Once, I wrote an article on drones for firefighters, hospitals and companies to check fertilizer need in agriculture, or details of facades in tall buildings, as Global Drone Tech does.
New York is testing drones on specific routes, for handling packages up to 10 kg to car parks of shopping centers, industries and other sites far from flats. The results there and the registration of drones and their owners in the EU, allowed to extend these services to other cities, especially where heavy traffic delays, making light deliveries expensive.
In Brazil, Campinas has already delivering drones up to 10kg from the truck hub to the sites where motorbikes take them to their destination. São Paulo allowed testing in a few parking-lots. The very slow traffic in greater Lisbon and Porto makes them ideal for this job.
Civil Defense should start using drones to alert very early of danger of or starting fires in fields and forests; this has been done for years in other countries. Another use, already in Portugal, is to analyze the need for fertilizers in agricultural areas.
Firefighters could also adopt 'ambulance-drones' in large cities, the Danish way of supporting casualties in places that are difficult or time-consuming to reach. When using 6 or 8 propellers and modern batteries, they carry 90kg and cameras, transmitters and speakers for the doctor at a distance to talk to someone who helps the victim.
Drug trafficking, increasingly daring in the Mediterranean, has brought quieter drones with batteries that allow longer flight times. The maritime police or coastguard in some countries has thus made apprehensions worth €200 million or more.
In the Algarve, during some seven months, clogged highways bring accidents where ambulances may take 45min to come. Also dry, hot weather bring fires, which could be extinguished if drones pictured them at start.
Finally, the demand for experienced drone pilots has increased and so has their salary. Some started companies that sell their services at great profits. Something for you / friends?
