A PROJECT experimenting with using drones to monitor environmental emergencies and disaster response is set to take place in Somerset.

Somerset Council has been awarded more than £190,000 of funding from Innovate UK for its Project RESCUE initiative, which will investigate how drones can help in emergency responses.

The award, totalling £191,370, comes from the Future Flight Regional Demonstration Fund.

The council said drone ‘eyes in the skies’ can be launched quickly, reach inaccessible areas safely and provide real-time footage and data to support the teams on the ground.

Experts in drone operations and regulations will now work with the council to develop a business case and a concept of operations for using the craft in emergency situations.

Somerset-based Land & Minerals Consulting Ltd, currently working with the Civil Aviation Authority on establishing safety cases for flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), and solar-powered drone start-up Limosaero will join the project.

READ MORE: Technology news from your Somerset Leveller 

The Resilience and Emergency Services Coordination Using Enabled-drones (RESCUE) project will also bring together local emergency services, resilience teams, Government agencies and drone service operators to develop the case for adopting the scheme in Somerset.

Councillor Mike Rigby, the council’s lead member for the economy, planning and assets, said: “The potential for drones is exciting and shows that Somerset is at the forefront of imaginative and innovative solutions to real problems that affect our communities.

“I am delighted that Innovate UK is showing faith in our county through this funding.

“We have demonstrated clearly that Somerset can lead the way in the future of flight with iAero, our aerospace innovation centre in Yeovil, which is a key asset driving our ambitions for the Council’s Future Flight Innovation Zone initiative, that aims to provide test and evaluation facilities for smart aviation technologies.

The project will investigate how drones can help during environmental emergencies and more. Picture: Pixabay

“Somerset suffered devastating floods more than ten years ago, leaving communities marooned, homes under water and farmland swamped. The economic costs were up to £147.5 million, but the cost in human terms was immeasurable.

“Project RESCUE will develop a business case for the use of drones to collect data and intelligence during environmental emergencies in Somerset.

“This will include the environmental, social, and economic implications of flooding across the county, identifying drone-based solutions to support emergency responses, and identify the economic growth opportunities the adoption of drone technologies and supporting services will have on the region.”

Aviation Minister, Keir Mather (Lab, Selby), said: “We’re backing the next generation of British aviation businesses whose transformative technologies will reshape how we live and work in the years to come.

“Investing in emerging technologies like drones and unmanned aircraft is key to build a greener and more efficient transport system.

“But this isn’t just good news for the environment – this tech will also save our public sector and businesses valuable time and cash, while helping to boost skills and support high quality jobs across the country.”