Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Analysis & Intervention System (ERA) via UAVs

Sustainable Venture Development Partners (SVDP) works with investors, entrepreneurial
managers, and corporates to originate, build and grow sustainable companies. Growth of these
companies is de-risked through access to our extensive network, deep sector expertise, and
venture development experience.
SVDP has developed a prototype design for a Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Analysis &
Intervention System (ERA) via the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The system
will deliver real time analysis of flood and erosion risks, and offer ‘next step’ intervention
measures, with the use of thermal sensors, HD imaging, Light Detection And Ranging
(LiDAR), and GIS to interpret the changing characteristics of UK waterways.
ERA improves upon the ROI of existing waterway monitoring by eliminating time consuming
manual activity, whilst increasing the richness and consistency of data collected. The device
leverages proprietary software, which uses thermal and visual data to identify sediment buildup
rates and geographical transformations. This in turn informs strategic intervention plans.
ERA borrows techniques developed by the precision agriculture industry, tailoring system
architecture to flood and erosion service requirements. With £3.2bn spent on flood and coastal
defence last Parliament (Defra), ERA stretches public investment by (1) streamlining
monitoring and (2) improving decision making.
ERA takes advantage of decreasing UAV cost, and consists of four components: (1) a thermal
/ HD imaging / LiDAR integrated UAV, (2) photogrammetry / GIS software, (3) a
recommendation engine, and (4) a user interface presenting data and intervention options.
Successful deployment requires coordination amongst many stakeholders and detailed market
research. This study’s objective is to prove our value proposition and produce a technology
development plan prior to securing Proof of Concept funding