Low Altitude Economy
Innovative Low-altitude Intelligent Inspection Project of Changchun City
1. Introduction to the Project
1.1 Project background
1.1.1 Product introduction
This product utilizes advanced drone technology from both domestic and international innovations to build a low altitude intelligent inspection system. The system integrates key components such as drone equipment, data acquisition and processing platforms, and is widely used in various fields such as urban infrastructure inspection and environmental monitoring. The low altitude intelligent inspection system we have developed is a highly integrated and intelligent solution. The drone equipment adopts the most cutting-edge materials and design processes, ensuring its excellent flight performance and stability. These drones can not only operate normally under complex weather conditions, but also adapt to different inspection scenarios and task requirements.
In terms of hardware configuration, the drone is equipped with high-resolution cameras and advanced sensors, which can obtain clear and accurate images and data in real time. High definition cameras can capture extremely subtle details, ensuring that no potential issues are overlooked during urban infrastructure inspections, such as road cracks, bridge structural damage, etc. Multiple types of sensors can collect environmental parameters such as air quality, temperature, humidity, etc., providing comprehensive data support for environmental monitoring.
The data collection and processing platform is the core of the entire system. It can receive a large amount of data transmitted back by drones in real time and quickly analyze and process it through powerful algorithms. The platform has intelligent recognition function, which can automatically identify abnormal situations and potential safety hazards, and issue timely alerts. At the same time, the data processing platform also supports multi-dimensional data display and analysis, providing decision-makers with intuitive and comprehensive information to make accurate judgments and decisions.
Taking urban power inspection for example, we can see drones can fly along transmission lines and capture images of equipment such as towers and insulators. The data collection and processing platform can automatically detect issues such as insulator damage and tower tilt, and generate detailed reports, significantly improving the efficiency and accuracy of inspections. In terms of environmental monitoring, drones can sample and monitor the water quality of rivers and lakes in cities, obtain real-time water quality data, and provide strong support for environmental protection.
1.1.2 Market prospect
(1) Current situation of the low altitude intelligent inspection industry
With the continuous advancement of technology, the low altitude intelligent inspection industry has achieved rapid development in recent years. The application of technologies such as drones, artificial intelligence, and big data analysis has significantly improved the efficiency and accuracy of inspections. By now, this industry has been widely used for monitoring and maintenance of power, oil, natural gas pipelines, and urban infrastructure. By deploying intelligent inspection systems, enterprises can not only monitor the status of key facilities in real time, but also discover potential safety hazards in a timely manner, effectively preventing accidents from occurring.
With the acceleration of urbanization and the increasing demand for refined urban management, traditional inspection methods are no longer able to meet the needs of modern urban development. The traditional manual inspection method is inefficient, costly, and carries certain safety risks. Low altitude intelligent inspection, as an innovative solution, can quickly collect large amounts of data, significantly improve inspection efficiency and accuracy, and has a broad market prospect.
In terms of urban infrastructure inspection, the scale of infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and power facilities is constantly expanding, and the difficulty of maintenance and management is also increasing. Low altitude intelligent inspection can quickly and comprehensively inspect these facilities, discover potential problems in a timely manner, reduce maintenance costs, and ensure the normal operation of the city. For example, regular inspection of bridges requires a large amount of manpower and time, while drones can complete the inspection of the overall structure of the bridge in a short period of time, detect subtle cracks and damages, and provide timely and accurate information for bridge maintenance.
In the field of environmental monitoring, there is an increasing demand for monitoring environmental factors such as air quality, water quality, and soil. Low altitude intelligent inspection can flexibly sample and monitor in different areas, obtain real-time and accurate data, and provide scientific basis for environmental protection and governance. For example, in air quality monitoring, drones can carry air quality monitoring equipment to conduct flight monitoring in different areas of the city and draw detailed air quality distribution maps.
