MANILA: The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is likely to use drones to monitor traffic, floods, and emergency operations in the metropolis.
MMDA general manager Tim Orbos was quoted as saying by Manila Bulletin that he is open to the idea of hiring a company that operates camera-equipped drones to complement the agency’s closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras on the ground.
“For us to cover the whole of Metro Manila, it’s either you have more than a thousand CCTVs and helicopters that cost so much. We will not be buying drones but what I’m thinking is to hire the services of a private company,” Orbos reportedly said, adding that to fly a drone, one must be a certified pilot, he reportedly said.
Orbos was quoted as saying that investing in drones can be the “fastest way, cheapest way,” in monitoring the metropolis, citing the extensive use of drones in the United States for traffic management.
While encouraging the private sector to offer proposals, Orbos said he is also willing to partner with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on the use of drone technology. “If there is a Filipino technology, I am willing,” Orbos added.
Earlier, the MMDA invited suggestions from the private sector for projects using advance technology to help the agency handle perennial issues like flood control, solid waste management, health and public safety, and urban planning and renewal, reported Manila Bulletin.
