Sibintek creates the platform of control of hundreds of drones for Rosneft

The digital cluster of Sibintek - internal IT integrator of Rosneft, develops the platform based on which it is going to render services using independent unmanned aerial vehicles (drones as service - drone-as-a-service, DaaS). The chief manager of the Digital cluster Grigory Ryabtsev in September, 2019 told about it. Begin to render service based on this system the company calculates within a year.

One of the most relevant tasks which the platform based on unmanned aerial vehicles is designed to solve is monitoring of oil pipelines regarding identification of different incidents - technical and in the field of security.

At the same time, note in the Digital cluster, the efficiency of autonomous monitoring of oil pipelines is significantly higher, than than with the assistance of the person, a car - and the air equipment.

Slide from Grigory Ryabtsev's presentation

It is monthly necessary to carry out monitoring of thousands of kilometers of pipelines. Some part is already controlled using UAVs. By estimates of the Digital cluster, the potential size of the park of UAVs for her customer can be more than 500 devices.

A system which is developed by the Digital cluster, assumes completely independent operation of drones, without participation of the person. It is going to be integrated with technology of machine vision – video analysts for operation on remote objects including where there is no communications infrastructure.

Slide from Grigory Ryabtsev's presentation

The developed video analytics is capable to distinguish, for example, people, vehicles, pourings of oil products, ignitions. The final customer as service will be able to obtain information and reports on results of monitoring, the revealed incidents, etc.

In 2019 the Digital cluster carried out a pilot project based on the system. In it drones which are suitable for flights in summer conditions were used. In plans – testing of devices for flight in the conditions of colder weather, including northern latitudes. There, in particular, monitoring of an ice situation, investigation of aysbergovy danger and other aspects is relevant.

One more potentially demanded scope of service based on unmanned aerial vehicles – thermovision control, Grigory Ryabtsev added.

Based on own service Sibintek platform is going to develop afterwards simple and transparent tariffing of service: for example, the payment can be levied for one kilometer of flight or the fact of the revealed incident, Grigory Ryabtsev gave examples. At the same time to the platform as subcontractors different suppliers of pilotless devices and services on their basis could be attracted.

The representative of the Digital cluster notes that, despite convenience of a system, there is a number of the barriers interfering extraction of the maximum opportunities from services based on unmanned aerial vehicles. First, it is barriers technology. Treat need for technology of remote determination of oil products with the 100th probability of % them and in the new power sources capable to work effectively in the conditions of Far North.

Secondly, there are legislative barriers preventing rendering services based on drones on demand. It is necessary to undergo a number of difficult processes for providing similar services in advance. For example, observance of an order of removal of a security classification from materials of aerial photography or obtaining permission to flights at the heights up to 150 meters in an allowing order.