R-ECOMONY, 2018, 4(3), 115–120 doi: 10.15826/recon.2018.4.3.016 115 www.r-economy.ru Online ISSN 2412-0731 Original Paper doi: 10.15826/recon.2018.4.3.016 Significance of drone technology for achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals Haula Kitonsa , Sergey V. Kruglikov Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia; e-mail: kitsxauxkissule@gmail.com ABSTRACT Th e drone technology, which originated in military applications, is now wide- ly used for commercial, professional, industrial and private purposes. Appli- cations of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, include diff erent sectors of economy, for example, agriculture, transport, in- frastructure, entertainment, and telecommunications. Not only are drones eco-friendly gadgets that allow to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emis- sions, but they are also time- and cost-effi cient. Th us, drones can prove to be a major force for good as they hold massive potential for being used to meet the sustainable development goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations Organization and adopted in 2015. Developing countries, for instance those of Sub-Saharan Africa, are facing famine, epidemic diseases, poverty and other challenges. All these problems can be addressed with the help of the drone technology. Th e main objective of this paper is to identify the sectors that are most likely to be infl uenced by the drone technology and to highlight the scenarios in which this technology can infl uence the achievement of the SDGs. One of the most promising spheres in this respect is the usage of drones as delivery vehicles in agriculture, e-commerce, and health care. Moreover, drones can be eff ective for monitoring and surveillance in international and domestic law enforce- ment, wildlif e preservation and scientifi c research. KEYWORDS drone technology, unmanned aerial vehicles, sustainable development goals, United Nations, agricultural drones, drone applications, drone risks FOR CITATION Kitonsa, H., & Kruglikov, S. V. (2018) Significance of drone technology for achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals. R-economy, 4(3), 115–120. doi: 10.15826/recon.2018.4.3.016 Значимость технологии дронов в достижении целей устойчивого развития ООН Х. Китонса , С. В. Кругликов Уральский федеральный университет, Екатеринбург, Россия; e-mail: kitsxauxkissule@gmail.com РЕЗЮМЕ Технология беспилотных летательных аппаратов, созданная военными, в настоящее время широко используется в коммерческих, профессиональ- ных, промышленных и частных целях. Беспилотные летательные аппараты (БПЛА), широко известные как «дроны», используются в различных сек- торах экономики, например, сельском хозяйстве, транспорте, инфраструк- туре, развлечениях и телекоммуникациях. Дроны не только экологичны и позволяют сократить количество выбросов углекислого газа, но они так- же экономичны в терминах времени и финансовых затрат. Таким образом, беспилотные летательные аппараты могут оказаться серьезной силой, по- скольку они обладают огромным потенциалом для использования в целях достижения целей устойчивого развития (SDG), установленных Организа- цией Объединенных Наций и принятых в 2015 г. Развивающиеся страны, например, страны, расположенные к югу от Сахары, сталкиваются с голо- дом, эпидемическими заболеваниями, нищетой и другими проблемами. Все эти проблемы можно решить с помощью технологии беспилотных летатель- ных аппаратов. Основная цель этой статьи – выявить сектора, на которые, скорее всего, повлияет технология беспилотных летательных аппаратов, и выделить сценарии, в которых эта технология может повлиять на дости- жение целей устойчивого развития. Одной из наиболее перспективных сфер в этом отношении является использование дронов в качестве средств доставки в сельском хозяйстве, электронной торговле и здравоохранении. Более того, беспилотные летательные аппараты могут быть эффективными для мониторинга и наблюдения в международных и внутренних правоох- ранительных органах, охране дикой природы и научных исследованиях. КЛЮЧЕВЫЕ СЛОВА беспилотная техника, беспилотные летательные аппараты, цели устойчивого развития, Организация Объединенных Наций, сельскохозяйственные беспилотные летательные аппараты, применение беспилотных летательных аппаратов ДЛЯ ЦИТИРОВАНИЯ Kitonsa, H., & Kruglikov, S. V. (2018) Significance of drone technology for achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals. R-economy, 4(3), 115–120. doi: 10.15826/recon.2018.4.3.016 116 www.r-economy.ru R-ECOMONY, 2018, 4(3), 115–120 doi: 10.15826/recon.2018.4.3.016 Online ISSN 2412-0731 Introduction Developing countries, in particular those located in Sub-Saharan Africa, have for a long time been facing severe famine, epidemic diseas- es, poverty and malnutrition issues [1; 2]. Social and economic development in Africa is aff ect- ed by high mortality rate [3; 4] and poor health which are a result of malnutrition. In addition to environmental issues, the rapidly growing human population leads to an increased poverty rate, which still remains the highest in the world as of 2012 [5]. So far approaches to combating hunger and malnutrition have mostly focused on increased food production and food security paying less at- tention to the water scarcity problem. Water has a vital role in ensuring food security as 70% of the population [6] in Sub-Saharan Africa depends on agriculture for survival and more than 90% of this agriculture is sustained by direct rain. Th erefore, agriculture still remains the major response to ad- dressing hunger and malnutrition. In 2015, the international community adopt- ed seventeen global goals for sustainable