Strategic Mobility on Freshwater Routes: Drones and Lake Como
Filippo Verre - June 25, 2022
* L’immagine di copertina di questo report è stata presa dal sito Villadeste.com, consultabile al seguente link: https://www.villadeste.com/en/tourist-information/lake-como/
Only a small percentage (about 3%) of the water on Earth is fresh. Even less (1%) is the actual water availability for humans. Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams and creeks, characterized by a relatively low salinity, are the main sources from which humans draw to provide themselves with the necessary water resources essential for life and the productive activities that are an integral part of our daily lives today. The sole source of all fresh water is atmospheric precipitation, in the various forms of rain, snow, hail, fog. These can contribute to forming internal water systems directly, or remain in solid form, if the climatic conditions allow it, forming snow and glaciers that melt due to seasonal temperature variations. The glaciers, aided by the presence of watercourses that flow from upstream to downstream, regularly supply the rivers and lakes whose waters, in turn, humans use.
The so-called internal waters, in addition to being crucial in water supply, have historically played a fundamental role also from another point of view: connections. For a long time, and to a lesser extent even today, lakes and rivers have been real waterways on which goods of all kinds passed on large barges relatively undisturbed towards safe ports. Unlike maritime traffic, often characterized by problems of various kinds [1], transport on fresh water guaranteed speed and safety. For this reason, the large cross-border rivers have long been crucial in the diffusion of trade, ideas and traffic of various kinds. Just to mention a very relevant European case in this perspective, consider the Danube River, whose course crosses the borders of ten European states before flowing into the Black Sea.
Fig. 1: Il lungo corso del Danubio
http://colnaghistoriaestorie.blogspot.com/2018/09/il-danubio-trastoria-e-miti-sul-bel.html
Lakes have also played a connecting role similar to that of large trans-border rivers. Over time, in many areas of the world, lake communication networks have developed that have greatly facilitated the transport of goods and people through these waterways. Even today, in many African lakes there are professionals whose purpose is to ferry workers, travelers or simple tourists from one bank to the other. This is the case of the so-called pirogues, an ancient profession considered to be nothing short of indispensable by many analysts to promote contacts and trade.
Fig. 2: Piroghiere in azione nel Lago Ciad[2]
https://left.it/2018/12/16/ciad-in-fuga-da-boko-haram/
Nowadays, barges and pirogues have long since given way to modern means of motorized transport that have undoubtedly further increased the circulation of products and people. Ferries, ships and small boats ply lakes and rivers every day, bringing many benefits from a socio-economic point of view. However, given the recent scientific and technological progress regarding air mobility, it would be appropriate to take note of the fact that we are at the dawn of a real revolution. Drones, a reality for some years now in various economic and productive sectors, could soon subvert the model of circulation on inland waters that is currently based almost exclusively on navigation. This technical report will focus on the main advantages and some critical issues related to a strategic mobility based on the use of drones. As an empirical case, reference will be made to Lake Como, a significant water basin in northern Italy, which could receive numerous benefits in various aspects from a greater diffusion of drones.
Economic-productive profiles of Lake Como
Lake Como, one of the most important in Italy and internationally renowned as a destination for high-level lake tourism, offers interesting food for thought to understand how drone-based air mobility has great potential. From an economic point of view, this lake has a profile of absolute importance that could certainly be increased with a greater use of drones at a logistical level. The provinces of Como and Lecco, the main urban centers overlooking the shores of the lake, are among the oldest areas of industrialization in Italy and have a very important history especially in the industrial sector characterized by the presence of numerous factories engaged in textile and metallurgical processing[3].
Fig. 3: mappa geografica del Lago di Como
https://coatesa.com/2019/05/15/mappa-geografica-del-lago-di-como/
Fig. 4: Stemma Provincia di Como
https://www.provincia.como.it/
Fig. 5: Stemma Provincia di Lecco
https://www.provincia.lecco.it
Analyzing the size of the companies active in the Como area, the prevalence of the tertiary sector is evident, with over 26,500 active units and a growing incidence equal to 60% of the total. The next most important sectors are construction (over 8,600 units, with a weight under 20%) and manufacturing (over 6,600 companies, with an incidence equal to 15% of the total). As regards the main destination markets for Como products, Germany is in first place, absorbing 13.5% of Como's exports and France is in second place. Countries outside the European Union have also increased their importance, going from an incidence of 46.9% (year 2013) to 54.6% (year 2018). The textile sector confirms its first place in exports. Ties, fine silks, socks and generic fabrics represent the flagship of Como's vibrant industrial production. In addition, there are other areas of growth and new opportunities: nautical, cultural and creative industries and floriculture[4].