Based on low altitude airspace and driven by the low altitude flight activities of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, the “low altitude economy+” has given birth to a new aircraft industry chain in various regions, as well as the construction of new infrastructure related to low altitude flight. Data shows that in the first half of 2024, there were approximately 608000 newly registered unmanned aerial vehicles, an increase of 48% compared to the end of last year; Drones have flown a total of 9.816 million hours, an increase of 134000 hours compared to the same period last year.
In 2024, the “low altitude economy” was first included in the government work report, and the intensive introduction of relevant policies has further enhanced the certainty of industry development.
(2) The prospect of the low altitude intelligent inspection industry
With the continuous advancement of technology, the low altitude intelligent inspection industry is ushering in unprecedented development opportunities. The integration of technologies such as drones, artificial intelligence, and big data analysis has made low altitude inspections more efficient and accurate. The application of these technologies not only increases the frequency and quality of inspections, but also reduces labor costs and safety risks. Especially in the inspection of key infrastructure such as electricity, oil, and natural gas, low altitude intelligent inspection technology is gradually replacing traditional manual inspection methods and becoming a new standard in the industry.
With the continuous expansion of policies and application scenarios, the low altitude economy has shown a vigorous development momentum. Especially in the fields of aerospace, electronic communication, and military industry, central enterprises actively layout low altitude economy, explore operational service scenarios such as low altitude+inspection, low altitude+logistics, low altitude+emergency, and low altitude+cultural tourism, and explore new engines for future economic growth. With the continuous advancement of low altitude aircraft technology such as drones, their performance will be significantly improved, including flight stability, endurance, and intelligence level. The integration and application of new sensors, artificial intelligence, big data and other technologies will further enhance the accuracy and timeliness of inspections, and promote the intelligent development of the inspection industry.
In addition to traditional inspections in areas such as highways, railways, and power lines, low altitude economy+inspections will also be expanded to more fields, such as environmental monitoring, agricultural and forestry plant protection, urban planning, etc. With the continuous improvement of the application capabilities of low altitude aircraft such as drones in complex environments, their application scenarios will become more extensive, providing more possibilities for the development of the inspection industry.
As of the end of 2023, China has over 1.26 million drones, a year-on-year increase of about 32%, and 690 registered aviation enterprises nationwide, which is 2.5 times that of 2015. In 2023, the scale of China’s low altitude economy exceeded 500 billion yuan. The Civil Aviation Administration of China predicts that by 2025, the market size of China’s low altitude economy will have reached 1.5 trillion yuan, and is expected to have reached 3.5 trillion yuan by 2035. These data indicate that the low altitude economy and its related inspection industry are growing rapidly, and the market size is constantly expanding.
The low altitude economy covers multiple fields such as “low altitude+logistics”, “low altitude+tourism”, “low altitude+firefighting”, “low altitude+emergency”, and has a strong market demand. With the continuous strengthening of policy support, the low altitude economy+inspection industry will usher in more development opportunities.
1.1.3 Technical analysis
Innovative drones at home and abroad have become relatively mature in terms of technology, providing a solid guarantee for the efficient operation of low altitude intelligent inspection systems.
(1) High precision positioning technology
By adopting Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Real Time Kinematic (RTK) technology, we can achieve the centimeter level positioning accuracy. This enables the drone to accurately fly along the preset route during the inspection process, ensuring that the collected data has a high degree of accuracy and consistency. When inspecting complex environments such as high-rise buildings in cities, high-precision positioning technology can help drones avoid obstacles and complete tasks safely and stably.
(2) High definition image transmission technology
Equipped with advanced image transmission system, it can transmit high-definition images and data back to the ground control station in real time. Even in remote and complex electromagnetic environments, it can ensure clear and smooth images, allowing operators to monitor inspection situations in real time and make timely decisions. For example, in the inspection of large industrial parks, high-definition image transmission technology can allow ground personnel to clearly see the operating status of factory equipment and potential safety hazards.
