Look Out for Drones – They Are Coming Everywhere

The seafood industry, the offshore and petroleum industry and the drone industry meet for the third consecutive year at the ‘Drones in Norway’ conference.

Drones operating over open seas mark the agenda during the ‘Drones in Norway’ conference in Bodø, Norway in the end of this month.

The starting point is the fact that unmanned planes and helicopters can contribute to increasing security and efficiency at both installations and operations, which also means a lot to environmental monitoring.

Increase and spread knowledge

Conference organiser Bror Myrvang of Bodø municipality says one of the most important goals of such conferences i spreading and increasing knowledge about all areas where drones may be applied, in particular in the seafood and petroleum industries.

- This conference will focus largely on operations under demanding Arctic conditions, where infrastructure is rather sparse.

Among the contributors are Statoil, which is to present its recent drone study. The company has mapped potential new application areas for drones. The University of Bergen will present brand new technology for so-called “coating” – the outermost layer on wings and airframes that is to reduce the problem of icing.

On, above and below water

Andøya Space Center will introduce a discussion on the enormous potential that lies in the drone industry, while Maritime Robotics is to speak about drones over, on and below the sea surface.

Director Kjell Giæver of Petro Arctic, the North Norway supply industry network, has grasped the drone opportunities with both hands.

- We definitely want to show the petroleum industry the North Norwegian suppliers and technological communities and have started extensive mapping of the existing drone knowledge and services in the High north.

Innovation and collaboration

Giæver emphasizes that digitalization and automatization will be among the leading driving forces in future technology and industrialization.

- Innovation and cross-industry collaboration will be crucial for cost efficient and environmentally friendly solutions in the petroleum industry.

Petro Arctic will conduct several mapping processes focusing on digitalization and automatization in the supply industry during 2018.

Mapping competence

- We start mapping suppliers and R&D actors in drone services.

Drones may for instance be relevant to inspection and monitoring on- and offshore, in short/medium span surveillance, logistics, mapping and of course in security and preparedness, Kjell Giæver says.