Drones Set Their Sights on Commercial Markets
無人飛機跨足商業市場
By Nick Wingfield and Somini Sengupta

WOODLAND HILLS, California – Daniel Gárate’s career came crashing to earth recently. That’s when the Los Angeles Police Department warned local real estate agents not to hire photographers like Mr. Gárate, who was helping sell luxury property by using a drone to shoot aerial movies. Flying drones for commercial purposes, the police said, violated federal aviation rules.
加州攝影師加特的事業前陣子遭了大殃。洛杉磯警方警告房地產仲介業者，不要雇用像加特這樣的攝影師，使用無人飛機拍攝空照影片協助銷售豪宅。警方說，為商業用途出動無人飛機違反聯邦飛航法規。

But a new federal law, signed by the president on February 16, compels the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States to allow drones to be used for commercial endeavors – from selling real estate and dusting crops, to monitoring oil spills and wildlife, even shooting Hollywood films. Local police and emergency services will also be freer to send up their own drones.
不過美國總統歐巴馬已於二月16日簽署聯邦新法，依此法聯邦航空管理局必須允許無人飛機用於商業活動，包括銷售房地產、噴灑農藥，監測海上漏油及監視野生動植物的狀況，甚至拍攝好萊塢影片。地方警察及急難救援單位也可更自由地派出無人機隊。

But the law raises new worries about how much detail the drones will capture down below – and what will be done with that information. Safety concerns like midair collisions are also an issue.
然而此法也引發了新的憂慮：無人飛機會取得地面多少詳細資料？這些資料又會用來做什麼？另外還有空中相撞之類安全問題。

American courts have generally permitted surveillance of private property from public airspace. But scholars of privacy law expect that the likely proliferation of drones will force Americans to re-examine how much surveillance they are comfortable with.
美國法院大致允許從公共空域監視私人物產，但隱私法學者預料，數量想必激增的無人飛機將迫使美國人重新思考，他們究竟能接受監視到什麼程度。

Drone proponents say the privacy concerns are overblown. Randy McDaniel, chief deputy of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department in Conroe, Texas, whose agency bought a drone to use for law enforcement, dismissed worries about surveillance. “We don’t spy on people,” he said. “We worry about criminal elements.”
提倡無人飛機商業用途者說，那些隱私問題是杞人憂天。德州康羅市的蒙哥馬利縣警局買了架無人飛機用來執法，副局長麥克丹尼爾駁斥擔心監視的說法，他說：「我們不會暗中監視一般人，我們擔心的是不法分子。」

He said his SWAT team could use it for reconnaissance, or to manage traffic after a big accident or search for a missing person.
他說，他們的霹靂小組可用無人飛機來偵察、在重大事故後疏導交通，或搜尋失蹤人口。

Still, the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups are calling for new protections against what the A.C.L.U. has said could be “routine aerial surveillance of American life.”
不過美國公民自由聯盟和其他人權團都呼籲設置新的保護措施，以避免聯盟所指可能出現的「對美國民眾生活例行性的空中監視」。

For drone makers, the change in the law comes at a good time. With the winding-down of the war in Afghanistan, where drones have been used to gather intelligence and fire missiles, these manufacturers have been awaiting opportunities at home. The market for drones is valued at $5.9 billion and is expected to double in the next decade. Drones can cost millions of dollars or as little as $300 for one that can be piloted from an iPhone.
對無人飛機製造商來說，新法簽署的正是時候。無人飛機一向在阿富汗戰場執行收集情報和發射飛彈的任務，隨著戰事逐漸平息，製造商期待國內出現商機。目前無人飛機市場總銷售額估計約為59億美元，預料未來10年會增加一倍。一架無人飛機可能價值數百萬美元，但也可能只要區區300美元，用iPhone就能操作。

For Patrick Egan, who represents small businesses in his work for the Remote Control Aerial Photography Association in California, the new law, set for late 2015, can’t come fast enough. Until 2007, when the federal agency began warning against nonrecreational use of drones, he made up to $2,000 an hour using a drone to photograph crops for farmers, helping them spot irrigation leaks. “I’ve got organic farmers screaming for me to come out,” he said.
積極參與加州遙控空中攝影協會活動的空中攝影家艾根，是小型空中攝影業的代表，對他來說，預定2015年底實施的新法其實還不夠快。2007年聯邦機構開始警告無人飛機不得做非娛樂使用之前，艾根就以一小時2000美元的價碼，用無人飛機拍攝農作物，協助農夫找出灌溉系統的罅漏處。他說：「那些有機農夫搶著要我出任務。」

Mr. Gárate said he was approached by paparazzi last year about filming the reality TV star Kim Kardashian’s wedding using a drone, but he declined. “Maybe the F.A.A. should give a driver’s license for this, with a flight test,” he said. “Do a background check to make sure I’m not a terrorist.”
加特說，去年有狗仔隊找他，希望他用無人飛機拍攝真人實境電視節目明星金卡達夏的婚禮，但他拒絕了。加特說：「也許聯邦航空管理局應該針對無人飛機的攝影工作核發駕照，外加一場飛行考試以及背景查核，確保我不是恐怖份子。」

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/18/technology/drones-with-an-eye-on-the-public-cleared-to-fly.html

Video: Drones for Hire: Authorities are coming to terms with a commercial drone industry that has emerged in recent years.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2012/02/17/technology/100000001364648/drones-for-hire.html

2012-03-06聯合報/G5版/UNITEDDAILYNEWS 馮克芸譯原文參見紐時週報七版下