Using Drones to Manage Traffic and Detect Fires in Major Australian Cities

This report deals with the use of drone technology that will help in reducing the congestion in major Australian cities so that the traffic can be dealt in an efficient manner. The drones will also be fitted with sensors that can help in identifying fire accidents so that it can be mitigated and the risk can be decreased.

Running head: THINK BIG
Think Big
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
This report deals with the use of drone technology that will help in reducing the congestion in
major Australian cities so that the traffic can be dealt in an efficient manner. The drones will
also be fitted with sensors that can help in identifying fire accidents so that it can be mitigated
and the risk can be decreased. The report provides the benefits that can be generated from this
idea along with the business model canvas. It also contains the feasibility of the idea so that it
can be implemented by the officials in the major cities of Australia.

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Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Market problem/reason for the requirement of innovation........................................................3
Benefits of the idea.....................................................................................................................5
Proposed Business Model..........................................................................................................7
Critical success factors...............................................................................................................8
Feasibility of the idea.................................................................................................................8
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
Reference List..........................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
The recent times in the business market has seen some changes that has helped the
companies in developing their operations with the help of technological advancements. Most
of the companies try to innovate new ideas in their business so that it can help in ensuring
that the business survives in the future as well. If the company does not carry out proper
business ideas, it might result in the loss of the company and will result in closing down in its
operating market (Custers, 2016). The main idea of this report will be to highlight the utility
of drones in managing the traffic in Australia as well as provide fire alarms to the central
authorities through the sensors that will be attached in the machines. The drones will be
supplied to the police departments present in Adelaide, Melbourne and New South Wales. It
will help the traffic control department in monitoring the traffic that is present in the area
along with the cars that violate the rules present on the roads. The drones will also be able to
detect fire that may happen due to accidents so that it can be mitigated before its outspread.
Market problem/reason for the requirement of innovation
The country has vast number of cars and heavy vehicles that allows in transporting the
products from one place to another. This has resulted in lot of traffic in the recent years,
which needs to be managed in a proper manner. The use of the drones will help the traffic
control departments in getting an aerial overview of the traffic situation that is present in the
area so that it can help in managing the cars in a proper manner. It will also result in
increasing the level of efficiency of the vehicles in the area so that the congestion on the road
can be reduced to a great extent (Neocleous, 2013).

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Data representing the annual vehicle in major Australian cities
(Source: McDougal, 2013)
The outbreak of fire in Australia is also very rampant, which results in the loss of
human lives and destruction of property as well. The use of the drones will help in detecting
the presence of fire in remote areas so that it can be contained efficiently and prevent the
huge losses. The fire fighters can be informed well in advance so that the fire can be confined
within a particular area and can be mitigated as well (Paneque-Galvez et al., 2014). The
sensors on the drones will provide a thermal image regarding the fire so that its capacity can
be understood by the officials. This will help them in getting the necessary resources that will
result in preventing the fire to spread to other parts of the area. It will also result in warning
the civilian areas so that it can help in minimizing the level of human and property losses to a
great extent. This will also help in clearing out the populated areas so that there can be no
danger to the human lives (Tang & Shao, 2015).

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Data showing the national acres burnt in Australia
(Source: Smith, 2015))
Therefore, the development of the drones will result in securing the lives of the people
living in Australia with respect to fires as well as help the traffic officials to maintain and
regulate the traffic flows in the busy roads of Australia as well. This will help in increasing
the level of efficiency of the officials so that they can avoid the problems that may arise due
to congestion of traffic and outbreak of fires as well (Restas, 2015).
Benefits of the idea
Aerial overview
The use of the latest technologies such as drones will help the officials in getting an
aerial overview of the area so that the risk areas can be identified in a proper manner. It will
allow the officials in understanding the degree of severity regarding the problems that are
present in the area so that it can help in gathering the necessary resources that can solve the
problem (Wall, 2013).

