Germany using drones to fight the war on graffiti

[InCiDeR]

Germany using drones to fight the war on graffiti


A fleet of miniature helicopter drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras are to be deployed to combat graffiti-spraying gangs on the German railway network.

The drones, which fly at an altitude of 450 feet, will be used at graffiti “hot spots” such as the big German cities of Berlin, Leipzig, Cologne and Hamburg, a spokesman for Deutsche Bahn confirmed.

The use of drones against vandals is the latest indication of the growing civilian market for unmanned aerial reconnaissance.

More than 400 drone systems were being developed by firms based in Europe, according to an EU report last September.

The drones cost about $80,000 each and are manufactured by the German firm Microdrones, which also markets the machines for landscape photography, analyzing traffic accidents and monitoring crops. They will be painted in Deutsche Bahn’s red livery.

Jens-Oliver Voss, a spokesman for Deutsche Bahn, said privacy laws meant that drones would not be used near stations, where members of the public might be filmed.

“They will be used in combination with security guards, identifying graffiti-sprayers so they can be apprehended by security forces, who can hand them over to police,” he said.

Deutsche Bahn, which spends mroe than $10 million a year removing graffiti, is refusing to say how many drones it has bought.
Source (http://www.theprovince.com/news/Germany+using+drones+fight+graffiti/8440521/story.html)


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This is getting spooky. Reminds me about the Terminator movies...

[Nothingness]

Reminds me of the helicopters in Tucson years ago. They surveilled at night: If you ran a stop sign, they nailed you--it was like the voice of God calling out of the sky: "Pull over ... ". If you were smoking a dubbie in the backyard at night, it was not a good idea when you were lighted up by the helicopter beamlight zooming by.

Technology always comes along for some other use, but then it seems to come in handy for invading people's privacy or doing nasty things. The PTB always finds a way to use it against the ordinary person--not that they don't have enough advanced technology at their fingers.

[Chrononaut]

I agree and here you can see them in action:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrCMtEY5Epc

The second film called RUIN - An animated short set in a post-apocalyptic universe. It's only a tiny sliver of a much larger story. Thankfully, it's now set up at 20th Century Fox to become a full length feature. For me is this a obvious warning on how the future on earth will unfold if we give away our freedom.. Excellent work..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doteMqP6eSc