At the Fence against the African Swine Fever

Warning sign at a fence against African Swine Fever

Warning Sign at the new Fence against African Swine Fever

Songbird VTOL UAV before the inspection flight with 100 MP camera

The Songbird with a PhaseOne 100 MP Camera on Board before its Flight.

The Songbird UAV is particularly suitable for inspections over long distances. A fence system is in place now to keep animals out of Brandenburg, because the swine fever is currently threatening large areas. The fence installed by the veterinary office in the Barnim district needs regular maintenance.

Various methods are currently being used to monitor the fence and the area - People walk the fence, police helicopters fly over the area and take photos in which wild boars are later searched for, and even some smaller drones are beeing used.

Since depending on the section, various more or less committed property owners are responsible and the feedback therefore does not come from a single source, the inspection efforts are currently very patchy, according to the responsible authority. However, regular controls of the fence system in eastern Germany are necessary every few days to effectively keep infected animals away.

The animals often find gaps, expand small existing holes or use spots along the fence that are passable due to storm damage.

The threat of economic damage is immense. If a single carcass with African Swine Fever pathogens is found, according to the regulations and depending on the zone, very rigorous methods are carried out - from ceasing agriculture to culling an entire animal population.

Several partners are now working on behalf of the district administrator on a holistic drone solution that aims to automate Songbird operations with AI-based damage detection and animal counting. This would make the operations much more reliable and cost-effective in the long term. Even at short notice, the measures on the ground can be considerably supported by the high-res aerial images taken by a Songbird.

 

Your contact at Germandrones:

Dr. Klaus Scho, CEO

Tel. + 49 (0)30 34 78 12 81

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