Thursday, February 20, 2014

Drones to monitor Baguio flower festival activities

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 20): Drones to monitor Baguio flower festival activities
 
Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc (BFFFI) chairman Anthony de Leon yesterday presented a spy plane which he said will be used starting on Saturday until March 2, the last day of the 19th Panagbenga 2014.

The spy plane or drone will be used to monitor the festival activities and assist the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) in curbing crimes.

The drone is an unmanned and remotely controlled airplane, a lot smaller than a regular piper cab. It has been used in different activities in the past, capturing videos and images of mass actions and festivals.

De Leon noted the annual increase of petty crimes in the Central Business District (CBD) during the Street Dancing, the Floral Float Parades and the Session Road in Bloom.

He said that since these are the crowd drawers of the festival, people bump into each other and not noticing pickpockets and the likes, abound.

The drone, he said, will help the police identify and strengthen cases against these thieves.

The drone will also monitor traffic bottlenecks even after the Traffic Management Branch (TMB) of the BCPO rerouted traffic in these thoroughfares.

De Leon added that the drone will also assist the tourism office in its annual tourist estimates in Baguio City and the Cordillera Region.

The drone will be able to capture a general view of the areas commonly surveyed by the tourism office aside from hotels, inns and registered transient houses.

Some 1.5 million people are expected to visit Baguio City this weekend for the flower festival.

The drone will be able to fly over a wide area in the CBD including Burnham Park, Baguio Athletic bowl where the parades will converge, Baguio Country Club, Camp John Hay and the Baguio City Hall to name a few.

De Leon is optimistic that this year’s Panagbenga will bear good and positive results.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=618231

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