Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 51 | Page 10

NEWS Ajman deploys drones for environmental monitoring A jman has become the first emirate of the UAE to leverage a drone-aided solution for environmental protection. Swisslog receives award for automation in warehouse management Alain Kaddoum, General Manager for Swisslog Middle East NNTC has contributed to arranging environmental monitoring in the Ajman Municipality’s environment and public health department which uses a UGCS- powered automated drone management system to monitor mangrove forests and territories near manufacturing enterprises, densely populated areas and landfills. UGCS-controlled drones automate the process by improving its speed and quality. Drones regularly survey certain locations and gather data for operators to track changes over time and make decisions, while UGCS software enables data collection in order to create detailed maps and track environmental changes in the area. The project included two phases: deployment and customer training. During the deployment phase, specialists set up the UGCS management system and flight routes. At the training phase, pilots learned how to use the drone management system, map a surveyed area, update ecological and altitude maps and respond to emergency situations. Pavel Tatarintsev, NNTC R&D Head, said: “Drones is an optimal solution for our tasks. The initial implementation was successful, and in the future the solution could be expanded with AI data processing, smarter drones and more sensors. The system proved to be efficient, flexible and user-friendly.” S wisslog, a Dubai-based leader in robotic, data-driven and flexible automated solutions, has announced that it has been honoured for its transformational growth across warehouse management. It has been awarded with the GCC Robotics and Automations Solution Provider for Warehouse Management Industry, Enabling Technology Leadership Award by Frost & Sullivan Middle East. Alain Kaddoum, General Manager for Swisslog Middle East, said: “We are extremely honoured to be recognised by Frost & Sullivan Middle East. This award is a testament to our relentless focus on quality, practicality and future growth. This year’s awards highlight the acceleration of automation in the Middle East and our commitment to meet all 10 INTELLIGENTCIO levels of automation and intralogistics handling needs.” Automation and informational technology are central to several Middle East and North African (MENA) countries’ future development plans. According to a report by Gartner, the total value of the MENA tech sector is expected to hit US$168.8 billion by 2020. With the continued increase in demand for robotics and automation, Swisslog continues to demonstrate leadership in new products and innovation aimed at embedding efficiency, intelligence and competitive advantages into warehouse logistics operations. Swisslog is one of the 40 companies to be recognised for its exception accomplishments, demonstrated performance in areas of leadership, technological innovation and product development. www.intelligentcio.com