develop- ment (SDGs) to improve people’s lives by 2030. Th ese SDGs comprise 169 targets [7–9] measured on local, national, regional and global levels and across various sectors. Th e SDGs place greater demands on the scientifi c community to address climate change, renewable energy, food, health and water provision. Great emphasis has been put on the need for social inclusion, economic devel- opment, and environmental sustainability and on outreach for marginalized groups [10]. “Sustain- able development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs” [11]. Th is study aims to provide a brief overview of the role that drone technology may play in meeting the SDGs. Potential Usage of Drones to Achieve SDGs Recently, there has been a rapid growth in the popularity of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) commonly known as drones on the civil market. Although originally drones were used in the mili- tary sector, they are now widely used both in civil and commercial domains for parcel deliveries and other purposes [12]. Regardless of the fact that drone technology is still at its infant stage in terms of commercial usage, its current and speculated commercial applications have already shown the potential to dramatically alter several industries in terms of reducing on workload and general costs of production, time saving, increase on work ef- fi ciency and productivity and also bridge gap be- tween urban and rural areas. Various stakeholders and actors, including governmental bodies, such as law enforcement agencies, commercial fi rms, scientific institutions [13] and private individuals, have realized the benefi ts inherent in the use of drones. Hence, in the coming years, the adoption of drone technology will undoubtedly turn into a great trend as more and more industries are em- bracing the technology (Figure). Research 0.3 Other 0.5 Scienti�c 0.6 Conservation 0.7 Government 0.8 Insurance 1.0 Emergency 1.5 Manufacturer 1.5 Education 1.9 Agriculture 8.0 Construction 8.6 Utilities 10.9 Real Estate 20.7 Photo 42.9 Top industries infl uenced by the drone technology in 2015 Source: FAA, Th e Verge Drone Project, 2015 Let us now consider some of the SDGs put forward by the United Nations and the poten- tial usage of the drone technology to meet these goals. One of such goals is to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and pro- mote sustainable agriculture. Drone technology can be used in agricultural sector [14] in a num- ber of ways, for example, to survey farm fi elds [15], to ensure product delivery [16] and to spray pesticides. Rather than spraying the entire fi eld, the pesticide can be delivered to the right spot, only in the quantity needed, which means reduc- tion in pesticides used, reduction in collateral damage to wildlife and also enhanced cost-effi - ciency [17]. Th e case of Japan provides a good R-ECOMONY, 2018, 4(3), 115–120 doi: 10.15826/recon.2018.4.3.016 117 www.r-economy.ru Online ISSN 2412-0731 illustration for such applications of the drone technology. Since the 1970s, this country has ac- cumulated signifi cant experience in this sphere. Nearly 2,000 UAVs are being used in Japan today for agricultural spraying and planting operations [18]. Furthermore, drones can connect farmers to markets and thus ensure that everyone has ac- cess to aff ordable nutritious food. Chinese retail giant JD.com uses drones for e-commerce ship- ments to remote areas as well as to small towns or cities. It also transports farm equipment, fer- tilizers and seeds. Apart from the agricultural usage of drones, they can also be successfully employed as deliv- ery vehicles as they are able to traverse diffi cult landscapes and reach remote areas [19]. For in- stance, company Zipline in Rwanda has been de- livering medical supplies to rural areas since 2016 by using drones and dropping off blood parcels attached to parachutes [29]. Over 50 deliveries are made daily, thus saving thousands lives. Th is experience has already drawn attention of other countries such as Canada and Tanzania seeking to adopt this practice [21]. Moreover, drones can be employed in emergency situations as ambu- lances to provide fi rst aid to patients prior to being admitted to the hospital. In remote areas, medical services oft en take long to respond and to reach a patient with cardiac arrest or similar conditions [22]. In case of natural disasters, such as mudslides, earthquake, fl oods, explosions and wild fi res, immediate and swift medical attention is needed as lives some survivors depends on it. So drones can be used to quickly scan the area and locate the victims with the help of on-board cameras providing real-time data [23]. Another promising sphere for drone usage is scientifi c research: as drones can withstand extreme conditions and are expendable, which makes them perfect research of diseases, pollution levels in regions with extreme weather conditions, radioactive areas and so on [24]. Another important goal set forth by the UN is to ensure sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. In this respect, the drone technology promises di- verse and attractive possibilities and is bound to reshape a number of business sectors whilst cre- ating enormous employment opportunities [25]. Among other things, drones have the potential to restructure the delivery market and open new business opportunities for small businesses such as local stores, pharmacies, fast-foods as well as large international and national businesses and government entities. Drones also hold a lot of potential for the development of tourism. Video cameras are at- tached to drones that can record and capture pic- turesque aerial