A Lancashire-headquartered tech business has taken the decision to “put something back” into the community by making its cutting-edge resources available to the region’s mountain rescue teams.
Networx3, which specialises in installing blown fibre optic communications infrastructure, is now in the process of liaising with five mountain rescue teams across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Yorkshire to offer the use of its drones.
The company is best known for installing Europe’s biggest fibre optic cable network here in Manchester in 2011.
Networx3 currently uses its drones to survey land, protect its engineers by inspecting potentially hazardous terrain, provide ecology reports and complete security sweeps.
But managing director Ian Ashworth has decided to allow the drones to be redeployed when they’re not in use by the company to assist regional search and rescue teams.
He said: “As a company we want to give something back.
“We work extensively for the emergency services and consequently are aware of the amazing job that the mountain rescue teams consistently do.
“We will loan out our drones complete with thermal imaging camera and mapping software which means mountain rescue teams can create a 2D map from aerial imagery, in minutes.
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“We’ll also be loaning the trained pilots to operate the as well as offering our expertise.
“The best drones cost a lot of money and that’s why many mountain rescue teams don’t have one – we’re going to do our bit to change that.”
Networx3 was founded by mechanical engineer Ashworth in 2003.
Since then it’s grown into an industry-leading firm with clients including government departments, critical infrastructure sectors, mobile phone giants and renewable energy utility companies.
The team, based in Great Harwood, Blackburn, now has 16 staff including certified drone pilots, engineers and ecologists.
Networx3 decided to invest in drones in 2017 after spotting the commercial opportunities they gave to the business.
To date, the company has invested a substantial five-figure sum in four drones, accompanying software and modifying support vehicles.
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The company’s latest addition – the £28,000 Matrice 210 V2 RTK – includes broadcast quality video, thermal imaging and high definition cameras which can pick up an image the size of a postage stamp from a kilometre away.
Ashworth said: “Drones allow us to be niche in our sector.
“They allow us to survey land and plot routes for our cabling, inspect overhead fibre optic cables, do ecology surveys without disturbing wildlife and protect our staff so they don’t have to physically enter areas which may be dangerous.
“Drones have a bad press thanks to airport shutdowns and being flown in public spaces where they annoy people.
“But when they’re flown by qualified and licensed pilots like ourselves, they are a fantastic bit of kit.
“What you can see on the ground and what you can see in the air are totally different.
“They are a game changer in our business.”
Networx3, which is recognised to be the biggest installer of blown fibre optic cable in Britain, installs its cabling through ducts to create communication networks which offer limitless data transfer.
Ashworth concluded: “The work we do is future-proofing our clients’ requirements.
“The cabling we install is capable of handling any amount of data now and in the decades to come.
“Instead of having to rip up floors when you need to make changes all we have to do is blow new cables through ducts.
“This often happens under people’s feet without them knowing that we’re there.
“Our method is quicker, greener and more efficient.”
Lawrence Jones MBE on tech in unusual places
When we think about technology, there are so many potential facets that could spring to mind. The kit in your pocket or on your desk; the hardware and software connecting us all on a daily basis; the entertainment in our homes; the machines keeping people alive in the hospital. There are also so many areas of technology that many of us know nothing about, and perhaps never will.
Technology plays such an important, ubiquitous role in our everyday lives now that it is all too easy to overlook it and forget that it is even there.
I was fascinated to read about the use of drones to help lay fibre and to aid mountain rescue teams. Previously, I had thought drones were simply there for photography, leisure or in the future, delivery. The use of these technologies to facilitate blue-light services is astonishing and certainly makes me wonder what else could be put to a different use to create life-changing outcomes.
I remember reading a viral post about a teen who’d had her phone confiscated, only for her to send messages on social media via the smart fridge! You can always trust kids to find a workaround and a new way of doing things.
For me, the most important ‘hidden’ technology is always the tech that is making a real impact on the community. The camels with solar panels draped over their backs to help rural farmers create sustainable development, the 3D printers creating prosthetic limbs for children and the wearable technology helping people to stay healthy.
These are just three examples of tech that may not be front of mind, but is making a real difference to people’s lives. It’s incredible just how much technology you notice when you actually start looking for it.