Name: Alegada, Joven Timothy S.

Yr and Course: BSA 1

Name: Bual, Niña Nicole A. Yr and Course: BSA 1
Name: Ancog, Emmanuelle Adrian M. Yr and Course: BSA 1
STS Jane Literatos
Date: August 12, 2021

Subtopic 4 Formative Assessment:

“Scientific Method in Action: The Nature of the Problem”

Write a statement of the problem for three community-based problems that can be solved
by Science and Technology.

Group Name: Alegada-Bual-Ancog

Assigned Theme/Problem: Terrestrial ecosystems and Environment

Chosen Community/Hometown: Davao City
Chosen Problem: Deforestation
Chosen Solution: DroneSeed

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
⮚ Situation Analysis. Brief description of the specific problem/need that the product/service
is trying to address. How does your product/service address the problem/need?
 Davao Region has already lost 544ha of trees in 2020 (Global Forest Watch, n.d.). The
loss of trees has resulted in several issues, including CO2 emissions, landslides, siltation, and the
extinction of other species. Business people were able to invest in this area because of the rise in
commerce, and it is the cause of our ecosystem's issues. The region would improve if it did not
take advantage of natural resources. They focused on improving the industry without considering
the consequences in terms of our ecosystem. The population growth and modernization have
affected the ecosystem; we have already lost a huge amount of hectares of forest due to the
region's rapid industrialization and trade movement. In conclusion, deforestation control is the
gap we don't realize exists or don't recognize as a significant issue that we should address
straight away.

According to Nunez (2019), as the world seeks to slow the pace of climate change,
preserve wildlife, and support billions of people, trees inevitably hold a major part of the answer.
Trees are beneficial for several reasons, including the fact that they absorb not just the carbon
dioxide we breathe but also the heat-trapping greenhouse gases created by human activities.
Mining, drilling, forestry, improper practices, wildfires, and urbanization are all the causes of
deforestation. Habitat loss is one of the most damaging and unpleasant implications of
deforestation, such as the extinction of animal and plant species. Deforested areas lose their
ability to clean the air and provide natural resources because of the vast number of greenhouse
gases released into the atmosphere, affecting other healthy forest areas. Earth is not in our
possession; thus, we should not tolerate neglecting the essence of nature. Thus, even though
deforestation enhances city life, it will also harm natural life.

DroneSeed is an excellent and convenient way to plant trees rapidly without too many
human resources (Techstars, 2020). This paper suggests addressing this problem with
DroneSeed, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that has a system that collects data of the
particular area where it can shoot the seeds on the ground and spray for protection and faster
improvement. In addition, this drone can carry up to 57 pounds of seeds which helps to spread
seeds rapidly. It could monitor the growth of the trees and detect necessary data about its
progress. Therefore, the efficiency of this technology is an excellent contribution to reforestation
in preserving the environment and wildlife, which is a much faster and more effective solution
for deforestation.

⮚ A catchy line / description to introduce the product; May include differentiation with
other similar products/services and target market.

“Regain the Charm and Regreen the Forest with DroneSeed”

According to Coldewey D. (2018), DroneSeed can gather data more precisely than is
required since it generates a 3D map that helps the algorithm recognize significant
characteristics. These drones are intelligent enough to identify areas where trees would thrive
more than others. In addition, it has capabilities of both planting and spraying, making it more
successful in replanting trees. The seeds have a higher survival rate as a result of this, which is
comparable to the outcomes of the traditional technique. The government, private farm owners,
and agricultural corporations are the intended markets for this product. The government requires
this product to restore the forest of its locations as fast as possible to avoid irreversible loss of
natural resources. It could also assist the private farm owners and agricultural companies in
enriching their planting areas and maintaining them throughout development.