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Utilization of resources
The drones will help in assessing the degree of calamity that is present in the area
such as the extent of fire that has engulfed a particular region so that the officials can gather
the necessary resources to stop it from spreading and destroying more lives and property. The
use of drones will also help in identifying the areas where traffic congestion has increased.
This may be due to the fact that the collision of vehicles or a vehicular breakdown has caused
the congestion. The drones will be able to send a picture to the traffic officials so that it can
help them in gathering the resources for the smooth operation of the area (Clarke, 2014).
Rescue operations
The use of the drone technology will help in rescuing people who are stuck in
accidents as well as in the wild fires. Since the product will be able to take an aerial view of
the affected area, it will help in locating the people who may be in distress. The use of the
thermal sensors will help in pin pointing the exact location of the people so that they can be
rescued in an efficient manner (Verguow et al., 2016).
Law enforcement
The use of the drone technologies will help in managing the traffic in an efficient
manner as well, as it will help in tracking the people who may try to break the traffic laws.
This will ensue that the surveillance of the traffic is being done in a proper manner so that the
safety of public can be maintained as well. Criminal activities can be monitored as well so
that the police officials can reach the scene of the crime within the particular time so that it
can result in arresting the criminals as well. This will ensure that the public and the civic
properties can be safeguarded in a proper manner (Custers, 2016).

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Proposed Business Model
Key Partners
The key partners
for this product
will be the aircraft
manufacturers, as
they have a better
knowledge
regarding the
materials to be
used so that it can
be light weight. It
will also contain
charger and batter
suppliers as well.
Key Activities
The major activity
of the product will
be to identify the
congestion that is
present on the roads
due to heavy traffic
as well as
monitoring the fire
through the sensors
that are installed in
the drones
Value Proposition
Cost of labor is
reduced significantly
than using the
helicopter
operations. The use
of the product will
also help in
providing better
precision regarding
the dangers that are
present in an
appropriate manner.
It will also help in
providing assistance
in removing the
materials so that the
area can be cleared.
The sensor will be
able to record the
activities in an
automatic manner as
well.
Customer
Relationships
The customers
would be traffic
officials and police
personnel along
with the disaster
management team.
It will also try to
expand its
customer base by
providing proper
training.
.
Customer
Segments
The size of the
customer market is
diversified, as the
police and the
disaster
management teams
will be included.
.
Key Resources
The training of the
personnel is
important, as it will
help in providing
proper instructions
regarding the use of
the products
Channels
The marketing of
the products will
be done directly
and the people will
also be trained so
that the products
can be used in an
efficient manner.
Cost Structure
The cost of the products will be approximately $900 AUD.
The cost of the battery and the charger will be approximately
$200 AUD.
The sales and marketing cost has been estimated to be
$100,000 AUD and the training of the customers has a
budget of $50,000 AUD.
Revenue Streams
There will be 5000 products that will be
distributed in the major Australian areas so that
it can help in managing any kind of disasters as
well as manage the traffic congestion in an
efficient manner.
Table 1: Business Model Canvas for the innovation

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Critical success factors
Organizing the resources
The marketing, technological and human resources needs to be organized in a proper
manner so that it can help in launching the product in a proper manner. It will allow the
necessary personnel in planning the resources in a proper manner so that the product can be
successful in the market (Torresan et al., 2017).
Proper research of market
The market also needs to be researched so that it can help in understanding the needs
of the drones in the country. This will allow the officials in making the ordinary citizens
understand the importance of the technology so that it can avoid the risks that are present in
the country (Omohundro, 2014).
Contingency plan to control risk
There are risks as well that are involved with the use of the latest technologies. This is
due to the fact that the product may malfunction that may provide wrong information to the
officials. This can increase the level of risk of the products in the market. Thus the company
needs to devise a contingency plan so that it can help the business to be sustainable in the
future (Clarke, 2014).
Feasibility of the idea
The cost benefit analysis will help in evaluating the feasibility of the idea so that it
can be introduced in the market. The financial analysis has been provided below:

