- Demand for drones has shot up in Africa in its fight against coronavirus pandemic for aerial surveillance, public service announcements and sanitisation
- In Morocco the demand has tripled in just weeks
The demand for drones has shot up in Africa in its fight against coronavirus pandemic for aerial surveillance, public service announcements and sanitisation. In Morocco the demand has tripled in just weeks reports Yassine Qamous, chief of Droneway Maroc, African distributor for leading Chinese drone company DJI. According to Qamous, drones have been widely used in Morocco and has a dedicated industrial base, researchers and qualified pilots. However, according to reports regulations have long limited civilian drones to applications in areas such as filming, agriculture, monitoring solar panels and mapping, etc.
The utility of Drones came into prominence with the spread of Pandemic. They have quickly emerged as a vital technology for public safety agencies during this crisis to safely monitor public spaces. In the context of COVID19, drones are being deployed to issue warnings, identify suspicious movement in the streets and disperse illegal rooftop and balcony gatherings. Last week local authorities in Temara, a town near the capital Rabat, introduced a high-precision aerial surveillance system developed by local company Beti3D.
Like most of the African countries, Morocco primarily uses imported Chinese drones. The soaring demand is also driving local production of specialized aerial vehicles. Farasha, a start-up has raised funds to produce drones for thermal surveillance and aerial disinfectant spraying. The aeronautics department of the International University of Rabat (UIR) offered its facilities, expertise, and prototypes to authorities in March, deploying drones with loudspeakers or infrared cameras able to detect movement at night or spot individuals with high temperatures. Several projects are underway across the country for various models of drones.
