Innovation Cluster Accelerating Remote Sensing (ICARES)

The market for drones (RPAS or Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) is developing rapidly. There are still opportunities which have been explored by Icares-research project for three sectors: 1) agriculture, 2) water and infrastructure and 3) forest and nature management. The aim of the project was to bring supply and demand together by means of demonstration flights so that end users could see the possibilities of RPAS in daily operations and developers, service providers and pilots could gain insight into market demand.

 

The project partners worked with a system of demonstration events. Connections were made and strengthened within the sectors. Virtual contact points have been set up to capture questions related to remote sensing and RPAS usage in general. With a survey via online questionnaires the needs within each sector have been mapped out. This approach has led to partner matching and innovation in the various sectors with a cross-border innovation cluster as the icing on the cake. Finally, test and demo sites have been set up to reduce the threshold to practical applications.

Networking, knowledge building and innovative improvements are the lasting added value of this project. End users have been successfully matched with service providers and innovative applications for remote sensing have been generated. From the contacts and the questioning of needs, collaborations arose on innovative applications, in a regional and international context. ICARES has been able to reach a critical mass (a functional RPAS community). The social and economic benefits of RPAS applications have been effectively put on the agenda in the run-up to the European RPAS regulation.