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The project will see the creation of a digital twin of Dublin city to explore and simulate urban drone flight ecosystems.
A €600,000, two-year study to help prepare Dublin and other European cities for widespread drone usage was launched today (23 October) at the Dublin City Council (DCC) offices.
The project is led by a team from Lero, the Research Ireland Centre for Software, and Maynooth University, in collaboration with DCC and the Irish Aviation Authority.
As part of the project, the team will create a digital twin of Dublin city to explore and simulate urban drone flight ecosystems, allowing researchers to address issues that emerge in a safe and controlled environment. The aim is to show the benefits of autonomous and remote piloting of drones to support life-saving and emergency response applications in the city.
The project coordinator Prof Tim McCarthy described the project as particularly timely. McCarthy, who works at Maynooth University and Lero, said the project, particularly the digital twin will help address business, safety, privacy and environmental concerns that people may have about drone use.
“This unique drone innovation partnership will contribute to [DCC’s] Drone and Urban Air Mobility Strategy 2024-2029,” said Jamie Cudden, the Smart City lead at DCC. Earlier this year, Dublin published its first strategy on drones that includes the creation of a dedicated drones unit to oversee their use in emergency services and building inspections.
Minister of State at the Department of Transport and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications James Lawless, TD, who launched the project today, said that Ireland has an “established record of leadership in regulation of emerging technologies”.
“As drones begin to be used more and more across the globe, at home we have seen them supplying emergency medicines, delivering fast food, used for search and rescue purposes, and to enhance public safety among a range of important applications.
“The research partnership,” Lawless said, “is very much aligned with Government’s efforts to foster the industry’s growth while mitigating safety, security, environmental, privacy and other concerns.”
Last year, Bobby Healy, the CEO of Irish drone start-up Manna Drone Delivery, spoke on the For Tech’s Sake podcast about the growth of the drone industry and why Ireland is a leader in the space.
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