views of diff erent places such as historical and natural sites. Th ese aerial views and videos can be used to promote tourism [26], once they are shared or uploaded to any social network. Moreover, drones can be used for virtual tourism: a tourist may be sitting at home and receiving live videos on the phone or computer in 3D format from a drone fl ying over places of interest [27]. One more signifi cant advantage of drones is that they are a safe and environmentally sound technology. Deploying drones for last-mile deli- very reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emis- sions which would have been produced if the goods were delivered by other means of trans- port [28]. Moreover, drones have proven to be an eff ective alternative to fi reworks, which can spark off wildfi res. Th erefore, drones were used for this purpose in California, Colorado, and Ar- izona in the USA, which suff ered from wildfi res. Th us, these states decided to use a fl eet of 500 In- tel star drones to dance to patriotic music on 4th July celebrations. Gas sensors and cameras can be mounted on drones and thus flown over volcanic areas, seas, forests among other places to monitor the situation. Drones can detect natural disasters prior to their occurrence, thus alerting the cit- izens of a particular area and enabling them to evacuate [29]. Another sphere in which drones can play an important role is surveillance of wildlife: for instance, Kruger National park in South Africa is known as the world’s number one poaching site for rhino [30]. Having a fl eet of drones with cameras providing real time data and hovering all over the park will help the authorities to fi ght poaching. Drones have proven instrumental in the util- ities and energy sector to perform long-range ae- rial inspections of energy infrastructure, includ- ing pipelines and electric wires that can run for thousands of miles. Power line maintenance and repairs can be very expensive and dangerous for workers. Electric companies can use drones to ac- cess damaged power lines or structures and trans- mit pictures and information that can facilitate working on solutions more quickly, hence ensur- ing the achievement of sustainable development. 118 www.r-economy.ru R-ECOMONY, 2018, 4(3), 115–120 doi: 10.15826/recon.2018.4.3.016 Online ISSN 2412-0731 Th e UN have also set the target to signifi - cantly increase access to information and com- munications technology and to provide univer- sal and aff ordable access to the Internet in the least developed countries by 2020. Mark Zuck- erberg has recently announced his plans to pro- vide Internet access to remote parts of the world by launching an initiative that involves the usage of solar-powered drones, capable of staying air- borne for years and acting as movable wireless access points [31]. Th e UN’s SDG to ensure peace, justice and strong institutions can be met through effi cient law enforcement, for which drones have proven to be indispensable. Drones can be deployed to pursue suspects in vast, open areas and areas that are inaccessible or diffi cult to access for human offi cers [32]. Moreover, drones can be an eff ective technological solution for border patrol as they are capable of scanning wide areas, see through walls and track individual movements from the sky. Th us, drones can be used to monitor the movements of illegal migrants. Risks of Using Drones Despite the obvious advantages of drones de- scribed above, the potential misuse of the drone technology grows proportionally to its popularity. Drone operation can pose a threat to both public and national security, which explains why most legal authorities seem to be in two minds about making fully legalizing this technology. Th ere is ongoing communication between the diff erent regulating bodies in diff erent countries such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Trans- port Canada and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and others. It should be noted here that most of the countries have used the FAA’s guidelines for their drone regulations. To balance safety and in- novation, international cooperation is required to enable countries work towards the common goal and ensure the maximum safety of drone usage. Drone regulations set by the European Aviation Safety Agency [33] were adopted by 27 member states (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Po- land, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slove- nia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK). Conclusion It is evident that drones are going to make a great contribution to the achievement of the SDGs. Drone technology not only has a prom- ising robust infl uence in the agricultural sector, but in a number of other sectors. Despite all the above-described advantages off ered by the devel- opment of the drone technology, legal regulations in some countries, Russia in particular, impede effi cient use of drones. Full legalization of drone operations is required in all sectors of economy. Countries, such as China, Rwanda, Japan and the USA, have taken steps in this direction. 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International Journal of Remote Sensing, 38(8–10), 3054–3067. doi: 10.1080/01431161.2017.1302115 Information about the authors Haula Kitonsa – Researcher, Graduate School of Economics and Management, Ural Federal University (19 Mira St., 620002 Ekaterinburg, Russia); e-mail: kitsxauxkissule@gmail.com. Sergey V. Kruglikov – Head of Academic Department of Controlled Systems, Graduate School of Economics and Management, Ural Federal University (19 Mira St., 620002 Ekaterinburg, Russia); e-mail: svk@imm.uran.ru.