II. DESCRIPTION OF YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE DESCRIPTION

⮚ How does your product/service work to address the problem/need?
 According to Techstars (2020), DroneSeed has a unique 21st-century approach to forestry
services. DroneSeed works to plant trees from the sky using heavy-lift swarm drones. The drone
will identify first the area where trees would grow efficiently, this process is called micro-siting.
The micro-siting software works to target the right spot where the seeds will be planted to
increase its survivability. In addition, the drone can transport up to 57 pounds of seed and can
drop 20,000 seeds per hour, which is why it could replant the forest six times faster and could
disseminate up to 40 acres a day which is much better than the traditional human method. Then
the drone will drop the seeds with high precision under the guidance of a human, pushing them
deeper into the areas near a stump where it will give temporary protection from the sun and wind
to maintain the moisture of the soil. With this technology, we can plant trees faster and more
proficiently. Besides this fact, the drone is safe to use because the drone does not put any danger
to the environment, it does not pollute the air or do anything to harm nature. Thus, DroneSeed,
fighting and winning the fight against deforestation is made possible because of its excellent
approach to quickly restore the forest.

⮚ Unique selling points that make the product or service stand apart from what is offered by
competitors (differentiation)
o Source of raw materials/manpower
 Drones or UAV raw materials are easy to find and have a lot of supplies, according to
Daniel Bichman (2015), if we use drones, “it will be safer, it will be easier, it will be cheaper.”
Drones or UAVs are part of the fourth industrial revolution which make them techy. Even though
drones are techy they are composed of easy to access and cheap materials, these range of
materials, include thermoplastic polymers, aluminum, printed circuit board, fiberglass, and
carbon fiber. The source of these materials is our environment, once they are collected from their
source they are then processed into the specific kind of material that we need to build drones.
Machines are the one who process the materials, and as for personnels, they handle the
maneuvering of the machines and a small portion in assembling. The manpower needed for
making our drones is not that big, therefore it is cheap. As for planting the seeds, once we start
the project, drones will do all the work, making it easier for the personnel because all they need
to do is control the drones from a distance, one person per drone. Safe, easy, and cheap.

o Production process, or step-by-step procedure

 Producing Drones or UAVs that plant seeds from the sky involves programming,
assembling, and framing processes (Dessler, 2019). The difficulty of assembling our UAV is
quite average, after purchasing and preparing the materials, we then create the base of the drone
so we can start adding the parts to its body. First, the base will be our foundation. Second, after
we create the base, we put a programmed printed circuit board, as it is located in the interior of
the drone, and it stands as the command system of the UAV. Third, when we are done setting up
the body with the circuits in it, we then assemble and attach the pneumatic firing module, this is
what is going to be firing the seeds. Lastly, after the attachment, we will close and finish the
making of the drone by attaching carbon fiber all over it, we wrap it up with carbon fiber because
carbon fiber is stronger and stiffer than steel, carbon fiber is also lighter compared to steel, and as
we know, the heavier the drone, the slower and the more battery or energy draining it is. That
was the end of the steps, after performing all of these, our drone is now able to fly and shoot
seeds.

o Shelf life
 According to Chapman (2017), ”given it is new technology, drones have a fairly limited
shelf-life at this point. Some may not last this long due to rough treatment or if you wanted to
upgrade to newer gear.” Our drone would last about one year and a half if treated properly.
Without any pilot error you will not see any decrease in our drones performance, again that is if
there is no pilot error. The natural decrease in performance will most likely start at around eight
to nine months after the drone is used, you will see that the drone is flying slower and it runs out
of energy faster. Even with the decrease in performance however, with proper maintenance the
drone can still do its job well and without failure. So in conclusion, in order for you to make full
use of your drone you should do proper maintenance.

