Table 7 Summary of respondents’ point of view on UAVs
| Â | A | B | C | D | E | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Potential applications | Drugs dispatch, collection of samples, surveillance | For life-saving drugs and lighter payloads | In the affected area to distribute lifesaving medicine, surveillance. | Avoid rugged terrain hence saving valuable time | In Pakistan might be very useful in northern areas (mountainous region) | Handy equipment for surveillance, and delivering small aid packages |
Foreseeable advantages | Optimization of time and resources, the reliable first information | Save fuel, insurance cost, save operational cost, optimize time, save repair and maintenance cost | 24/7 usable service, can avoid driving restrictions | Low budget and efficient solution, suitable for surveillance, and first-aid distribution | First aid dispatch, surveillance, time optimization, low maintenance and easy to deploy | No need for transport infrastructure like roads, time and cost-saving option, frequent deliveries |
Foreseeable challenges | Acceptability among the people is a bigger challenge than technology, repair & maintenance during field operations, insurance | Fly over laws and regulations, payload limitations, weather conditions. | Vulnerable to vandalism, regulations of surveillance and ethical challenges, harsh weather or extreme winds might be an obstruction | People might not like drones flying everywhere, government approval and regulations, limited load capacity | Might need to build an indigenous infrastructure for using drones like carrying spare batteries or several charging stations, acceptance among people | Laws and regulations might restrict using it to full potential, less payload capacity, extreme weather, qualified human resource |
Expected maturity timeline | 2020 | 2025 | 2020 | 2020 | 2020 | 2025 |
Would your org. Use UAVs in the future? | We have already tried it a few times, and it is an instrumental technology, and we are looking forward to starting using it more often. | We think it is a beneficial technology and has more potential compared to UGVs. We will surely use it when it is ready. | We see limited options for using these UAVs. However, we believe our organization would surely include UAVs in the fleet. | We will certainly use them once they are available and regulators allow its usage | Our organization is eager in investing in UAVs as they could be beneficial in disaster response and relief, especially for surveillance | We will definitely include them in our fleet when the time is right. We see a lot of potential applications and advantages of using UAVs |