Also with regard to Lecco, there is a lively economic-productive activity. To date, there are approximately 1,300 industries in the area with over 9,000 employees, equal to almost 40% of the workforce employed. A total of more than 24,000 individuals are employed, equal to 51.57% of the total number of inhabitants of the municipality. With regard to economic and commercial exchange, the European Union remains the main outlet market for Made in Lecco. Over the years, Lecco and its province have increased both exports and imports, demonstrating a lively commercial activity not only at a national but also European level. Due to the two years of pandemic, the trade balance of Lecco recorded a slight decline, settling at -2.1% at the end of 2021. Germany is the leading country for both imports and exports, followed by France (2nd outlet market and 3rd for supplies) and Spain (5th outlet market and 2nd for supplies). The sum of trade assets with Germany, France, the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain represents over half of the entire trade surplus of Lecco. The predominantly exported material comes largely from the metalworking sector (metals: 39.4%; machinery: 14.3% of the total) followed by the chemical sector (9.7% of the total), the wood and paper sector (7.2%) and, finally, the food sector (6.5% of the total)[5].
This brief review of industrial production and the main outlet markets of the two provinces certifies a vibrant production activity for the territories of Como and Lecco. This liveliness is also recorded in the vicinity of the lake, which for centuries has been an extremely strategic meeting point for merchants and travellers. In fact, there are many Como and Lecco companies active in the surrounding areas or immediately adjacent to the lake. In addition to industrial production, there are various companies specialized in the production of agricultural products. In this regard, on the shores of the lake between the provinces of Como and Lecco, olive trees are massively cultivated, with a documented presence of over 55,000 trees that produce DOP Lariano oil, a Lombard food and wine excellence famous throughout Europe. The mitigating climatic effect of Lake Como makes it possible to grow olive trees especially in the areas located in the center of the lake basin, especially in the municipalities of Tremezzina, Bellagio, Oliveto Lario, Perledo and Varenna where 15 companies are active (5 in the province of Como and 10 in that of Lecco) that employ more than 1,000 olive growers. In total, between 2,000 and 3,500 quintals of olives are produced per year, with a yield of approximately 200-300 quintals of oil[6]. Even from a wine-growing point of view, the shores of the lake certify a certain dynamism. On the outskirts of the capital of Como, precisely in the Spina Verde Park, there are over 40 agricultural companies that in total produce approximately 3,500 quintals of grapes per year of the highest quality[7].
The impact of drones on mobility in Lake Como: scenarios and forecasts
As analyzed above, Lake Como, in addition to being a place of great charm from a tourist and landscape perspective, represents a microcosm of intense entrepreneurial activity. The adoption of air mobility for travel on the lake, through the use of drones, would bring great advantages. First of all, it would speed up the delivery of goods, still today focused on road traffic along the coast, with great pollution and inconvenience also due to the limited width of the carriageways; secondly, it would increase the flexibility of supply to industries and hospitality companies; thirdly, it would revolutionize the logistics of the lake. In essence, drones could greatly increase the productivity of an already vibrant area, even if still conditioned by exchanges carried out mainly by navigation. In addition to what has been said, drones could also encourage connections from a health and tourism point of view, thus having an impact not only from an economic perspective but also from a social point of view.