(3) Intelligent obstacle avoidance technology
By integrating multiple sensors and algorithms, it can automatically perceive obstacles in the surrounding environment and take corresponding avoidance measures. This greatly improves the flight safety of drones and reduces the risk of equipment damage and mission failure caused by collisions. In low altitude flights in cities, facing numerous obstacles such as buildings and power poles, intelligent obstacle avoidance technology can ensure the safe and smooth completion of inspection tasks by drones.
(4) Data analysis algorithm
Combined with powerful data analysis algorithms, it can quickly process and analyze the collected data. Through technologies such as image recognition and machine learning, it is possible to automatically identify abnormal situations and potential problems, and generate detailed reports. For example, in power inspection, data analysis algorithms can quickly identify faults such as insulator damage and line short circuits, improving the efficiency and accuracy of fault diagnosis.
1.1.4 Advantageous conditions of project construction
(1) Policy advantages
On July 30, 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized during the 16th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee that “we must do a good job in national air traffic management and promote the healthy development of the low altitude economy”.
On March 27, 2024, the four departments of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the “Implementation Plan for Innovative Applications of General Aviation Equipment (2024-2030)”, proposing to “accelerate the iteration and upgrading of general aviation technology and equipment, build a modern advanced manufacturing cluster for general aviation, create a new development model for the general aviation industry with Chinese characteristics, and provide strong support for cultivating new growth poles for the low altitude economy”.
In March, 2024, the second session of the 14th National People’s Congress was held, and the government work report proposed to “actively build new growth engines such as bio manufacturing, commercial aerospace, and low altitude economy”.
In December, 2023, the Central Economic Work Conference proposed to “develop several strategic emerging industries such as biomanufacturing, commercial aerospace, and low altitude economy”.
(2) Industrial advantages
Jilin Province has a solid industrial foundation in the aviation industry. Jilin Province has a group of general aviation enterprises such as AVIC Jilin Aviation Maintenance Co., Ltd., forming a relatively mature general aviation manufacturing and maintenance industry chain, including general aircraft maintenance, parts refining, and unmanned aerial vehicle research and development and manufacturing.
In addition, the policy environment and market prospect in Jilin Province are also very favorable. Jilin Province is optimizing the development plan of low altitude economy, systematically sorting out the constraints such as rules and regulations, infrastructure, access permits, and airspace control, innovating policies, mechanisms, and rules, and enhancing the openness and attractiveness of developing low altitude economy. At the same time, Jilin Province has designated Changchun as a national pilot city for the development of low altitude economy, carrying out systematic pilot projects and striving to be at the forefront of developing low altitude economy and building industrial ecology.
Changchun City has established a low altitude economic spatial layout of “one core, three bases, four support points, and one corridor”. “One core”, with Jingyue New and High-tech Zone as the core, to build a city wide low altitude flight system integration zone and a low altitude economic demonstration zone; based on Changchun New Area, Lvyuan District, and China-Korea (Changchun) International Cooperation Demonstration Zone, the “three bases” will be established to build a low altitude economic manufacturing and service industry cluster development base; the “four support points” are strategic support points for the development of the aviation industry and low altitude economy, relying on the existing and planned general airports and flight camps in Yushu City, Jiutai District, Nong’an County, Shuangyang District and other places; the “one corridor” will rely on the advantages of aviation, aerospace, automobiles, and railway vehicles in the Automobile Development Zone, Lvyuan District, Kuancheng District, and Changchun New Area, and integrate them to create a world-class low altitude equipment industry corridor in western Changchun.
Kuancheng District has a certain foundation in the intelligent manufacturing industry, providing supporting support for low altitude intelligent inspection projects. A group of related enterprises have gathered in the area, covering fields such as mechanical processing, electronic information, software development, etc., forming a relatively complete industrial chain. These enterprises have rich experience and technical accumulation in parts production, system integration, software development, etc., and can provide high-quality supporting services for low altitude intelligent inspection projects.
Local mechanical processing companies can provide high-precision components for the production of drones, electronic information companies can provide key electronic components for data collection and transmission systems, and software development companies can develop customized software for data processing platforms. This industrial agglomeration effect can not only reduce the production cost of projects, but also improve the research and development and production efficiency of projects, and enhance their market competitiveness.
