Herald - Issue 414

v THE HERALD - Your Community Magazine v 28th October 2021 • The HERALD • Page 59 LJM Bookkeeping Services I provide a range of accounting and business services to individuals, partnerships, charities and small businesses. I am licenced through the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers for the following services. Bookkeeping, Computerised Accounting Software, Final Year End Accounts, Payroll Management, CIS, VAT, Self Assessment Tax for Individuals and Construction Industry Scheme, Statutory Accounts for Small Businesses including Corporation Tax and related submissions, Holiday cover can also be provided for, hourly rates charged. Please contact Lynda McIntyre Email:  ljmbookkeepingservices@gmail.com Telephone: 07774 790543 ASK A PROFESSIONAL BT Trials Cutting-edge Drone and AI Technology at the Port of Southampton BThas completed a cutting edge trial combining drones and AI at the Port of Southampton - with the new technology set to revolutionise port operations and enhance its security. e trial, in partnership with Associated British Ports (ABP) and RoboK, demonstrated a drone flying over the port’s vehicle cargo, with images captured and fed into an arti cial intelligence (AI) powered system to track and analyse vehicle occupancy at the port. e trial forms part of ABP’s ambitions to harness the latest technologies to improve operational e ciency, accuracy and safety for its ports and customers. For ABP, implementing drone automation with AI provides a range of opportunities to exploit data and provide accurate management of its sites, asset control and enhanced security. rough its long-standing innovation partnership with ABP, BT has used drones to trial a fully automated process to identify, track and analyse the number of vehicles across the port at any given time. is is key for ABP’s business to allow for accurate billing, make cost savings and use data to inform decision making. As part of the trial, BT partnered with RoboK, a Cambridge based start-up specialising in e cient 3D computer vision. RoboK’s use of innovative AI technology was able to detect, track and count vehicles in real time, captured from the drone footage. e trial sees BT andABPworking together to understand the potential use cases for “drone-in-a-box” (DIAB) solutions in port environments. Unlike traditional drones, DIAB systems deploy autonomously from a box that also functions as a landing pad and charging base. A er carrying out their instructions, these drones return to their “base” to charge and upload information. DIAB solutions can better manage port cargo, address port-wide health and safety monitoring, optimise site management, support search and rescue missions, and improve maritime control. “Drone technology can deliver vastly improved services to businesses and the public and even more so when dovetailed with automation capability. Our trial demonstrates how drone technology - underpinned by BT’s network - can lead to meaningful innovation to transform business operations. For ABP, it can fast track new levels of digital transformation across their UK ports – saving costs, boosting efficiency and improving safety,” said Dave Pankhurst, Head of Drones Solutions, BT’s Enterprise unit. “Technology is an incredible enabler to streamline processes, help digitise our ports, and ultimately provide better services to our customers. ABP’s collaboration with BT – whether it is the Internet of Things (IoT), drone technology or AI - continues to push the boundaries for new and exciting innovations and how they can play a vital role for our ports in the future,” said Harm van Weezel, Chief Information O cer at ABP. e trial at the Port of Southampton is an extension of a strategic partnership with ABP. In July 2021, BT and ABP deployed next generation IoT and sensor technology at the Port of Ipswich to speed up the movement and processing of cargo goods, digitising the port’s logistics and operations processes. The trial featured a drone flying over the port’s vehicle lot, with images captured and fed into an AI system