Tab. 1: Previsioni economiche, sanitarie e sociali a seguito della diffusione dei droni nel Lago di Como
Economic impacts
From an economic perspective, the advantages that drones would guarantee to businesses are very clear. As mentioned, civilian travel between the shores of the lake is currently guaranteed by ships and ferries. These are undoubtedly safe means of transport, even if they are not very fast. Furthermore, from an environmental point of view, traditional lake navigation involves the use of fossil fuels that inevitably end up in the lake waters. By virtue of its average depth, a good 170 meters with peaks reaching over 400, Lake Como is not subject to high levels of pollution from fossil fuels. Ship fuel is easily diluted and does not cause particular inconveniences. Nonetheless, air mobility based on the use of drones would reduce pollution caused by the exhaust pipes of ships that daily transit on this important lake basin. Without a doubt, the reduction in the amount of gasoline in the waters of the lake, renowned above all for its scenic charm, would constitute a significant improvement from an ecological perspective. The lake, in fact, is not free from worrying cases of pollution of various kinds. According to a study carried out by Legambiente in 2021[8], many coastal municipalities presented serious cases of contamination: micro-plastics, generic waste, in some cases even household appliances and tires were present in the waters and visible to the naked eye. As can be seen in Table 2, the situation regarding pollution levels in various areas of Lake Como is not the best.
Tab. 2: Inquinamento di alcuni comuni costieri del Lago di Como tra il 2017 e il 2021
https://www.radiolombardia.it/2021/07/09/lago-di-como-quattro-i-punti-piu-inquinati/
As mentioned above, civil transport is carried out by ferries and ships. Goods, on the other hand, are still mainly moved by road. This causes significant inconvenience, due to increased traffic and air pollution. This complex situation is not helped by an adequate road network that facilitates the movement of large volumes of goods, given that the roads near Lake Como are often old, with only one carriageway and, in some cases, not in perfect condition or in any case unsuitable for high traffic. Furthermore, the natural composition of the territory surrounding the lake, characterized by high mountains, does not facilitate this type of movement at all. Its long coastline (170 km in total), constitute, among other things, a further limit to the increase in the volume of goods from one shore to the other.
In light of what has been analyzed so far, the movement of goods with the help of drones would bring substantial advantages. First of all, speed of delivery, since in a few minutes a drone would be able to make deliveries within the lake basin. This would encourage companies to place more orders given the very rapid arrival times of the goods. Even the accommodation facilities, very present at various latitudes of the lake, would benefit from superior logistics to the current ones, thus containing costs and waiting times. In addition, the benefits would also be high on an environmental level. The drones are entirely electric traction, so there would be no spillage of fuel or waste materials into the lake waters. As mentioned, therefore, this type of mobility, in addition to being fast, is extremely eco-friendly.
As analyzed in Table 1, the impact of drones on the economic front would be truly revolutionary. The entire logistics chain of goods supply would be modified in the name of speed and eco-sustainability. As regards timing, it is estimated that a freight transport mobility based on the diffusion of drones could be ready relatively soon, within 2/3 years. This is because, at the moment, there are already devices on the market that allow the transport of a weight that is certainly not excessive but still quite significant. To cite two cases, we refer to the large drones "Sumeri" and "Flying Basket FB3", recently presented by Leonardo and capable of transporting loads weighing 25 and 100 kg respectively tens of kilometers away. The low load that these machines are currently able to transport could be compensated by a high number of flights from one bank to the other. Therefore, instead of making a single large delivery of a few tons of goods, in the face of high shipping costs and non-optimal timing, numerous deliveries of small dimensions but extremely fast and efficient would be made.
Fig. 6: Drone “Sumeri” in volo
https://www.defensehere.com/en/leonardo-completes-the-first-phase-of-sumeri-moderni-drone-based-delivery-tests
Fig. 7: Drone “Flying Basket FB3”in fase di atterraggio
https://www.micromobilityworld.com/category/cargo-drone/
As regards both the risks and the costs of drone-based air mobility, it is estimated that in both cases there is a moderate impact. In the event of a drone failure that causes it to sink, there would be the loss of a load that is not excessive and therefore easily amortizable by the company. A so-called "lean" mobility, focused on the multiple delivery of lighter loads, would contribute to making the losses due to any accidents less significant. If, for example, a significant load of several tons were to be compromised, companies, especially the less structured ones, would incur serious economic damage. On the contrary, the loss of a load of a few dozen kg, although undoubtedly burdensome and unpleasant, would not constitute insurmountable damage. Even with regard to the expense necessary to equip oneself with the necessary flight equipment, the estimates are not high. In fact, as demonstrated by the cases relating to the "Sumeri" and the "Flying Basket FB3" launched by Leonardo, there are already drones for commercial use on the market that are widespread and used by various entrepreneurs. More and more companies are relying on smart mobility represented by drones, just as there are more and more companies specialized in the production of drones themselves. Here we highlight two companies, one Italian and one foreign, that have already decided to develop and market these devices for commercial use: the first is FlyingBasket[9], a South Tyrolean company active since 2015 responsible for the manufacturing of one of the two drones launched by Leonardo; the second is the American Elroy Air[10], specialized in the construction of large autonomous drones capable of carrying a significant weight, estimated at 150-200 kg. Increasing the transportable weight will be the next challenge in view of the movement not only of goods but also of people through the use of electric drones.
