It’s become a common sight—small helicopter-like devices buzzing in the air above parks and open spaces, with operators controlling them from afar. Indeed, drones are even taking over commercial applications, with Amazon testing the delivery of packages via drone copters, and military operations, with drones used for airstrikes.
Now, governments are taking the technology into new vistas. The Polish city of Krakow recently outfitted aerial drones with pollution monitors in an effort to understand where air pollution is being emitted.

According to drone maker Pawel Kalisz, his creations include a 34x optical zoom, pollution sensors and thermal imaging technology, so operators can see via tablet-based controls where illegal burning of toxic material is being done. The city has had a problem of residents disposing of all sorts of rubbish in their fireplaces and stoves, causing spikes in pollution levels. So, the drones would be used to determine where scofflaws are burning toxic materials and would aid in inspections and fines to reduce violations.
The drones operate in the morning hours and at night, when most violations occur. Data readings will be analyzed and correlated to imagery taken during flights, to pinpoint where scofflaws are burning refuse.

This type of technology would be a boon in developing countries, where infrastructures aren’t well established to warrant developing permanent air sensor towers in towns and villages. Additionally, factories spring up in rural areas, and often flaunt pollution restrictions and regulations, so the use of portable and mobile drones would help governments regulate unchecked growth and stave off violations without significant capital outlays.

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