Drones+&+Society

=Drones and Society: 2016 begins a new era of flight technology and society=



2. The Sociology of Drones: Q & A: by Allen Berg
I am a new and very “techno-newbie” member of this group, and a former sociologist from Boston University, living in Santa Cruz many years now…

I was just thinking out-loud about the current Holiday Season and the “hobby drones sales craze” about to invade our local skies… So this is an Open Letter to ask some questions for your consideration and comments:

The FAA has already published new laws about personal drones (which are legally defined as “aircraft”) and required registration of owners (who are legally defined as “pilots” --even if they are teenagers…). The insurance industry has already joined in this new UAS business and some stores already provide brochures to customers about “Group Liability” policy rates: c/o Academy of Model Aeronautics ($75/year). 1. So I am curious to see how these new administration and law enforcement issues work-out around our Greater Bay Area vis-avis “no fly zones”, private property use, public parks and beaches, flights over Monterey Bay, Highway 17 etc. 2. And how people will react to “intrusive” flights in their “air space”, etc. 3. The unintended consequences of this new technology are going to challenge our previous assumptions about “quiet and safe skies”… —police departments will use drones for surveillance and search & rescue… —fire departments will use drones to put out fires… —farmers will use drones for aerial crop spraying… —packages will be delivered by drones… —aerial photography and video will boom exponentially… but: —will irate neighbors start shooting at “intrusive” drones? —will laser pointers become “weaponized” to destroy hobbyist drones? —will land-pilots be required to carry personal GPS tags? —will there be new public and/or private parking spaces for drones? —will major open-air sports stadiums become ‘domed’? —will new regulations for flight paths be effective or create major traffic jams and accidents in the sky?

That’s probably enough for now… But we just entered a new irreversible: physical, legal, commercial, enforcement, protection, perilous, technological, and digital space… in our Brave New Whirled…

The Drones are here and just beginning to impact human life on Earth… See Drones & Society_Arts page