Many steps in this respect can be achieved through hydrogen technology. Today, in fact, the construction of drones powered by hydrogen is starting to be hypothesized. The latter is a very important gas that, combined with two oxygen molecules, forms the most important element for human life: liquid water. The very name of this gas is a clear reference to its function of generating water in conjunction with oxygen. Hydrogen derives from the Greek ὕδωρ, hýdor, "water", plus the root γεν-, ghen-, "to generate", therefore "generator of water". Until recently, hydrogen had not attracted attention from an energy point of view. This is mostly due to the fact that this important gas is the most present element in the entire universe, given that it is the main constituent of stars, where it is present in the plasma state and represents the fuel of thermonuclear reactions. On Earth, on the contrary, it is scarcely present in the free and molecular state and must therefore be generated for its various uses, including that of energy production. In its gaseous state, hydrogen is a good fuel: when burned, it produces a quantity of heat, expressed in Joules per kilogram, which is 2.6 times greater than that produced by burning other gases, including methane. The great energy produced by the exploitation of hydrogen will be able, in a short time, to build drones that will allow the transport of large weights, from 500 to 1,000 kg, for a considerable distance and a flight time of several hours. In light of this, one could hypothesize the construction of three Hydrogen Refilling Stations (HRS) in Lecco, Como and Sondrio, to guarantee a wide territorial coverage, and connections with the airports of Malpensa, Linate, Bergamo.
Health impacts
In the health sector, it is estimated that the use of drones could have an equally strong impact, both in dealing with emergencies and in the control phase of the territory. The rapid movement of medical equipment from one side of the lake to the other would allow for more timely assistance in the event of an accident or emergency. Entire sections of the lake would no longer have to be circumnavigated by land or traditional ships would be used. Furthermore, unlike helicopters, which are often used not only in the Lake Como basin but, more generally, in any situation of serious health emergency in which timing in the first aid phase is crucial, drones would have significant advantages. A drone does not need a heliport, the construction of which requires a long time and administrative authorizations. It is sufficient to equip a small area for the take-off and landing of the device, well-lit and signaled, and connect it with adequate infrastructures for connection with the health authorities. Furthermore, while heliports are few, the areas potentially suitable for the take-off of medical drones could be numerous, to be strategically located along the entire coastal perimeter which, as mentioned, is quite large.
In addition to emergency situations, the use of drones in healthcare can also have positive implications in monitoring the territory. Drones, in fact, are finding more and more spaces and areas of use, from the transport of medicines to the monitoring of patients at home. Telemedicine, or the set of medical and IT techniques that allow the treatment of a patient at a distance, could undergo a significant increase following the introduction of this type of mobility. Small drones can in fact be used inside homes to facilitate audio-visual contact between doctor and patient. In this way, the internet connection present on the drone itself can be used, in addition to the video camera mounted on the device. This new approach could therefore be fundamental, for example, to reach patients who are in rural, mountainous areas, temporarily unreachable, or who live in places where there is low network coverage and therefore traditional connections such as PCs and tablets cannot be used. Furthermore, drones can also be used to transport medicines and/or medical-health aids. In this way, not only are transport times by lake, land or train reduced, but it is also possible to bypass the problem of reaching inaccessible places, or temporarily unreachable due to extraordinary phenomena such as landslides, earthquakes, floods and so on[11].
