As part of its commitment to innovation, Ferrovial Services recently secured a permit via the Infrastructure Competence Centre that will allow the company to operate drones in Spain, pursuant to regulations established by the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency (AESA).
The company will exploit drones to improve various services, including maintenance of public lighting and roads, as well as infrastructure inspections and building management. Such devices can be used to safely and significantly reduce intervention times, as well as drive operational efficiency and automation.
The first service sector company to operate drones
This licence, which covers drones flown both in and out of visual range, makes Ferrovial Services the first company in the infrastructure services business permitted to use such technology. As part of the project four operators at the organisation have already undergone theoretical and practical training to work with drones.
Optimising infrastructure management
Ferrovial Services, together with the Ferrovial Innovation Division, is currently evaluating the technical opportunities offered by such aircraft to provide enhanced services:
- Street lighting: inspections of power lines and the light fittings themselves.
- Road maintenance: identifying and evaluating road conditions, obstacles and potential danger situations associated with accidents or adverse weather conditions.
- Infrastructure: faster and safer inspections of infrastructure such as viaducts and tunnels without requiring deployment of auxiliary equipment.
- Buildings: inspections of roofs, exterior walls and pipes.
Commitment to innovation at the Ferrovial Services Infrastructure Competence Centre
The drone operator licence is the latest innovation project to be implemented by the Infrastructure Competence Centre. Other projects include Street Scanner, which harnesses sensors to compile data on road and facility conditions; Ferrovial Light for GLASS, which uses Google Glass wearable technology to manage infrastructure; and the EMMOS and SATESO programmes, securing energy efficiency at buildings and data centres.
