Geomatics Methods and Soft Computing Techniques for the Management of Public Transport and Distribution of Medical Goods

Abstract

Initially used exclusively for military scopes, RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) have become increasingly common and versatile thanks to continuous technological innovations and today they find applications in many other fields. Two of the most interesting applications of drones concern the transport of goods and the monitoring/control of crowding in public transport for the management of the LPT (Local Public Transport). In the first case, drones can be used to deliver goods in different areas with the advantage of saving costs and delivery times; in the second case, drones can be used to monitor and control the flow of people inside public transport, to detect any situations of overcrowding and take prompt action to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers. This research aims to propose an innovative automatic management system for a group of RPAS used for the transport of essential medicines and for monitoring the crowding of people in relation to the use of Local Public Transport. This was possible through the creation of an experimental system for recharging drone batteries and above all the implementation of different soft computing algorithms and tools such as YOLO (You Look Only Once), SORT, and MAC address. All the information obtained in real-time and continuously updated, are transmitted to an Open GIS studied and programmed by us.