Search and Rescue Drone Technology Extended to Help Communities Through Environment and Infrastructure Monitoring
VEON, Euronext Amsterdam, a global digital operator that provides mobile connectivity and services, today announces its intention to share access to its Augmented Intelligence Platform capabilities and know-how with the international mobile operator community. VEON is also announcing its intention to extend the application of its Augmented Intelligence Platform to include community services, such as road damage reporting, agricultural monitoring and illegal rubbish dump detection.
The VEON Augmented Intelligence Platform was originally developed to assist the LizaAlert search and rescue service in Russia that locate missing people across large expanses of land. Combining fast mobile communications, high resolution drone imaging and artificial intelligence, VEON created the Augmented Intelligence Platform that can accelerate the time taken to find missing persons.
In a recently completed pilot programme, VEON used drones and its Augmented Intelligence Platform to successfully identify damaged roads and generate a detailed report that can be used to accelerate the required repairs. VEON has also initiated other pilot programmes in several regions of Russia for the aerial identification of illegal garbage dumps and to ensure compliance with waste removal schedules.
VEON also announced today that Beeline, its mobile operator in Russia, is to provide advanced multisim technology to the LizaAlert organisation to increase network speed and availability. The multisim technology enables the rescue teams and drones to access the networks of all four of the mobile operators in Russia at the same time and, through sim balancing, automatically select the strongest network available.
“When it is about saving lives there is no room for competitive thinking, this is why we have decided to deploy the multisim technology and included all of Russia’s mobile operators in the solution,” explains Alexander Torbakhov as CEO of Beeline Russia. “By working together, we can provide LizaAlert with an optimised solution and help locate missing people faster. The best technologies should be used for the ones who need it most.”
Using unmanned aerial drones (DJI MATRICE-300), configured with ultra-sensitive photographic equipment, the Augmented Intelligence Platform is able to capture detailed images of the landscape and can operate in heavy weather conditions, both during the day and at night. During a 45-minute flight, a single Augmented Intelligence drone can take over 2,500 images which are then transmitted via mobile networks to VEON’s datacentre where images are automatically processed, using AI-based Big Data analytics. Any issues and coordinates are then communicated back to the on-the-ground team and appropriate action can be taken.
“We are delighted to say that last year Liza Alert was able to locate and rescue more than 31,650 missing people in Russia, many of them using VEON’s Augmented Intelligence Platform. This is exactly what VEON stands for, helping save people’s lives with technology”, says Kaan Terzioğlu, CEO, VEON. “Our Augmented Intelligence solution, that has been proven over many years with Liza Alert, is being further developed to help communities and public sector partners we serve in new ways, including for environmental protection. We are ready to share this innovative technology with fellow mobile operators and support our industry peers in providing real social value through innovation.”
VEON’s decision to share the know-how and open access to the Augmented Intelligence technology will provide mobile operators with the means to replicate the community services pioneered by VEON including the search and rescue of missing persons and the identification of road damage, detection of illegal rubbish dumps and other applications.
About VEON VEON is a NASDAQ and Euronext Amsterdam-listed global provider of connectivity and digital services. Our companies are transforming lifestyles through technology-driven services that empower opportunity in some of the world’s fastest-growing emerging markets. For more information, visit: https://www.veon.com
Strange time to be proud of Russian tasks…. (ed)
