Successful experimental study of emergency road inspection using UAV (drone) during disasters using Level 3.5 flight in Nagano Prefecture
PACIFIC CONSULTANTS CO., LTD. (Address: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Representative Director, President Executive Officer: Osamu OMOTO) successfully conducted a demonstration experiment on December 17, 2024 in Anan Town and Tenryu Village, Shimoina District, Nagano Prefecture, to survey the damage status of roads in the event of a disaster using aerial photography using a UAV (drone) level 3.5 flight (autonomous flight beyond experimental study line of sight above uninhabited areas).
This demonstration project was adopted as part of the "Private Sector Proposal Public-Private Partnership Modeling Project *1" implemented by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in the field of "Infrastructure Development and Maintenance with an Eye to Disaster Prevention and Recovery," and was carried out in response to Nagano Prefecture's need for "urgent road inspections using UAVs (drones) in the event of a disaster," with which matching was achieved. The project aims to realize rapid damage surveys in the event of a disaster by utilizing new technologies such as drones and examining a business scheme that will speed up infrastructure disaster response (including initial disaster surveys) and improve the efficiency of daily maintenance through the use of data.
*1 "Private Sector Proposal Type Public-Private Partnership Modeling Project": An initiative to build new PPP methods based on private sector proposals in cooperation with private businesses and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism under a survey commissioned by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Transport and Tourism, and to spread them to local governments.
https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/sogo21_hh_000250.html
Securing emergency transportation roads is important for rapid recovery in the event of a large-scale disaster. Many of Nagano Prefecture's emergency transportation roads pass through rugged terrain with a high risk of disaster, and there are concerns that ground inspections and patrols alone will make it difficult to obtain the local information necessary to quickly reopen roads. This experimental study is an effort to realize inspections and patrols from the air using UAVs (drones) in order to quickly and safely grasp the damage situation.
In this experimental study, we succeeded in 1) flying a UAV (drone) at level 3.5 (autonomous flight beyond visual line of sight over uninhabited areas) for a distance of approximately 10 km one way and streaming the video in real time, 2) detecting abnormal events through AI analysis of video data capturing images of roads, and 3) outputting image data of the detected abnormal events to an information sharing system (Nagano Prefecture Infrastructure Data Platform) that utilizes GIS.
■ experimental study overview
Date and time: Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Flight Path
Aircraft used
Surveyor-IN, a domestically produced UAV (drone) by Autonomy Co., Ltd.
Demonstration scene
Flight status near Tenryu Village Hall (landing point)
Traffic cone detection results by AI
PACIFIC CONSULTANTS will continue to contribute to the safety and security of local communities through its "spatial creation business," which utilizes cutting-edge technology related to spatial information to provide comprehensive solutions to social issues such as infrastructure management and disaster prevention.