(3) Location advantages
Kuancheng District has a superior geographical location and is the core hinterland of the northern new city of Changchun. It is located at the intersection of the Harbin-Dalian first-level axis and the main axis of the Changchun-Jilin-Tumen pilot area. The Beijing-Harbin Railway divides Kuancheng into two parts: Tienan and Tiebei. The Tienan area has gathered a group of large commercial and wholesale enterprises, making it one of the busiest business districts in Changchun; the Tiebei region is an old industrial base in Changchun, with a strong industrial foundation and industrial advantages. In addition, Kuancheng District is adjacent to large state-owned enterprises such as Changchun New Area to the east and the Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd. to the west, and is located in the core area of the western industrial corridor in the city’s planning and layout. It has unique advantages in future industrial development.
(4) Talent advantages
Changchun is a well-known high intelligence intensive area in China, with more than ten key universities such as Jilin University, Northeast Normal University, and Changchun Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics located in Changchun. It also has national and provincial (ministerial) scientific research institutions such as Changchun Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences , Changchun Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, as well as scientific research institutions such as design institutes, computing and testing centers, and several key open laboratories in Changchun. Changchun City has abundant human resources and price advantages. Higher education institutions and research institutions such as Jilin University, Northeast Normal University, Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, and Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry can provide senior management and technical personnel for the implementation of the project.
Kuancheng District has abundant human resources, with numerous technical workers and professional talents. At the same time, the district is close to multiple universities, which facilitates talent recruitment and industry university research cooperation. The relevant majors in universities can provide a continuous supply of high-quality talents for projects, while the scientific research strength of universities can also provide strong support for the technological innovation of the project.
1.2 Contents and scale of project construction
The project plans to build a drone inspection base covering an area of approximately 15000 square meters in Kuancheng District, including functional areas such as drone parking area, maintenance area, charging area, and data processing center. The base will be constructed to high standards, equipped with advanced facilities and equipment to ensure the safe storage and efficient operation of drones.
Purchase multiple models of drones:
According to different inspection task requirements, various models of innovative drones are purchased, including but not limited to large drones suitable for long-distance inspections, small drones suitable for complex environmental operations, and specialized drones with special functions such as thermal imaging and LiDAR. It is expected that the number of drones to be purchased will exceed 100.
Establish a data processing center:
Build an advanced data processing center equipped with high-performance servers and storage devices, as well as professional data processing software and algorithms. The data processing center will be responsible for real-time processing and analysis of the data collected by drones, generating detailed inspection reports and decision support information.
Develop a supporting software system:
Develop a fully functional supporting software system, including unmanned aerial vehicle flight control software, data acquisition software, data analysis software, and visualization display software. The software system will achieve remote control of drones, automatic data collection and processing, and intuitive display of results, improving the efficiency and intelligence level of inspection work.
1.3. Total investment of the project and capital raising
The total investment of the project is 200 million yuan, including the construction investment of 145 million yuan.
1.4 Financial analysis and social evaluation
1.4.1 Main financial indexes
After the project reaches the production capacity, its annual sales revenue will be 125.78 million yuan, its profit will be 37.73 million yuan, its investment payback period will be 6.5 years (after the tax, including the construction period of 1 year) and its return on investment will be 18.87%.
Note: “10 thousand yuan” in the table is in RMB.
1.4.2 Social evaluation
Promoting industrial upgrading and innovative development: The deep integration of low altitude inspection projects with technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things has promoted data sharing, resource integration, and work efficiency improvement among different industries, driving industrial upgrading and innovative development.
Promoting the development of low altitude economy and intelligence: Low altitude economy is a comprehensive economic form based on aircraft and low altitude airspace, covering multiple fields such as “low altitude+logistics”, “low altitude+tourism”, “low altitude+firefighting”, etc. The development of low altitude inspection projects has promoted the expansion of low altitude economy, gathering new momentum for the expansion of low altitude economy in transportation, environmental protection, agriculture and other fields.
