Drones to Tackle Congestion on Ireland’s Roads and Rails
Emily Pollock posted on April 09, 2018 | | 58 views
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the body responsible for Ireland’s national roads and public transit, is preparing to use drones for surveying. (Picture courtesy of Wikipedia)
According to their tender documents, the TII is interested in ordering two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—one fixed-wing and one multi-rotor—accompanied by technical support, flight planning, photo processing and training on how to operate them. They have a budget of up to €95,000 ($120,000) for the program
The drones are meant to replace on-the-ground road checks and surveys for infrastructure projects, allowing the TII to avoid unnecessary road closures. “Currently there are men and women out there who have to set up traffic management and divert roads to conduct inspections but that can all be avoided by being able to put a drone in the air,” TII communications director Sean O’Neill told The Irish Times. “Surveys are the bread and butter for many of our staff, who have become very well versed in drones over the last couple of years. It is going to make much of our work more efficient.”
The TII will also use the drones to identify congestion on Dublin’s tram lines and may use them to help plan the city’s New Metro North project, a high-speed transit link between the city center and the Dublin airport.
The TII became interested in using drones after…