Chesapeake, VA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/29/2016 --Tom Walker, technology developer and President of Web Teks, has launched DART on Indiegogo, a project that that will enable drone owners and pilots to use their skills to potentially save lives. Nearly two million drones are flying in the U.S today and DART (Drone Assisted Response Team) is a system that will quickly organize drone owners who have volunteered to assist their community in a time of dire need. The platform works by pushing public alerts to mobile applications used by the volunteers so that they can see where and when their drone skills are required in real time.
A drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle that is operated by a pilot remotely; usually he or she stands on the ground and controls the drone with a handset. Rapid advancements in drone technology have led to increasing numbers of consumers owning and piloting drones for photography, filming, and obtaining observational data.
With DART, Walker has identified an untapped opportunity to leverage drone pilot's capabilities to assist local communities in times of need.
DART pilots might be called on to fly their drones to help in situations such as:
- Missing children
- Storm assessment
- Amber or Silver alerts
- Search and recovery
- First response intelligence
- Disaster assistance
- National security
- Fragile population protection
- Missing persons or lost pets
- Emergency situations
- Law enforcement
- Other requests for help where an arial viewpoint could be vital
News items have recently reported on drones saving lives during major floods and in locating missing persons in grave danger, or those who have become injured or unwell. In these cases, drones were being flown in the vicinity of the area by chance. DART will ensure the deliberate, coordinated efforts of drone pilots when and where they are needed the most.
The team behind DART has launched the project on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo to raise funds for the development of the platform, outside technical services, legal compliance support, marketing, and ongoing administrative costs. A target of $85K has been set which will fund DART's launch.
Once launched, the team will work on obtaining contract and grant opportunities to support the project and have already identified potential sources.
"This is an opportunity for those who own and pilot drones for a hobby to make a major impact in their communities," said Walker. " We believe that if we help save just one life, or help find just one missing child, all our efforts will be worth it."
DART is also seeking to recruit volunteer drone operators to join the project, both professional and amateur, and beta testers to evaluate the new platform. They hope to be able to extend DART's services to more countries in the future.
The team welcomes donations via their Indiegogo page, which can be found here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dart-drone-assisted-response-team-drones-community#/