Drone Show Korea Highlights International Partnerships: Drone Solutions for Bangladesh

Drone Show Korea 2023, the largest in its 7 year history, took place last week in Busan, South Korea at the Busan TechnoPark.

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The growing cooperation between the Korean drone industry and Bangladesh is a case in point.  Malik Fida Khan, Executive Director of the Bangladesh Center for Environmental and Geographic Information (CEGIS) was a VIP guest, telling a compelling story about the critical role of drone technology in environmental conservation in his country.

Established in 2002, CEGIS is a public trust and center of excellence (COE) by the Government of Bangladesh under the Ministry of Water Resources. CEGIS is a multidisciplinary center responsible for introducing and deploying the most advanced technologies available to meet the country’s most pressing challenges in water resources, agriculture, fisheries, power and energy, climate change, and more.

Bangladesh has more than 500 rivers, and the riverine landscape provides rich natural resources of fish, forests, and wildlife. The landscape also makes the country vulnerable to flooding and natural disasters, and river management is a critical need for one of the world’s fastest growing economies.   Drones offer significant advantages in environmental monitoring for river bank erosion, water quality measurements and more, explained Mr. Khan, stating that the country is committed to advancing drone technology.  CEGIS plans to create a drone center in CEGIS through continued partnership with the Korean drone industry.  The collaboration between Bangladesh and the Korean drone industry showcases they importance of mutually beneficial technology deals, opening a rapidly expanding market to Korean companies while offering rapid deployment of new technologies for stakeholders in Bangladesh.

The partnership has already led to concrete advancements in the use of drone technology for river management that may serve as an example for the rest of the world.  Korea’s Techno Parks, including the Drone Show Korea host Busan TechnoPark, play a key role in promoting the export of Korean technology.  In 2022, Busan TechnoPark facilitated the export of the first water surface drone to Bangladesh.  Uconsystem’s Remo-SV measures 8 water quality parameters in real-time while performing bathymetric survey.  Bathymetric surveys of Bangladesh’s river systems will enable the country’s flood planning and development.

Taekyun Kim, Head of the Future Aviation Industry Technology Center at Busan TechnoPark sees immense potential for drones and emerging technology in Bangladesh.   “There are so many efficiencies to be gained in the management of the river system in Bangladesh [using drones],” he says.  “Traditional methods of surveying are extremely time-consuming.”

This year, CEGIS and Busan TechnoPark are working together on a new project to design a solution for Bangladesh’s Department of Forestry.  The project will provide Korean-made, long-endurance fixed wing drone platforms to survey the Sundarbans Forest, one of the largest mangrove forests in the world and a critical biodiversity ecosystem. Surveyors will use sensors including multispectral, IR and live video monitoring to provide critical data about the Sundarbans to aid management efforts.

Read more:

• FAA Announces US and Korea Will Partner on Advanced Air Mobility Certification, Operations
• A Model of Korea: the Ambitious Project to Make a Digital Twin of a Country
• S. Korea Gets Ready for Urban Air Mobility: Flight Simulators, Scale Models and More on Display at Smart Geo Expo
• South Korean Drone Industry is Solving Global Problems: from the Floor of SmartGeo Expo
• Urban Air Mobility in Korea: Volocopter Conducts First Crewed Public Air Taxi Flight

Miriam McNabb

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry.  Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.

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