Multi criteria decision analysis (MCDA) of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS) as a part of standard response to emergencies

Abstract

Objecitve: To investigate whether the incorporation of Unmmaned Areial Vehicles (UAV) into emergency services is better than the manned drone and conventional means of transportation. Methodology: Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is applied to analyse four options to respond to emergencies. These four options are manned drone, UAV, helicopter and vehicle of incident commander. Findings: The UAV costs less than helicopters and manned drones and it is faster than incident commander’s vehicle. The analysis based on three important parameters of response time, cost and availability of the option to reach at the scene of crash in most of the conditions, reveals that UAV is the best option. Application: Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended to include UAV as a part of standard response to emergencies.