to the skies Capetonians, for you may soon be under watch. According to non-profit news org GroundUp, City of Cape Town officials have revealed that they’re planning to test unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within the next two months.
Here’s a choice quote from the article, but you should really go there and read the full piece which looks at both why this may be a great initiative, and why it’s probably a bad idea.
In an interview with GroundUp, Smith confirmed and elaborated on the City’s plans. He said that different departments within the City – Metro Police, Disaster Management, Fire and Rescue and Engineering departments – have had to spend money on hiring helicopters for aerial surveillance. The acquisition of a drone (for around R600,000) could be more cost-effective.
Drones would be used to monitor land occupations, crime, scrap yards suspected of harbouring stolen copper, shack fires and disasters. Two companies are set to demonstrate their products to the City in the near future, Smith added.
The full piece is here.
[Via – MG]
