Drone technologies help communities in Poland deal with the impact of storms

28/08/17 | Tags: SocialInnovations

In addition to their commercial use in various areas of the economy, drones are also proving to be helpful tools in helping communities deal with the aftermath of natural disasters, such as the recent violent storms that ravaged Poland leaving great devastation in their wake. Data collected by drones can be used, for example, to precisely evaluate damages, as well as to improve the crisis response process and increase the safety of emergency services.

 

On the night of 11 to 12 August this year, the Pomerania region of Poland was swept by violent storms that caused serious damage. Rytel and Suszek were among the most affected towns.

 

Evaluation of storm damage and bringing urgent help to victims is one of the most important challenges in these situations. The PwC Foundation, together with PwC’s Drone Powered Solutions team, organised a drone inspection flight in order to collect detailed data on the area affected by storms, using advanced imaging analytics and photogrammetry. The data collected by the unmanned aircrafts were used in creation of an exact model of the area to help not only precisely assess the damages, but also provide material for evaluating compensation.

PwC transferred all the materials collected to the authorities of the communities and towns affected by the disaster.

 

Michał Mazur, partner at PwC, and leader of the Drone Powered Solutions team, says:

 

Seeing the scale of damage caused and the tragedy experienced by the inhabitants of Pomerania, we decided to use our expertise in drone technologies and their capabilities. We hope that the data provided will help to minimise the impact of the storm and assist in recovery efforts. At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems, so we were pleased to offer our support to those in need”.

 

As PwC stresses, drones may be helpful in crisis response situations. With real-time footage, it is possible, among other things, to assess the current situation in dangerous and remote areas that are difficult to reach. Precise mapping enables the exact evaluation of the scale of the problem, accelerates decision-making and improves the safety of emergency services.

Contact us

Agnieszka Gajewska

Agnieszka Gajewska

CEE Public Sector & Infrastructure Leader, PwC Poland

Tel: +48 517 140 537

Aleksander Buczkowski

Aleksander Buczkowski

Senior Manager, PwC Poland

Tel: +48 503 781 024

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