Examining Use Cases for Drones (UAS/RPAS) at the Texas Medical Center

The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is the largest medical center in the world, with over 50 million square feet of developed land. With that size and notoriety come unique threats and challenges. As the TMC continues growth in size, and in technological advancement, an emphasis should be placed on how to utilize technologies already being integrated effectively in other critical sectors to support the growth of the TMC. One area of potential is the use of unmanned/un-crewed aircraft systems (UAS), more commonly known as drones, in supporting critical infrastructure inspection, testing, and preventative maintenance. Further, drone use for security of facilities, people, and high-risk areas is examined. This paper focuses on expanding on these potential use cases by exploring drone use in other industries that support the TMC (i.e., energy), and how to effectively integrate drone technologies while mitigating common concerns for safety and privacy.