Gauteng launches its first drone programme: here’s what they’re being used for

Source: SA Migration, 25/05/2018

Gauteng launches its first drone programme: here’s what they’re being
used for
Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) MEC Jacob
Mamabolo on Monday launched the province’s first drone programme. The
department said it aims to use technology to become an efficient
provider of services.
“The drone project adds a new dimension to the monitoring capability
of the department,” it said. The drone, which is the first to be used
to monitor infrastructure projects in tandem with the business
intelligence house in DID’s nerve centre, Lutsinga Infrastructure
House.
This new intervention essentially combines human intelligence,
business intelligence and now artificial intelligence to ensure that
the entire value chain of project deliver is efficient and that
projects are delivered in time, within cost and at the right quality.
“It is possible for the public sector to be efficient and to be
productive in what we do and that is exactly what we are
demonstrating today,” said Mamabolo during the launch.
Through the drone project, the department ensures that construction
work is done in line with work schedules. The drone also helps in the
monitoring of safety compliance on construction sites to meet health
standards.
The programme allows DID to identify blockages in the delivery of
construction projects to visit sites, troubleshoot and intervene to
improve our project management performance and productivity.
“One of the things that we have looked at is that globally
infrastructure performance is lagging behind other industries.
Therefore over the past two years we’ve been working hard to
introduce efficiencies across the value chain of development,”
Mamabolo said.
The department has been piloting drones since early January this year
and the official launch today marks the success of the project, it
said.
Project pipeline
Over the next three years, DID has committed to delivering 340
projects â€` valued at about R4.5 billion â€` on time, within cost and at
the right quality.
The department has, for the first time, publicly unveiled a three-
year portfolio of all its community infrastructure projects including
new schools, libraries, clinics, licensing centres and community
centres, following two years of behind the scene planning to manage
its vast and complex projects.
The project pipeline will be used to prioritize projects which are
ready for implementation for tracking and monitoring to improve
project management processes as well as to speed up delivery to
Gauteng communities.
All the pipeline projects were subjected to the Project Readiness
Matrix (PRM), an innovative tool designed by the department, to
assist in the assessment of all the critical and stage specific
Infrastructure Delivery Management System (IDMS) requirements, before
projects are considered for inclusion in the pipeline.
The department said it will also be able to improve its reporting by
ensuring that all information is gathered from one source. “Most
importantly, the monitoring of project performance will further
enable the department to proactively manage compliance issues largely
residing in other spheres of government, such as local
municipalities.”
“Annually we spend almost a trillion rands in infrastructure as
government, which is a lot of money. Whilst we are spending this
money, the built and construction continues to be depressed,” said
Mamabolo.
He said that the project pipeline classifies projects in three
categories: platinum for projects to be implemented in the 2018/19
financial year, Silver for 2019/20 and Coal for project that will be
completed in the 2020/21. He said this allows DID to manage these
projects more efficiently as these are now more transparent.
These projects are tested through the Project Readiness Matrix to
ensure that there are no glitches that see projects experiencing
endless delays.
“The project pipeline forms part of a major turnaround initiative by
DID to standardise its project management approach through the use
smart technologies to manage data from one source through the
establishment of the Lutsinga nerve centre,” it said.