Even from a cost perspective, as analyzed in the case relating to economic impacts, it is estimated that the expense is modest. The medical equipment and medicines to be transported are not very heavy and, therefore, already with the drones currently on the market it would be possible to carry out good distribution. Reduced costs are also estimated for the areas to be designated for the take-off and landing of drones, since, apart from the provision of highly visible lighting and the construction of electric charging towers, no particular expenses are reported. Regarding the timing, it is expected that the use of drones in the healthcare sector could occur within a short time, between 3 and 5 years.
Social impacts
From a social point of view, aerial mobility based on drones would be nothing short of revolutionary. Today, air travel is guaranteed by planes, aircraft and helicopters. Despite the countless benefits, above all the reduction of travel times, these means also have some disadvantages. Planes and helicopters are on average very large machines, extremely noisy, whose consumption of fossil fuels is very high. Drones, on the other hand, are small, silent because they are electric and, as analyzed previously, do not emit any type of emissions. According to various scientific and strategic studies, the spread of these devices for civil travel is only a matter of time, given that there are already many areas in which drones are widely used. Nonetheless, there are still some impediments that could delay the start of a civil air mobility based on drones by a few years. By virtue of this, it is estimated that the start of what would, to all intents and purposes, be a new era for travel, could take place no earlier than 7/10 years; unlike the aforementioned medical transport, which requires lighter weights and shorter timescales.
The main unknown is constituted by the batteries. Electric propulsion currently still requires some evolutionary steps to be able to respond to the needs of commercial aviation. In particular, the critical point is constituted by the energy storage of the batteries which, with current technologies, is able to provide too little energy density per kilogram. In practice, for the energy they provide, the batteries weigh too much and this, in flight, is an even more significant handicap than what happens, for example, on a motor vehicle. Secondly, directly connected to the problem of the batteries, there is that of the transportable weight, which is still too low. As previously analyzed, currently the maximum transportable weight is around 150-200 kg for a journey of a few dozen km [12]. It is not much, especially if there were to be a pilot on board. In this way, taking into account the average weight of 80 kg per person, with current technologies only one passenger would be transported. By virtue of this, the cost estimates are quite high, given that a lot of money will have to be invested in research to create increasingly efficient and reliable drones.
In our opinion, the main problem remains the difficulty of transporting a significant weight and, therefore, the low capacity that current drones are able to guarantee. In fact, as far as the Lake Como basin is concerned, the issue of battery charging would be easily solved. Between one trip and another, the drone could be recharged in a few dozen minutes through special charging columns positioned in the area designated for take-off and landing. As mentioned in relation to the health impacts, various stations could be built along the entire perimeter of the lake and in the centers of greatest tourist influx in order to transport people from one point to another with the help of drones. These stations could be equipped with turrets that, equipped with small wind and solar systems, could convert the energy of the wind and the sun into electricity to be used to recharge the drone once it has landed. This approach, in addition to being extremely eco-friendly, would have very low costs in line with the zero-emission electric mobility of drones. In addition, as previously highlighted with regard to the economic profiles, also from a social point of view it is believed that the technology based on hydrogen drones is destined to revolutionize civil transport. These drones, in fact, are able to guarantee a greater transportable weight and significantly longer travel times.
Conclusions
Drones represent the future of civil transport. Both in the economic sphere and in terms of the transport of people, it is estimated that the advent of drones will have a decidedly revolutionary impact in a short time. Already today, this type of air mobility represents a rapidly growing market in various sectors. Companies such as Amazon have been making extensive use of these devices for some time. In recent years, the large multinational specializing in online commerce has made such intense use of them that the authorities in Washington have had to establish ad hoc legislation in order to monitor the skies and prevent the creation of the basis for serious accidents. Even in the military sphere, as unfortunately witnessed in these weeks of war in Ukraine, the impact of drones has been decisive in the defense of the capital. The Bayraktar TB2, a drone developed by the Turkish military company Baykar Technologies and delivered to the Kiev armed forces to face the Russian invasion that began on February 24, 2022, has contributed significantly to the Ukrainian resistance and to inflicting numerous losses on the Muscovite troops.
