Growth industry: How Dubai drones will watch over plant health and farmland

Aircraft to scan landscape and deliver targeted action where needed

The 'Gaith' drone will soar over Dubai. Photo: Museum of the Future

Dubai Municipality is sending drones into the sky to help monitor the health of the emirate’s trees, plants, green areas and agricultural land.

Under a partnership between the municipality and UAE-based technology company Eanan, which makes unmanned aircraft, the Gaith agricultural drone will fly above Dubai. Equipped with a powerful camera, its images are assessed with the help of artificial intelligence to identify problem areas in need of treatment.

The drone can then deliver targeted treatment, such as fertiliser, using its 40-litre tank and spray system on board. The scheme is in its pilot phase but it is expected to be expanded and could be used to tackle other issues.

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The DM Smart Eye initiative was launched on Monday at Urban Future Week, held at Museum of the Future, and comes as the use of drones – from fighting fires to air taxi trials – continues to increase in the UAE.

The drone has a high-powered camera. Photo: Museum of the Future

How will the drones help?

“It is a huge project,” Mohammed Ali, future foresight expert at Dubai Municipality, told The National. “The drone will be able to predict issues and many other things.”

Previously, workers would have had to go out inspecting every area but this system aims to make better use of resources. “One of those plants, let's say it has a type of disease,” Mashaal Al Marzooqi, director of business development at Eanan, told The National. “Currently, how would those people find out? They go to the park and see the plant.

“But now the drone and camera will scan the land, we'll take those images to a specialist who will do image-processing and then it will give us the details that in this area a few plants have a disease, and the solution will be to give them a type of fertiliser."

Gaith translates from Arabic as an area that is very dry and suddenly receives rain, Mr Al Marzooqi said. The role of AI is to help assess large amounts of data, spot patterns and predict trends, making the system more efficient.

How are drones used currently?

The company’s drones have helped to deliver food to fish farms in Abu Dhabi and in cargo delivery, while Eanan also wants to launch an air taxi. Dubai Police already use unmanned aircraft to fight fires, while trials of air taxis have taken place across the country in recent months.

Mr Al Marzooqi said he believed the regulatory landscape in the UAE made it easier to work in this sector. “I think the government really wants to support these smart applications,” he said. “The legal framework is good here.”

The conference also heard from Dubai Municipality director general Marwan bin Ghalita and Dr Amna Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment.

Dr Al Dahak told attendees the Dh170 billion ($46 billion) investment in roads and public transport announced last week was not merely about easing congestion.

“It is our commitment to design smarter, greener infrastructure that improves air quality, gives families back their time to enjoy together and make our communities healthier places to live,” Dr Al Dahak said.

The two-day event at Museum of the Future aims to bring together officials, experts and decision-makers to examine how cities and urban areas can adapt to major issues such as climate challenges and social change.

Majed Al Mansoori, executive director at the museum, said: “As one of the fastest-evolving cities in the world, Dubai’s progress is driven by community, possibility and cutting-edge innovation.

“The Museum of the Future is proud to host Urban Future Week in partnership with Dubai Municipality, providing a platform for the critical conversations that will define Dubai’s urban landscape, explore new technologies and accelerate its mission to become the best liveable city in the world.”