o Packaging materials
 Clifton (2019) states that packaging standards for machinery and electronics are assured
to be followed to ensure the safety, quality, and efficiency of the product. The DroneSeed’s
packaging would follow a drone packaging standard like the Eurosender’s standard for drone
packaging. According to Eurosender (n.d.), the first thing you would notice is that all of its parts
are disassembled. The larger pieces like the body, camera, and propellers are wrapped tightly
together using a bubble wrap, while the smaller details like bolts and screws are put in a smaller
bag according to their type. The package ensures to reduce the risk of damaging the drone upon
shipment. Cushioning materials like packing peanuts, crumpled paper, haybale, bubble wrap,
etc., are put as the base before placing inside the product. Lastly, the open air space is filled with
cushioning materials to make it safer. Overall, the packaging of DroneSeed follows similar
standards for packaging machines like every other company that produces machinery.

o After-sales services (maintenance and troubleshooting)

 According to DroneDeploy (2018), like any other machinery it should undergo
maintenance to ensure safety and utilize its usefulness .Aerial Seed Planting utilizes drones or
UAVs a lot. It is a machine that is being used a lot so you would probably encounter problems.
Drones and UAVs are complicated machines, and only a few mechanics are present to fix them,
unlike vehicles. It is recommended that you should know how to troubleshoot problems and
maintain them to prevent them from destruction and so you could also utilize them more. These
are the steps on troubleshooting and maintenance for drones routinely according to Process
Street (n.d.):

● Clean chassis of mud and dirt

● Inspect chassis for cracks
● Check for loose screws
● Check propellers for damage
● Check propellers are free-spinning
● Check motors for debris and obstructions
● Check state of wiring and solder joints
● Check unit camera is clean
● Check landing gear condition
● Inspect antennae
● Check control station for faulty components
● Inspect charger for visible damage
● Inspect batteries for leakages
● Update Software and Firmware
 o Benefits (if food, include Nutritional Value)

DroneSeed (n.d.) aims to “Make reforestation scaleable. Mitigate climate change.”

DroneSeed could help us mitigate the problem we are facing here: deforestation in the terrestrial
environment. According to DroneSeed (n.d.), a massive portion of the forests could be gone in a
short period if we don’t address it. This solution could help us prevent that. With the proper
planning and budget, we could make the open fields that were once thick green forests to their
old self again. It not only mitigates climate change but also makes the ecosystem thrive and gives
endangered wildlife a safe environment to live and repopulate. DroneSeed could solve a problem
that leads to solving another problem. In summary, we could benefit from DroneSeed by its fast
and efficient way of planting trees to revive the forests and help prevent climate change.
References

Bichman D. (2015). Discover how drones are made. Retrieved from

https://time.com/4001016/discover-how-drones-are-made/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt%20w
ill%20be%20safer%2C%20it,production%20and%20research%20of%20UAVs.&text=D
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Chapman, A. (2017). Drones: total cost of ownership (tco). Retrieved from
https://www.auav.com.au/articles/drones-total-cost-ownership-tco/
Coldewey D. (2018). That night, a forest flew. Retrieved from
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om-the-air/
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DroneSeed (n.d.), Drone Reforestation Retrieved from https://droneseed.com/
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https://www.eurosender.com/en/pack-ship/drone
ForestTech (2020). Aerial tree planting systems being showcased. Retrieved from
https://foresttech.events/aerial-tree-planting-systems-being-showcased/
Mario Poljak (n.d.), How to build a drone from scratch: step-by-step guide. Retrieved from
https://www.dronetechplanet.com/how-to-build-a-drone-from-scratch-step-by-step-guide/
Nikita (n.d.). The real deal on drones: durability. Retrieved from
https://droneoids.com/the-real-deal-on-drones-durability/
Process Street (n.d.), Routine drone maintenance checklist. Retrieved from
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mud-and-dirt

Jessica Clifton (2019), Why ISO Standards Are Important in the Packaging Industry. Retrieved
from
https://www.packagingstrategies.com/articles/95098-why-iso-standards-are-so-important-
in-the-packaging-industry

DroneDeploy (2018) , The art of drone maintenance and repair part 1. Retrieved from
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Techstars (2020). DroneSeed: scalable reforestation using drones. Retrieved from

https://www.techstars.com/the-line/startup-profile/droneseed-scalable-reforestation-wildfi
res-drones