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Program Operational Cost Elements FY FY FY FY FY
Changes in Program Operational Costs (Negative Values = Decreased Costs) 2019 2020 2021 2021 2022 TOTAL
A. Personnel -- Operational Costs $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $5,000
A-1.a. (Salaries & Benefits) $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $5,000
B. Plant & Facility -- Operational Costs $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $5,000
C. External Service Provider -- Operational Costs $9,901 $9,901 $9,901 $9,901 $9,901 $49,505
C-1. Contractor Services $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $5,000
C-2. Maintenance & Support Services $650 $650 $650 $650 $650 $3,250
C-3. Network / Hosting Services $601 $601 $601 $601 $601 $3,005
C-4. Data Communications Services $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $7,500 $37,500
C-5. Other $150 $150 $150 $150 $150 $750
D. Data Processing -- Operational Costs $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $75,000
D-1. Hardware $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $50,000
D-2. Software $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $25,000
D-3. Other $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
E. Others -- Operational Costs $750 $750 $750 $750 $750 $3,750
E-1. Training of the given software $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
E-3. Other $750 $750 $750 $750 $750 $3,750
Subtotal of Operational Costs ( Rows A through E) $27,651 $27,651 $27,651 $27,651 $27,651 $138,255
F. Revenues / External Contribution / Fiscal Offsets $50,000 $55,000 $60,500 $66,550 $73,205 $305,255
F-1. Revenues $50,000 $55,000 $60,500 $66,550 $73,205 $305,255
Total Changes in Program Operational Costs (Sum of Rows A through E minus Row F) ($22,349) ($27,349) ($32,849) ($38,899) ($45,554) ($167,000)
($22,349) ($49,698) ($82,547) ($121,446) ($167,000)Cumulative Change
Project Cost Elements Project Cost Table
(Project Planning,Development & Implementation Only - FY FY FY FY FY TOTAL
No Operational Costs) 2019 2020 2021 2021 2022
(Salaries & Benefits) $150 $150 $150 $150 $150 $750
Website costs $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $1,250
Consultant Services $65 $65 $65 $65 $65 $325
Hardware $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Software $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $1,000
Risk Infrastructure $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $2,500
Training $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $250
Total Project Costs (*) $1,215 $1,215 $1,215 $1,215 $1,215 $6,075
Cumulative Project Costs $1,215 $2,430 $3,645 $4,860 $6,075
Total Project Costs are carried forward to the InvestmentSummary form
Table 2: Feasibility idea
It can be seen that the break-even analysis of the product can be achieved in the first
year, as all the factors of success will be met properly. The Net Present Value (NPV) will

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also be positive within the period, which shows that the business is feasible in the future as
well.
Conclusion
Therefore the above analysis has concluded that the use of the drones for reducing the
traffic congestion as well as preventing the fires with the help of sensors that will be attached
on the drones. The feasibility of the idea is positive in nature due to its benefits and the
demand that the product has in the market. Thus, the business will be sustainable in the future
as well.

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Reference List
Clarke, R. (2014). Understanding the drone epidemic. Computer Law & Security
Review, 30(3), 230-246.
Custers, B. (2016). Future of Drone Use. TMC Asser Press.
McDougal, C. (2013). From the battlefield to domestic airspace: An analysis of the evolving
roles and expectations of drone technology. PublicINReview, 1(2), 92-102.
Neocleous, M. (2013). Air power as police power. Environment and Planning D: Society and
Space, 31(4), 578-593.
Omohundro, S. (2014). Autonomous technology and the greater human good. Journal of
Experimental & Theoretical Artificial Intelligence, 26(3), 303-315.
Paneque-Gálvez, J., McCall, M. K., Napoletano, B. M., Wich, S. A., & Koh, L. P. (2014).
Small drones for community-based forest monitoring: An assessment of their
feasibility and potential in tropical areas. Forests, 5(6), 1481-1507.
Restas, A. (2015). Drone applications for supporting disaster management. World Journal of
Engineering and Technology, 3(03), 316.
Smith, K. W. (2015). Drone technology: Benefits, risks, and legal considerations. Seattle J.
Envtl. L., 5, i.
Tang, L., & Shao, G. (2015). Drone remote sensing for forestry research and
practices. Journal of Forestry Research, 26(4), 791-797.
Torresan, C., Berton, A., Carotenuto, F., Di Gennaro, S. F., Gioli, B., Matese, A., ... &
Wallace, L. (2017). Forestry applications of UAVs in Europe: A
review. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 38(8-10), 2427-2447.

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Vergouw, B., Nagel, H., Bondt, G., & Custers, B. (2016). Drone Technology: Types,
Payloads, Applications, Frequency Spectrum Issues and Future Developments. In The
Future of Drone Use (pp. 21-45). TMC Asser Press, The Hague.
Wall, T. (2013). Unmanning the police manhunt: Vertical security as pacification. Socialist
Studies/Études Socialistes, 9(2).