COLOGNE, Germany — A new European study has found that the general public is unaware of the use of drones by first responders in emergency situations.
According to research conducted by the international ResponDrone Project, most people associate drones with amateur photography and videography, children’s toys, and military operations — or they knew very little about drones.
For the study, the EU-funded ResponDrone Project held 12 focus group in six countries (France, Netherlands, Greece, Bulgaria, Latvia, and Armenia). The countries were chosen to represent different cultural settings within Europe and beyond, officials noted.
Comments on drones were split between negative feedback, mainly due to privacy and noise concerns, and the understanding of the potential drones could offer to emergency responders, the researchers discovered.
All the participants in the focus groups indicated they would be willing to tolerate some disturbance if it were for the purpose of saving lives or mitigating disasters.
“The answers indicate that drones still appear to be new and somewhat unknown to the vast majority,” said ResponDrone project coordinator Max Friedrich from the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
“In light of the findings, ResponDrone recommends that emergency drones carry special identification, such as a specific color or a logo, make distinctive sounds, or have unique lights. Further, it is recommended that the residents are informed about flights and drills beforehand.”
You can read the full study here.