As analyzed in this report, the areas in which drones are destined to be applied in the short term are various, especially at economic, health and social levels. Lake Como represents a very interesting case to understand the actual positive impacts of this aerial mobility. The vibrant economic-productive activity in the lake basin, the great tourist attraction of the region and the presence of numerous medium-large urban centers located on the shores of the lake constitute a set of factors to be taken into account with a view to a future introduction of drones for commercial use. In addition, drones could guarantee control of the territory also from an environmental perspective, monitoring the most complex cases regarding fires, landslides, mudslides or disasters of various types. The flexibility inherent in this type of equipment would make drones extremely suitable for support functions for operators on the ground. In light of what has been exposed so far, it is necessary to plan in detail from a political and administrative perspective the steps necessary to equip Lake Como with the necessary infrastructures suitable for making the basin "drone-friendly". A first step in this direction would be to begin identifying the areas where the landing and take-off stations for drones intended for the transport of goods, medical equipment and people will be built. Subsequently, these stations should be equipped with adequate lighting. Finally, a network of electrical towers suitable for recharging drones should be built.
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[1] Le principali criticità legate al traffico marittimo erano dovute alla presenza di pirati in grado di razziare il convoglio o a tempeste in grado di affondare la nave e causare la perdita del carico. Nel trasporto fluviale o lacustre, storicamente, pirati e disastri ambientali hanno causato molti meno danni rispetto agli spostamenti su acqua salata. Da un punto di vista comparativo, lo spostamento di merci su acqua dolce è quindi molto più sicuro del trasporto marittimo.
[2] AB AQUA – Centro Studi Idrostrategici ha studiato il Lago Ciad sotto vari aspetti. Per ulteriori dettagli si rimanda al seguente link: https://abaqua.it/le-numerose-crisi-connesse-al-disastro-ambientale-del-lago-ciad%EF%BF%BC-2/.
[3] Anche da un punto di vista storico, le provincie di Como e Lecco ricoprivano un ruolo di primo piano in ottica produttiva. Sin dai tempi antichi, Como era famosa per la lavorazione dei panni di lana che, nel Trecento, venivano spediti non solo a Venezia e Genova, ma anche nei mercati d’oltralpe. Anche Lecco vantava una produzione serica di ottimo livello, grazie alla presenza di ottimi filatoi e filande e a diversi apparati industriali dedicati alla produzione di tessuti ed abiti di qualità.
[4] Per maggiori dettagli si rimanda la sito della Provincia di Como, sezione economica: https://www.provincia.como.it/.
[5] Per maggiori dettagli si rimanda la sito della Provincia di Lecco, sezione economica: https://www.provincia.lecco.it.
[6] Il prodotto finale, di assoluta eccellenza, ha caratteristiche di delicatezza più pronunciate rispetto ad altri oli del Sud Italia che, in virtù del terreno e del clima, risultano più amari e piccanti. Per maggiori informazioni si rimanda a http://www.resegoneonline.it/articoli/sul-lario-per-lolio-dop-piu-nordico-deuropa-20170718/.
[7] Il meso-clima alpino che caratterizza il Lago di Como è contraddistinto da importanti escursioni termiche fra la notte e il giorno. Questa situazione determina un’ottima concentrazione di sostanze aromatiche nella buccia delle uve favorendo la presenza di acidi fissi nella polpa, indispensabili per una buona conservazione del vino.
[8]https://www.legambiente.it/comunicati-stampa/il-bilancio-finale-di-goletta-verde-e-goletta-dei-laghi-2021/.
[9] Per maggiori dettagli su questa azienda si riporta di seguito il link del sito: https://flyingbasket.com/it/chi-siamo-flying-basket-flyingbasket/.
[10] Per maggiori dettagli su questa azienda si riporta di seguito il link del sito: https://elroyair.com/#about-chaparral.
[11] In Africa, ad esempio, considerata anche la vastità del territorio e le precarie vie di comunicazione, i droni vengono già utilizzati da diverse onlus per consegnare medicinali nei villaggi più isolati.
[12] Proprio per ridurre il peso dell’eventuale pilota e, dunque, aumentare le persone trasportabili, la già citata azienda statunitense Elroy Air sta progettando droni a guida autonoma.
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