In the Temple of Jeronimos Monastery, UCAM hosted the first session of  'UCAM Smart Campus 2016' on Tuesday April 26, as part of  the Technical Conference SICARM 2016  with a focus on  drones . The legal framework, the latest developments and practical applications were the issues discussed in  various presentations and roundtables. The event was  supported by the Integra Foundation, the European Regional Development Fund and the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia to highlight some performances in which drones are used.

Francisco Abril, CEO of Simplification of Business Activity and the Digital Economy of the Region of Murcia , highlighted many practical applications in which drones are considered as a necessary tool: ​​"It makes no sense to work on new technologies if there is no actual application. Drones are fundamental in many areas such as agriculture, the audiovisual industry or rescue operations. We must move forward on that path because technology is a means to achieve the goals we want. " 

"Drones are fundamental in many areas such as agriculture, the audiovisual industry or rescue operations. We must move forward on that path because technology is a means to achieve the ends we want"

- Francisco Abril

Use of drones in water infrastructure

José María Barnabas, General Secretary of the Hydrographic Confederation of Segura, gave  a real example in his speech   the importance of the use of drones in water infrastructure. "In the Hydrographic Confederation of Segura, we have to continually keep the topography and bathymetry of reservoirs " he said, and explained that it has given the high cost of traditional methods. ”So, we have already started a pilot project based on new technologies for  the use of drones on the Valdeinfierno reservoir “. By that way, more reservoirs will expand as it has been shown that this system is cheaper and more accurate than those previously used thus  far." 

Other exhibitions were offered to show other  applications of drones: 'The Jeronimos Monastery: Drones and 3D indoor', 'Precision agriculture and wine farms' and' Drones in emergency services'.   

A growing sector that creates jobs

Rafael Melendreras, vice dean of the UCAM Degree of Engineering in Telecommunications Systems, highlighted the work towards students aged 13 to 17 years in the workshops of 'UCAM Smart Campus 2016': "One of the goals is to attract young people to new technologies and encourage technical careers because the job market in  this field is  very large and new professionals are highly in demand “ 

Regulation key factor

Javier García, officer in the Air Services Costa Calida, gave a presentation on 'Regulatory aspects of flying drones' in which he recalled that the legal vacuum of this activity is already the past: "As of July 2014, there was no official regulatory framework. Since then, regulations have begun on  this activity. A qualification for drone piloting and air operation  is necessary. The law marks a number of limitations including altitude, distance to pilot, and fly zones, such as airports or urban centers, to be known."