In addition to consumer goods and medicines, what societal benefits could drones deliver?
By Chelsea Lawson
As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) moves toward allowing Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) “beyond the visual line of sight,” we can expect to start seeing delivery drones being used for a range of services to the American public, including delivering critical supplies, life-saving medicines, and commercial products. State and local governments are preparing accordingly by designing pilots and studying the potential impacts in different contexts.
Over the past two years, Cityfi has been helping the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to do just that, working with a team of consultants led by Airspace Link. Our role in the project was to analyze the impacts a delivery drone corridor would have in both the urban context (Detroit area) and the rural context (Traverse City).
In sum, our analysis finds that the projected benefits vastly outweigh the costs in either context. Specifically, our context-independent model finds that the benefits of drone delivery in Michigan outweigh the costs by a ratio of 6-to-1. However, context is important in determining the types of impacts that residents can expect.
For example, in Detroit, where there is significant socioeconomic need, the largest impacts are the creation of skilled jobs and the increase in productivity that delivery drones are likely to generate. In the rural context of Traverse City, where there is a high elderly population and barriers to mobility, the community benefit of increased access to medical care is most notable.
We are able to do this sort of high-level comparison of impacts using a version of our Social Impact Calculator that we have discussed in several previous posts. The final report discusses our scoring methodology as well as our quantitative impact analysis (environmental impact in terms of tons of CO2 emitted, economic impacts in dollars and number of jobs, contextual population figures, etc.) in more detail.
This evaluation of projected impacts is only the beginning, but it is exciting in its own right. Change can be scary. Technology marches inexorably into our lives and into the public realm. By breaking down the impacts of an impending change into manageable pieces, we can position ourselves for the cost-benefit analysis that is a prerequisite to an intentional and positive integration of this new technology into our communities. Cityfi and its partners intend to continue their hard work in this regard, and when delivery drones become an FAA-approved reality, we will be ready.
