Agency and Extraction in Emerging Industrial Drone Applications

Abstract

Rapidly diffusing 'industry 4.0' technologies stand to impact a broad range of stakeholders. Prior to implementation, forward looking formative analyses can identify systems and policy designs to promote equitable benefit. We investigate this potential through an analysis of stakeholders to a potential drone implementation on a small commercial farm in Rwanda. Translating stakeholders' imaginaries within a post-colonial frame, we identify hopes and concerns related to agency and influenced by global and local systems of power. The findings highlight constraints that recommend system designs promoting local agency and control and policies designed to balance local data management against potentially 'extractive' multinational data transfer processes.