Improving public safety and social governance level: The widespread application of low altitude inspection projects in power lines, oil and gas pipelines, highways, railways and other fields helps to timely detect and deal with safety hazards, and enhance public safety and social governance level.
Promoting employment and economic development: With the promotion and application of low altitude inspection projects, enterprises in related industrial chains such as drone manufacturers and aircraft manufacturing companies will usher in new development opportunities, thereby driving the development of related industries and increasing employment opportunities.
1.5 Cooperative way
Sole proprietorship, joint venture or cooperation
1.6 What to be invested by the foreign party
Funds and other methods can be discussed in person.
1.7Construction site of the project
Kuancheng Economic Development Zone
1.8 Progress of the project
The project proposal has been prepared.
2. Introduction to the Partner
2.1 Unit basic information
Name: People’s Government of Kuancheng District, Changchun City
Address: 3366 North Renmin Street, Changchun City
2.2 Unit overview
Kuancheng District is located in the northern part of Changchun City and is one of the five main urban areas. Jilin Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government are located within its jurisdiction, covering an area of approximately 166 square kilometers and a population of 669000. It has 10 streets and 1 town, as well as a provincial-level development zone. As an important industrial carrier and logistics agglomeration area in Changchun, it has a superior industrial foundation and resource endowment. Relying on the urban spatial structure and industrial development foundation of Kuancheng District, it has built a development strategy layout of “one core leading”, “two-zone integration”, and “five-industry linkage”.
Kuancheng District leverages its location advantages and adheres to the construction of a modern core area in the northern part of Changchun, promoting the integrated development of the main urban area and the development zone. It promotes the coordinated development of advanced equipment manufacturing industry, modern service industry, agricultural and sideline product processing industry, circular economy industry, and cultural tourism industry around the advantages of location and land resources. Advanced equipment manufacturing industry: Highlighting the development of rail transit equipment manufacturing industry and automotive parts processing industry. The manufacturing industry of rail transit equipment, led by CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd. and FAW Group, aims to build a highly competitive rail equipment repair and manufacturing industry base and automotive parts industry cluster with leading technology, complete supporting facilities, and a complete chain; modern service industry: Highlighting the development of production and life logistics industry and modern commerce and trade industry. It vigorously introduces new service formats such as commodity wholesale, chain operation, warehousing and distribution, high-end business, cultural creativity, and financial services, and creates a core area of modern commercial and trade service industry; Agricultural and sideline product processing industry: leveraging the advantages of Kuancheng’s proximity to the main agricultural and sideline product production areas and trading markets, focusing on cultivating and developing leisure food and green organic food, and creating a leading modern agricultural industrialization base in the province; circular economy industry: relying on national level resource recycling bases, with the recycling of scrapped automobile resources as the core, developing a composite renewable resource recycling industry chain, integrating the recycling, dismantling, processing, and utilization of renewable resources into a resource recycling industrial park, and building a resource recycling center based in Changchun and radiating throughout the province; cultural tourism industry: Focus on promoting the protection and utilization of historical and cultural blocks and the development of green corridors along the Yitong River. Focus on introducing cultural and creative industries, leisure culture, and commercial tourism industries. Promote the construction of infrastructure and landscape facilities on the west bank of the North Yitong River, and transform the Yitong River Green Ecological Development Belt into a new waterfront area.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Kuancheng District, as an important carrier for the “six returns” of China FAW and CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd., shoulders the important mission of promoting the city’s industries and gathering projects.
2.3 Contact method
Contact person of the Bureau of Commerce of Kuancheng District: Ma Xinyu
Tel: +86-431-89990274 +86-18604435966
E-mail: 174741967@qq.com
Contact method of the city (prefecture) where the project is located:
Contact unit: Changchun Cooperation and Exchange Office
Contact person: Zhang Junjie
Tel: +86-15704317930
Fax: +86-431-82700590
E-mail: xmc82763933@163.com
Website of the city (prefecture): http://www.ccmbc.com/